I Survived a Maniac’s Attack

We spent several days with 25-year-old Zinaida from the Leningrad region. When she was 14, she was attacked by a serial offender. Zina survived, and her testimony later helped catch the perpetrator. But the story did not end there. After the attack, she was bullied at school, and even neighbors and relatives subjected her to cruel remarks. Today, ten years later, Zinaida herself is not sure which experience was more traumatic — the attack or the fact that her mother struggled with severe alcoholism both before and after the incident, and died about a year later, leaving her daughter alone with her pain. Years of therapy followed, and Zina has worked through the consequences. She chose to share her story in order to help others facing similar experiences: “Maybe my words will help someone realize that life goes on. No matter what.”