By Euro Weekly News Media • Published: 14 Dec 2018 • 12:15
On April 26 2018 at 10:21am, following the controversial verdict to the Wolf Pack case in Spain, Cristina Fallarás took to social media to inspire victims of sexual abuse to tell the world of their own experiences in order to support the victim, she featured the hashtag on Twitter ‘#cuentalo’ (Tell it) and started an inspirational viral movement. https://twitter.com/LaFallaras/status/989554972697251845 “We have to share the aggressions and violations, ladies. This story has been stolen. We must build it so that others recognise … Thank you, boss #Cuéntalo” In just hours, victims of sexual abuse, inspired by Cristina’s hashtag, began to break the silence on their own histories of sexual abuse. Between April 26 and May 9, the Twitter movement registered three-million ‘#cuentalo’ tweets. The movement also reached Latin America and 790,000 people worldwide, mostly women,shared, interacted and retweeted these stories on social media, messages which were shared far and wide. According to data analysts working in conjunction with the Spanish media, 9.8 per cent of all recorded tweets involved stories which included murder. 14 per cent of tweets mentioned cases of rape and 28 per cent spoke of sexual assault. Physical abuse was apparent in 15.7 per cent of the ‘#cuentalo’ tweets and sexual harassment featured in 35.5 per cent of the posts. 29.5 per cent spoke of a fear of leaving the home at night or walking alone. Women under the age of 18 contributed 3,500 of the ‘#cuentalo’ stories and there were more than 1,000 tweets from girls under 12-years-old. In total, entries from victims across 60 countries were recorded, 34 percent of all social media posts were from Spain. The movement was initially inspired after ‘La Manada’ (The Wolf Pack) were convicted for sexual assault and not rape in a controversial verdict that enraged many in Spain. Paula Borja, from Barcelona, used 219 characters to relay her message on Twitter, writing: “I am 32 years old and I wake up scared in the night when the quilt falls off. I felt the same way when I was little. The man who should have loved me the most, used to throw the quilt on the ground and that’s when everything started #tellit.”
Tengo 32 años y me despierto con miedo cuando se me cae el edredón por las noches. Cuando era pequeña me pasaba igual. El hombre que más tenía que haberme querido tiraba el edredón al suelo y ahí empezaba todo #cuéntalo — Paula Borja (@pau_borja) April 27, 2018
Tengo 32 años y me despierto con miedo cuando se me cae el edredón por las noches. Cuando era pequeña me pasaba igual. El hombre que más tenía que haberme querido tiraba el edredón al suelo y ahí empezaba todo #cuéntalo
— Paula Borja (@pau_borja) April 27, 2018
No he sido capaz de contarlo públicamente. No quiero, pero sí lo he contado. Y con cada historia que leo en #cuéntalo se me cae el alma a los pies. Es el sistema. Y nos creíamos que éramos nosotras. — Gemma Herrero (@gemmaherrero) April 27, 2018
No he sido capaz de contarlo públicamente. No quiero, pero sí lo he contado. Y con cada historia que leo en #cuéntalo se me cae el alma a los pies. Es el sistema. Y nos creíamos que éramos nosotras.
— Gemma Herrero (@gemmaherrero) April 27, 2018
A los 19 quise viajar sola por Portugal. Llegué a Guarda, visité la catedral. Una horda de chicos empezó a vigilarme, seguirme, decirme cosas. Desistí, volví a Barcelona. Nunca más he viajado sola salvo para visitar ciudades grandes #cuentalo — LauraFreixas (@LauraFreixas) April 28, 2018
A los 19 quise viajar sola por Portugal. Llegué a Guarda, visité la catedral. Una horda de chicos empezó a vigilarme, seguirme, decirme cosas. Desistí, volví a Barcelona. Nunca más he viajado sola salvo para visitar ciudades grandes #cuentalo
— LauraFreixas (@LauraFreixas) April 28, 2018
https://twitter.com/itslinaress/status/989990462579728384 https://twitter.com/ElisaMaza77/status/989967616704905217
Ir camino de casa sola por la noche Mirar hacia atrás una y otra vez Agachar la cabeza si te cruzas con alguien Hacer como que hablas por teléfono Andar a paso ligero Ir con las llaves preparadas para abrir cuanto antes Respirar al cerrar la puerta de casa#cuéntalo — Mariu 🖤 (@MariuJaen) April 27, 2018
Ir camino de casa sola por la noche
Mirar hacia atrás una y otra vez
Agachar la cabeza si te cruzas con alguien
Hacer como que hablas por teléfono
Andar a paso ligero
Ir con las llaves preparadas para abrir cuanto antes
Respirar al cerrar la puerta de casa#cuéntalo
— Mariu 🖤 (@MariuJaen) April 27, 2018
https://twitter.com/ilargiblue/status/990109918484160513
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