Rape campaigner live-blogged her own ‘sexual assault’ – just minutes after alleged attack took place – to set an example for other survivors who ‘need to speak up’
- Amber Amour, 27, from New York was in Cape Town, South Africa, for her ‘Stop Rape. Educate’ campaign when she was raped in a shower
- The activist took to Instagram to write about the alleged rape and post a picture of herself crying in the shower after the sexual assault
- She also shared photos of her rape kit and screen grabs of the hateful messages she received that blamed her for her sexual assault
A rape survivor and activist has revealed why she was compelled to share intimate details of her alleged sexual assault on social media just minutes after the attack, explaining that she instantly knew that she couldn’t keep what happened to her a secret.
Amber Amour, 27, was in Cape Town, South Africa, promoting her ‘Stop Rape. Educate’ campaign in November when she she was allegedly attacked by a man named Shakir after she agreed to take a shower with him. After she was raped, Amber took to Instagram to post a photo of herself crying and a message detailing the horrific sexual assault.
‘Here I was, telling survivors every single day that they should speak up… I knew I had to practice what I preached,’ she explained to Marie Claire UK. ‘So the first thing I did was take a picture and write a post, describing what had happened.’
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Horrific encounter: Amber Amour (pictured), 27, said she was in in Cape Town, South Africa, promoting her ‘Stop Rape. Educate’ campaign when she was raped by a man named Shakir
Sharing her story: Just minutes after the alleged sexual assault, Amber took to Instagram to share this photo of herself crying in the shower where the rape occurred
Candid account: The rape survivor and activist also posted a detailed account of her alleged rape to accompany the harrowing picture
‘It was almost an intuitive thing,’ she added. ‘I was still in the bathroom – in the crime scene. I don’t even think I’d stood up. I just typed and typed.’
In her candid post, Amber explained that she had returned to a hostel that she previously stayed at after a two day bout with food poisoning to leave a note for her friend Nick when she ran into Shakir who was trying to ‘get with’ her.
She said she kissed him once, but claimed she had met someone and left because he ‘seemed drunk’. However, when he followed her upstairs and asked her to join him in the shower she agreed.
‘I said yes because the water at my current hostel is pretty cold and after two days of being sick, I just really wanted a hot shower,’ she explained. ‘As soon as I got in the bathroom, he forced me to my knees. I said “stop!” but he just got more violent.’
Detailing every moment: The day after her alleged sexual assault Amber shared this candid photo of her rape kit while she was in the hospital exam room
Cruel critics: Along with the photo of her rape kit, Amber revealed that many people on social media have been blaming her for her rape because she willingly got into the shower with the man before he attacked her
Fighting back: Amber had this photo of herself taken in September just a few months before her attack
Amber went on to detail the sexual assault that caused her to pass out. When she awoke, She said he came back to the shower.
‘I have all those f****d up feelings that we get after rape…shame, disgust, suffering,’ she wrote. ‘I’m here, alone, and any DNA has been wiped away in the shower. The South African police will just roll their eyes when I walk in. Feeling sicker than ever now.’
The next day Amber returned to Instagram before she headed to the hospital to share a photo of the three angel cards she drew the night of her sexual assault.
‘Dealing with cops is tough and the rape kit is the last thing I want– tools and metal instruments and combs all up in my private parts…. But this is what I stand for,’ she wrote.
Hopeful: ‘I forgive every person who blamed me for the rape I experienced recently. I know you don’t understand but I have faith that you can,’ Amber wrote when she shared this photo three weeks ago
Shame game: This Instagram user responded to Amber’s story by telling her she a ‘disgusting excuse of a human’
Defending herself: Amber responded to her the critic who called her a ‘disgusting human’ by noting that victim-blaming is the reason why many people don’t speak up after a sexual assault
Unnecessary explanation: Amber reiterated that she agreed to take a shower with her attacker because she had been sick with food poisoning and her hostel didn’t have hot water
‘I tell you guys to speak up every single day and I know that I need to practice what I preach,’ she added. ‘It is so incredibly hard, though, but having you all here for me makes all the difference.’
While in the exam room, Amber posted a photo of her rape kit while revealing that many people have blamed her for her rape because she agreed to shower with Shakir.
‘No matter what a person does, it is not an invitation for rape,’ she argued in the photo caption. ‘It doesn’t matter if I kissed him. It doesn’t matter if he was drunk. It doesn’t matter if I said yes to a shower.
‘I never said he could get violent with me. I never said he could make me bleed. I never said he could rape me. But still, that’s how the scene went down.’.