Researching rape that is not recognised: An auto/biographical understanding of woman-to-woman rape and sexual assault

Woman-to-woman rape and sexual assault globally remains an ultimately unaddressed problem. Consequently, victim/survivors must cope with little to no support, as they endure post-traumatic responses. In this chapter, I share my auto/biographical experiences of researching the perceived impacts of woman-to-woman rape and sexual assault, the subsequent experience of disclosure, reaction and support, and the consequences for victim/survivors’ subjective experience of occupations. My findings related to the post-traumatic survival reactions and behaviours explicate the complexities of the victim/survivor experiences; this was equally apparent when they tried to cope and survive throughout their daily lives. My study was the first of its kind to illuminate this aspect of woman-to-woman rape and sexual assault and remains one of very few studies to explore what continues to be largely invisible in the sexual violence discourse and conceptualisations. As researcher, the significance of my positionality forced me to consider what is meant by sensitive – let alone traumatic – research.