Robert Uttaro

The author shares his experience working as a rape counsellor and what he has heard and seen in his job. A very honest look at a horrendous crime and how it can affect the victims. I think the fact that it was told from a male perspective who has had no experience of sexual assault himself, is a unique view. There should be more volunteers to help at crisis centres and shelters. The amount of victims who are too scared to come forward is awful. Hopefully by reading something like this they may be encouraged to come forward and that there are people out there ready to listen and support and most importantly believe them. A great read and one I would recommend… (mehr)

Robert Uttaro, a long-time advocate for those affected by sexual violence wrote To the Survivors. It's a memoir of his own journey to become a rape crisis counselor with The Healing Place (THP), a fictional name to hide his employer from associated, as are the real names of the people he interviewed for the book. Uttaro doesn't want to talk about sexual violence victims as mere statistics. Their true stories, illustrated by raw quotes and poems make up the most part of To the Suvivors. The survivors are diverse in age, gender, religion and ethnicity. Some of them became speakers for THP, others just discovered their dark past and open up for Bobby U, Uttaro's nick name.
In each chapter a survivor shares a story, is honest about feelings of overcoming, anger, revenge, forgiveness and moving on. Therapy, martial arts, deep breathing, or an understanding that there's much more light than darkness, there's help for everyone. The author doesn't want to offer a one size fits all. Sexual violence is too complex to tackle in one book. According to Robert Uttaro survivors are not to blame. If someone discloses to you, please believe and listen to him or her. Don't force survivors to do anything. Support them in what they need at the time. Always understand that people can and do heal from sexual violence and other forms of violence as well. Belief in hope and healing are core messages of this uplifting, yet emotional book on a very sensitive and tough topic.… (mehr)