Halla Tómasdóttirpresident of Iceland, has revealed that she was a victim of sexual abuse during her childhood by a farmer on a farm where she used to spend summer holidays. As reportedTomasdóttir was only seven years old when the abuse began and eleven when he stopped going to the summer resort where the non-consensual touching was repeated.
The head of state addressed this episode in an interview published in the latest issue of the Icelandic magazine Heimildin. In the interview she tells how the impact of the abuse manifested itself on a physical level. “While this was happening, I became seriously ill from the stress and every summer I was sent home early. One summer I returned with pneumonia. The body responds to everything and stores everything: wounds and traumas,”business.
Tómasdóttir, who defines himself as part of a “silent generation” that does not make public or talk about these types of experiences, assumes that in his childhood and youth it was common to “put a band-aid on the wounds and move on.” Several young women have approached her after making this experience known to share their stories, which reinforces her conviction that public references are important and that telling her story can help other people.
The president of Iceland, Halla Tomasdottir, at a meeting on women in China. / ICHIRO BANNO / POOL / EFE
In the interview, the president points out that, in general, women who have suffered sexual violence usually follow one of two paths. On the one hand, the self-destructwhich can translate into excessive alcohol consumption or unhealthy romantic relationships. On the other hand, extreme strength and total self-sufficiency, as a defense mechanism. “You are so strong and so capable that it seems like you don’t need anyone. Nobody sees what you are hiding. I mostly took that second path. Over time, keeping that mask became very heavy. Everything hurt me,” he explains.
Halla Tómasdóttir was 23 years old when she first spoke out about the abuse. The attacker was still alive then, but decided not to report him. “I didn’t want to undergo that process, because I felt like I already had enough work trying to figure out what my life was going to be like. I’ve never regretted it,” he concludes in his interview in The source.
