Wendy’s story – ‘You won’t believe it, but it exists…’ campaign

Wendy’s story is the eighth video of the ‘You won’t believe it, but it exists…’ series. The video shows how Wendy, victim of sexual abuse, coped with trauma when there was no support available.

As Wendy tells in this story: “I was 14 when I told my mother what my father had been doing to me over the past 5 years. Luckily, she believed me, and my father was arrested by the police. Unfortunately, there was no evidence of the sexual abuse – it all had been too long ago so, my father only got a few nights in prison and a restraining order. Had I had been able to get help at the time, such as through a helpline or something online, or even if a teacher at school or an instructor at the ballet school had paid attention to my depression, I would probably have recovered more quickly, but at that time I was left alone, face to face with my guilt.” You can watch the story on VSE’s YouTube channel.

The ‘You won’t believe, but it exists’ campaign features the voices of victims, whose stories we learn through the medium of animation and video. Through these films – one per country, in its national language – the victims take the viewers on a powerful and emotional journey through their stories. The characters share their experiences, their doubts and their fears, how they learned about victim support services, how they found the courage to look for help, and how their lives were changed by the support they received.

Learn more about the campaign on the dedicated campaign webpage.