Filipino British artist and former MTV VJ and TEDx speaker Kat Alano will be in Hyderabad for the first time as a speaker at TEDxHyderabad. This former showbusiness personality has taken the issue of rape culture in the industry in Philipines head on.
A survivor of sexual assault, Kat uses her voice to create a safer world for victims by reassuring them that it is not their fault. Speaking over the telephone from the Philippines Kat says “When a person is raped, only the ‘predator’ and ‘prey’ know what happens behind the closed door. And it is alright for the victim to feel strange and confused. That’s what happened to me. I was 19 years old when I was drugged and raped. I didn’t even know what happened. I decided to keep quiet because I didn’t want anyone to take pity on me. I kept it a secret even from my closest friends. It took me nine years to process my thoughts and to finally gather the courage to speak up.”
Kat says she regrets she kept quiet about what happened. “Later when others started to speak up, I felt guilty. Because my silence made the predator more confident. Had I spoken out about my rape, many others would have been spared.”
