'Invisible Trauma'. Personal stories of Belarusians who suffered from psychological violence

Since the beginning of August many world media outlets have published stories of Belarusian victims, raising the topics of physical and sexual violence. However, they hardly ever speak about how the repressions of the regime affected the emotional state of people.

It is common to talk about bruises and years spent in prison (and the authors of the project do not dispute the importance of shedding light on the crimes against humanity committed in Belarus). The problem is that amid the horrifying detaiSince the beginning of August many world media outlets have published stories of Belarusian victims, raising the topics of physical and sexual violence. However, they hardly ever speak about how the repressions of the regime affected the emotional state of people.ls of torture, beatings and illegal detentions, we often overlook other, more everyday manifestations of repression. The permanent fear, helplessness, paranoia, or difficulty of being forced to leave the country are not mentioned at all, because “there are more serious problems”. This is why thousands of Belarusians, including women, are left alone with their traumas, unheard, unnoticed, and invisible.