More than 50% of the population in Czech Republic are women. Ask each and she could tell you about the time she was either sexually discriminated, harassed, assaulted or abused. It might have been by a family member, a partner, a friend, a teacher, a colleague or, more rarely, by a stranger. Maybe it happened once and maybe it went on for years. However, you probably never asked and even if you did, she probably wouldn’t tell. She is, after all, smart enough to know that by coming out she would be stigmatized, victimized and likely be blamed. In any case, she already has so many gender-based struggles ahead of her, why make it worse? 

 

So we keep silent, being the civilized bystanders that we are. We convince ourselves that sexual violence is about sex- a private issue rather than a sociopolitical phenomenon, blossoming in partly hidden patriarchal structures. Meanwhile, at least one out of four women will experience some form of sexual abuse before the age of eighteen. In over 85% of the cases it will be carried out by someone the victim knows, while one of six girls will experience incest. Nonetheless, you will hardly ever hear about “this girl” on the media, unless she is sensationally murdered. You will not see her as she grows up battling with the long term psychological and social effects of the abuse. If she will survive on through to adulthood, she will by that time learn the importance of silence and will likely become a bystander herself. 

 

NOBODY LIKES DIRTY GIRLS was curated by Alma Lily Rayner and Magdalena Bažantová. The events took place at gallery Oko uragánu.