Format example · Not a real story
Content note
Told by name chosen by the author
Editor’s context
Right to withdraw, at any timeSupport →
Content noteThis publication speaks about sexual assault. Read at your own pace, and leave whenever you need to. Support contacts are always at the end of the page.
A survivor-story editorial
Every story deserves to be heard with care.
assualt is a moderated publication that helps survivors of sexual assault be heard: through respectful, trauma-informed storytelling, never through spectacle.
(i) The publication
A place to read, and one day to be read.
assualt begins as an editorial: careful, contextualised readings of accounts that survivors have already made public. Over time it grows into something more: a website where people can choose to submit their own stories, on their own terms.
- I
Phase one · Now in preparation
Contextualised public accounts
We responsibly source accounts that survivors have already shared publicly, and place them in context: what is known, what is not, and where help can be found. Sources are credited and handled with restraint. We add care, never sensation.
- II
Phase two · Opening later
Consent-based submissions
When we are ready, people will be able to submit their own stories to our editors. Every piece is read by a person, shaped only with the author’s agreement and published only when the author says yes.
(ii) How a story appears
Slow to read. Easy to step away from.
Every piece follows the same quiet structure, so readers always know what to expect before they begin. The sample page is a format example only: it contains no real story.
- Content note firstWhat the piece contains, before you read a word.
- The author’s own name choiceFull name, first name, pseudonym or anonymous.
- Editor’s contextA short, plain note on sources and background.
- Support, always visibleHelp sits at the foot of every page.
(iii) How we publish
Five promises we make before we publish.
- 01
Consent first
Nothing is published without clear, informed and freely given consent. Silence is never consent.
- 02
Anonymity, by choice
Authors decide how they appear: by full name, first name, pseudonym or not at all. Identifying details can be changed or left out.
- 03
Editorial review
Every piece is read by a person. Editors check for safety, accuracy and tone, and never rewrite a voice without agreement.
- 04
Content notes
Each story opens with a plain note about what it contains, so readers can choose when and whether to continue.
- 05
The right to withdraw
An author can ask for a story to be changed or removed at any time. We will act on it without asking for a reason.
(iv) Principles
What we hold still while everything else changes.
Dignity before reach
A story is a person’s life, not content. We would rather publish less than publish carelessly.
Context, not spectacle
No sensational headlines, no graphic detail for its own sake, no imagery meant to shock.
Survivors lead
Survivors decide what is told, how it is told and whether it stays told.
Care for readers too
Many readers are survivors themselves. Warnings, pacing and support are part of the design.
Support, right now
If you are in immediate danger, call 112 (EU) or 911 (US).
United States
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
800-656-4673
Germany
Hilfetelefon „Gewalt gegen Frauen“
116 016
assualt is a publication, not a crisis or counselling service. Whatever happened, whenever it happened, it was not your fault, and you do not have to carry it alone.