Ways out of violence

How can violence against women be prevented? How can those affected by violence find support to lead a life free of violence? These questions and the answers to them are the focus of this year’s action days against violence against women, which take place from November 25 to December 10.

Collective responsibility
Individual support for those affected is important. At the same time, however, changes and measures are also needed at a societal level. Resources must be strengthened (sufficient places in women’s shelters and funding for specialist agencies). Professionals and volunteers need to be sensitized. And it must be prevented that victims of violence become victims again when the justice system and the media deal with specific incidents.

There are numerous events and opportunities to get involved in the region and throughout Switzerland during the campaign days. An overview and background information can be found on the Action Days website.

Iris Galey’s journey
Opferhilfe beider Basel has produced four short videos for this year’s campaign. The contributions are about Iris Galey, her resources and how she found a way out of violence.

Iris Galey is the author of the bestseller “I didn’t cry when my father died”. The 88-year-old looks back on an eventful life that is like a rollercoaster ride with its highs and lows. She has experienced countless incidents of violence. She knows what it means to be abused, degraded, humiliated, manipulated and punished. As a child, she was sexually abused by her father for several years. She spent most of her childhood and adolescence in institutions. Caregivers and teachers also sexually abused her there. As a child, she also experienced physical and psychological violence and neglect at the hands of her mother.

Iris Galey, who grew up in England and Switzerland, did not learn from her parents how to build strong, reliable and loving relationships. When she was 19, she was persuaded by her mother to marry a much older man. And there, too, she was the victim of domestic violence and was beaten several times to the point of unconsciousness.

How can a person survive such violence? How does one find the strength to go on, to believe in the good, and what struggles have to be overcome? In short, what paths led Iris Galey out of the violence and towards the fulfilled and happy life she had longed for? She provides answers to these questions in the video “In conversation with Iris Galey”.

Iris Galey is a successful writer. She has described her life, her struggle and, above all, her commitment against abuse in various books. And she has given countless readings about it and motivated thousands of people affected by violence and helped them with advice.

Experiencing violence – a daily companion
She lives with her husband Peter in the Basel region and says that she is happy today. She has learned to live with her terrible experiences of violence. Because they are a daily companion that those affected cannot shake off. Iris Galey also had to experience how experiences of abuse and violence are passed on to subsequent generations. And that makes Iris Galey particularly angry and sad. Because the violence she experienced also affected her children and her relationship with them.

Beat John, Managing Director of Opferhilfe beider Basel, had the pleasure of meeting Iris Galey this fall – over a cup of tea. “I looked into a beaming, grateful face with incredible charisma. Her motivation to stand up against violence and abuse is clearly palpable. And also a certain anxiety about not having done enough or not having enough time to do more.”

With these four video sequences, Opferhilfe beider Basel is focusing on the life of Iris Galey during this year’s 16 Days against Violence against Women. It also expresses its admiration for the persistent and important fighter against abuse and violence.

Thank you Iris.

Further information about Iris Galey

Website of the author and trauma therapist

A selection of books:

• I did not cry when my father died. Published by Zytglogge, Bern, 1988.
• The frozen smile – My long road to healing from incest. Publisher: Giger, Altendorf, 2009.
• I didn’t cry when my father died … and hated sex until I found love. Publisher: MVG, Munich, 2015.

To the four-part video interview series with Iris Galey