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Rape survivors are avoiding public places after being subject to 'mask rage'

Rape Crisis has called for shops and public transport companies to erect signage reminding the public of the legitimate reasons for not wearing masks to discourage "mask rage" - Alamy/Alamy
Rape Crisis has called for shops and public transport companies to erect signage reminding the public of the legitimate reasons for not wearing masks to discourage "mask rage" - Alamy/Alamy

Rape survivors who dislike wearing face coverings because they trigger memories of their assault are avoiding public places to avoid facing “mask rage”, a charity has warned.

Rape Crisis England and Wales said many victims feel uncomfortable having their mouths or noses covered by a mask because it triggers memories of being smothered or choked during rape.

Survivors who therefore opt not to wear masks have told the charity they have been confronted and verbally abused in public -  despite the Government saying those caused "severe distress" by face coverings are exempt from wearing them.

The charity has called for shops and public transport companies to erect signage reminding the public of the legitimate reasons for not wearing masks to discourage "mask rage".

“There’s a lot of assumptions that people who aren’t wearing face masks are behaving that way because they’re selfish, stupid, careless or a combination of all three,” said Kate Russell, the charity’s spokeswoman.

Rape survivors are anxious that if they go out without a mask they "might not be met with empathy and care", she added.

Rape survivors are anxious that if they go out without a mask they "might not be met with empathy and care" - Alamy /Alamy 
Rape survivors are anxious that if they go out without a mask they "might not be met with empathy and care" - Alamy /Alamy

Georgina Fallows, a 29-year-old solicitor and rape survivor told how she now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and cannot bear to have her mouth covered.

She said: “For part of my rape, he had his hand over my mouth. As a result, anything over my mouth – even an oxygen mask – can trigger a flashback. And that is hugely distressing. Physically, it feels like I’m back there again and he’s raping me and I am dying."

She told how when she went to get her haircut post-lockdown, a woman customer challenged her for not wearing a mask and would not accept her reply that she was "exempt" -  causing her to "cry all the way home".

Ms Fallows told The Guardian: “People feel like they have the right to challenge you, and that is awful. You wouldn’t look at me and know I’d been raped, but I was, and it’s a huge problem for me."