Photo © Mary Gelman
Photojournalism - NOMINEE: Mary Gelman
You are mine
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«You are mine» is a series of stories of Russian women who endured domestic partner violence. These stories are about power and control of one person over another. They are about difficulties of recognizing violence and to resist it on personal and government level. Because violence is not only when somebody smashes your face with fist, it is also when somebody ignores, controls, or neglects your will. This series shows that one of important reasons of violence is imbalance of power, and not orientation, age or education.
Russia has a high level of violence against women. According to statistics of the Interior Ministry of Russian Federation, in 2013 women comprised 91 % of overall number of victims of domestic violence crime. Women suffer from grievous bodily harm 8 times more often than man. Problem of violence has a mass character. But the government does not recognize the problem. Russia does not have the law against domestic violence. In July, the President Vladimir Putin signed the law project about partial decriminalization of battery and payment of alimonies.
Every year we have fewer laws protecting women.
But women cannot find support not only from the government but also from society, friends, and relatives. Believes that «If he beats you, he loves you» and «That’s your own fault» are widely spread in society. It leads to stigmatization of women, who endured violence. As the result, the majority of women have to conceal this traumatizing experience.
Natasha, 30, Saint Petersburg: «I have just moved in with him; I did not work and was busy with my daughter’s affairs trying to enroll her into a kindergarten on Vasilyevsky Island. Once he came home from work drunk as a skunk; he was drunk and aggressive. He turned on the music so loud that all our neighbors began to knock on the walls. My daughter woke up and started crying. I asked him to turn the volume down but he yelled –«I don’t need your headphones!», «Who are you?», and «This is my house and I will do whatever I want!»
He came in to the kid’s bedroom and got a child out of her bed. I begged him to leave the child alone and talk to me in the other room. Then he grabbed my neck, pushed me against the wall, lifted me up, and started suffocating me. The daughter jumped out of bed; it was difficult for me to breathe but I tried to smile and repeated – «don’t be afraid, it is just a game».
Next I remember me sitting on the floor and the daughter crying next to me. He yelled that he would throw us from the balcony.
In the morning, when he fell asleep, we escaped from his house – I took only passport, birth certificate and two children panties with me. I stayed alone in a strange city with no belongings, no money, no shelter and with a little baby. I couldn’t do anything. 1.5 Months we lived in various places and only 4 months later I could express some emotions.
He sold my jewelry, destroyed my documents and belongings. I had to begin my life from scratch».
About author:
Mary Gelman is a VII Photo Agency Member photographer based in Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
In 2016 she graduated School of Modern Photography Docdocdoc (Saint - Petersburg) and was a participant in various international and local workshops. She works as a photojournalist and teacher. The most important part of her professional life is personal projects. She explores the larger world through close personal narratives. Mary focuses on a study of issues of gender and body, boundary and identity, discrimination and the human relationship with the environment.
Mary has been a winner of different competitions. She's the recipient of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, Portraits - Hellerau Photography Award, Istanbul Photo Awards, Andrei Stenin International Photo Contest.
Russia has a high level of violence against women. According to statistics of the Interior Ministry of Russian Federation, in 2013 women comprised 91 % of overall number of victims of domestic violence crime. Women suffer from grievous bodily harm 8 times more often than man. Problem of violence has a mass character. But the government does not recognize the problem. Russia does not have the law against domestic violence. In July, the President Vladimir Putin signed the law project about partial decriminalization of battery and payment of alimonies.
Every year we have fewer laws protecting women.
But women cannot find support not only from the government but also from society, friends, and relatives. Believes that «If he beats you, he loves you» and «That’s your own fault» are widely spread in society. It leads to stigmatization of women, who endured violence. As the result, the majority of women have to conceal this traumatizing experience.
Natasha, 30, Saint Petersburg: «I have just moved in with him; I did not work and was busy with my daughter’s affairs trying to enroll her into a kindergarten on Vasilyevsky Island. Once he came home from work drunk as a skunk; he was drunk and aggressive. He turned on the music so loud that all our neighbors began to knock on the walls. My daughter woke up and started crying. I asked him to turn the volume down but he yelled –«I don’t need your headphones!», «Who are you?», and «This is my house and I will do whatever I want!»
He came in to the kid’s bedroom and got a child out of her bed. I begged him to leave the child alone and talk to me in the other room. Then he grabbed my neck, pushed me against the wall, lifted me up, and started suffocating me. The daughter jumped out of bed; it was difficult for me to breathe but I tried to smile and repeated – «don’t be afraid, it is just a game».
Next I remember me sitting on the floor and the daughter crying next to me. He yelled that he would throw us from the balcony.
In the morning, when he fell asleep, we escaped from his house – I took only passport, birth certificate and two children panties with me. I stayed alone in a strange city with no belongings, no money, no shelter and with a little baby. I couldn’t do anything. 1.5 Months we lived in various places and only 4 months later I could express some emotions.
He sold my jewelry, destroyed my documents and belongings. I had to begin my life from scratch».
About author:
Mary Gelman is a VII Photo Agency Member photographer based in Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
In 2016 she graduated School of Modern Photography Docdocdoc (Saint - Petersburg) and was a participant in various international and local workshops. She works as a photojournalist and teacher. The most important part of her professional life is personal projects. She explores the larger world through close personal narratives. Mary focuses on a study of issues of gender and body, boundary and identity, discrimination and the human relationship with the environment.
Mary has been a winner of different competitions. She's the recipient of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, Portraits - Hellerau Photography Award, Istanbul Photo Awards, Andrei Stenin International Photo Contest.