"It's important because it shows survivors that it (sexual violence) is the fault of society, not of themselves," she said. Unlike Melnychenko in Ukraine, few women in Russia expect any real, systematic change. Nemirovskaya was one of the many Russian women to speak out about her experience, which occurred three years ago when she was harassed by a family friend. "In all post-Soviet countries, there is a 'culture of violence' toward women," Melnychenko said. Under the hashtag #IAmNotAfraidToSpeak in Ukrainian and Russian, hundreds of women have taken to Facebook to share their stories.

Source: New Zealand Herald July 19, 2016 15:45 UTC