After Daria fled from her Russian-occupied village to western Ukraine, she spent weeks restlessly wandering the streets. Whenever she grew tired of walking, she would sit on park benches and tell anyone who would listen — even perfect strangers — what the Russian soldiers did to her. “I wanted to tell everyone, but there was no one to talk to,” recalled Daria, a 32-year-old illustrator. For two years after the assault, Daria said, she wrestled with shame. She said in an interview that she was ready to tell her story, to erase the stigma of sexual assault and help herself and other victims heal.

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Persons: Daria, “, ”, ” Daria Locations: Ukraine, Havronshchyna, Kyiv, Ukraine’s, —