Ylva, 80, said that she was sexually assaulted at her nursing home – but was silenced.
She took courage after Elsa, 85, previously came out with the fact that she was raped in the domestic service and now Elsa wants to pay tribute to her.
– I’m glad she’s talking now too. That she dares to talk about it. I hope that all women in Sweden who have experiences like this tell me, says Elsa.
Elsa, 85, was raped by a man who worked in home care. After enduring the abuse, she finally felt the need to open up. IN UNT she told about her experiences and since then her story has spread across the country.
One who heard was Ylva, 80 years old, in Stockholm. She, too, is said to have been sexually assaulted by a man who worked nights at her nursing home. Ylva chose to appear in TV4 Nyheterna and when Elsa saw the feature, a lot of emotions were aroused.
– I actually got ready to cry and I have to laugh here in my solitude. Poor her, what she has had to endure, says Elsa.
– It is a crime that hurts right to the core. It hurts right to the core.
Gets angry that Ylva was silenced
When Elsa heard Ylva and the nursing staff say that the abuse had been hushed up, she became angry.
– She deserves to be able to talk as much as the manager. Her words are worth just as much. It is so childish to refuse her to talk. That attitude has been used a lot in care for the elderly.
Elsa, who has been a care recipient for around 15 years, has experienced several times that she has not been listened to.
– You don’t want to talk about negative things, but only talk about the good. And for the most part it is good, but then there are these rotten eggs that destroy so much, both for others and for us women. Because we have nothing to oppose.
– Both Ylva and I, we don’t have strong arms to mess with. Whoever does this, he knows we can’t object.
“We are like spittoons”
After Elsa told the municipality about the rape, she felt that she was not taken seriously, a feeling that was also shared by Ylva when she raised the alarm at the nursing home.
– If the municipality had listened, things like this might not have had to happen, says Elsa.
– As old women, we have no value. They want to silence us completely. You don’t give us any human dignity when you behave like this in the municipality. We are like spittoons.
And she thinks that municipalities and care companies should examine who they employ more carefully.
– We are not worse because we have been exploited. But we are worse in the sense that the municipality has not cared about us enough. The municipality has not considered us worthy of care.
Today, Elsa is supported by a psychologist and has just started to sleep well at night, after a long time of nightmares and fear. And she is happy that more and more people are daring to talk about sexual abuse, both victims and society at large, so that it does not remain hidden.
– I am proud if I aroused that anger in people. That they dare to tell. Only in this way can we get rid of the rotten eggs.