In a world where sexual violence often goes unrecognized and stories of survival are misrepresented by mainstream media, many survivors choose to keep their stories hidden. But sexual violence is not only real, it is an epidemic. According to the UN Commission on the Status of Women, one in three women and girls in the world will be beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime. To the discredit of the mainstream media, rape continues to be misrepresented in newspapers and on television news programs. Between 2001 and 2009, 129 survivors of sexual violence took the opportunity to share their stories of survival with Take Back The News and the public. The stories on our site are organized into specific areas of experiences with the intention of providing a writing focus for survivors who chose to share their stories and a resource for those who may have had similar experiences.