Italian
I, Sister Anna Alfieri, respond to the statements made by the Flotilla activist who denies the rapes committed by Hamas: Denying the victims’ voices is a second form of violence. I stand with those who had the courage to speak out.
When someone claims that the rapes attributed to Hamas are “a hoax,” I feel compelled to speak up — not only as a person of faith, but as someone who bears witness to the voices of those who have suffered.
I cannot remain silent in the face of those who dismiss the pain of people who spoke out, who risked everything to tell the truth. People ask, “Where are the defenders of women’s rights?” I respond: I am here, fully present.
To deny the testimonies of women who have experienced violence is to push them back into silence. It sends the message that their words don’t matter, that their suffering is a fabrication or political manipulation. But that is unacceptable. It is simply false.
Those who claim these stories are invented either fail to grasp — or refuse to acknowledge — how incredibly hard it is to speak up, how heavy those words are, how much courage it takes to come forward. To accuse them of lying is to inflict a second wound — a fresh act of violence.
I believe that standing up for women’s rights means, first and foremost, listening to the accounts of those who have suffered — in all their pain, in all their vulnerability, in all their humanity. This is not pity, but justice. It’s about recognition, empathy, and respect.
If today we’re still asking, “Where are the voices defending women’s rights?”, my answer is this: I am here. Not to take part in ideological battles, but to listen, to give space, and to remind the world that behind every testimony is a face, a name, a life — one that cannot simply be erased by doubt or denial.
And let no one ever again dismiss women’s truths as nothing more than a “hoax.”
