Defending Human Rights: A Resource Book for Human

speaking about certain experiences, particularly
in regards to gender and sexual violence. It is not
uncommon for victims to be blamed for what has
happened to them and in some cases be further
ostracized or targeted in honour killings.
• Does not want to concede power to the torturer
by admitting to traumatic consequences – it is
hard to admit that the traumatic experience may
have caused irreparable harm. It is also a defense
mechanism that allows people to achieve some
semblance of a normal life, but at the expense of
actually working through the pain.
At the family level the closer members:
• Want to protect the loved one – not to bring
up painful memories and to encourage the
development of a normal life.
• Never speak of traumatic experience – it may
also reflect a sense of guilt on the part of the
family, that they were powerless to prevent this
from happening.
• Isolate themselves from other relatives, friends,
support service etc. – loss of trust in others is
not uncommon. Also, the trauma may become
internalized within the family and it becomes
harder and harder to reach out to others (who
themselves may be extremely uncomfortable or
fearful).
• Want to go forward and forget traumatic event –
the importance of survival supersedes everything
else.
At the social and institutional level people:
• Choose to ignore – again, it is difficult to imagine
that one lives in a society where these things are
happening.
• Feel threatened and fearful to intervene –
people become preoccupied with surviving and
protecting their own families.
• Feel powerless to assist or change circumstances
– the problems may appear too large, too
unmanageable to deal with, the fear is too great.
• Blame the victims – often the activism of the
survivor is blamed. The survivor may be accused
of failing to maintain the security and safety of
the family.
• Does not want to be concerned with “outside
issues” – insularity is often a response to large
problems, especially if it is indirectly experienced
by a particular group.
Circles of Support
Having understood how trauma arises in societies
we now can move into how to confront it. The
same framework that Martin-Baro used to explain
the dynamics of trauma (Circles of Silence) can be
applied as a basis of a very practical approach. Now
it is called Circles of Support (originally Circles of
Solidarity).
Creating circles of support at the three different
levels - individual, family and societal/institutional
- denial is transformed into support as follows:
At the individual level, the survivor:
• Finds understanding and support – friends and
family listen and acknowledge or validate the
experience.
• Learns coping skills to “buffer” traumatic effects
– for example, avoiding places that remind of
the trauma, exercising and maintaining a healthy
lifestyle, maintaining relationships with other
people.
• Constructs a “meaning” for the experience – “I
was hurt because I fought for the human rights
of others. This is the price I willingly pay.”, or
strengthening one’s spirituality (for example,
one of the functions of religion is to explain
suffering).
• Is positively acknowledged by family and society.
At the family level, they:
• Develop understanding – traumatic experiences
often changes people. They may become quieter,
more withdrawn, easily startled, sleep poorly
and be more irritable, angry or depressed. The
family understands where this behaviour comes
from.
Defending Human Rights: A Resource Book for Human Rights Defenders | 2nd Edition 21