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A survivor refers to anyone who has experienced sexual harm, domestic violence, or childhood abuse.
2022 marked another year of significant growth for Our Wave, as we more than doubled our reach to survivors in 41 countries. This global expansion underscored the universal need for a safe, supportive community where survivors can share their stories and access resources. We also strengthened our partnerships to roll out targeted resource referrals, ensuring survivors receive critical support tailored to their unique circumstances. These new initiatives demonstrate Our Wave’s ongoing commitment to breaking down barriers and nurturing healing on an international scale. As we look ahead, we remain devoted to empowering survivors everywhere with hope and solidarity.
We doubled our reach to survivors in 41 countries
We rolled out survivor resource referrals with trusted partners
Our community flourished beyond borders in 2022, creating an even broader network of survivors and allies. By connecting individuals across 41 countries, Our Wave fostered a powerful sense of shared understanding and compassion. This growing tapestry of voices continues to reaffirm our collective belief that healing is both personal and universal—and that no one has to go through it alone.
Active community members in 2022
New community members in 2022
Content views all time 2
Content views in 2022
We define a view as a meaningful period in which a user reads or engages with content on our platform, including survivor stories, questions, and resources.
Story reactions all time 2
Story reactions in 2022
Story reactions are pre-written messages of support that Our Wave users can send anonymously to survivors who share their story. This allows the community to show support while protecting a safe space for survivors.
Survivor milestones achieved in 2022
Grounding exercises completed
Milestones mark the number of times our community has engaged with each survivor's story. Each milestone represents the impact a survivor's story has had on other survivors, allies, and the community as a whole.
As more survivors joined Our Wave from around the world, storytelling continued to be the heart of our platform. Each new account of resilience and triumph added depth to our collective narrative, reminding us that every story holds the potential to inspire others. By amplifying these voices, we’re able to combat stigma, cultivate empathy, and encourage more people to come forward with their own experiences.
Survivor stories shared in 2022
Survivor artwork shared
Messages of hope posted
Messages of healing shared
Hover over the map to explore
Country
Stories shared 2
United States
249 +104%
United Kingdom
20 +122%
Australia
17 +70%
Canada
16 +300%
Philippines
10 +67%
India
6 +20%
Indonesia
5 +150%
South Korea
4 +300%
United Arab Emirates
3
Austria
3 +50%
+31 more
State/Territory
Stories shared 2
California
21 +91%
New York
21 +17%
Florida
16
Pennsylvania
15 +50%
Ohio
11 +120%
Illinois
10 +150%
Texas
10 +233%
New Jersey
8
Indiana
6 +200%
Massachusetts
6 +200%
+33 more
When a survivor shares their story with our community, they have the option of selecting tags that represent their identity and their story. These include gender, race, location in which the story took place, and their relationship to the offender.
The survivor Q&A feature remained a cornerstone of support, providing tailored guidance from experts. As our international presence grew, so did the diversity of questions and experiences shared, leading to richer and more inclusive discussions. This ongoing dialogue helps survivors access clear, reliable information, empowering them to make informed decisions about their healing journey.
Survivor questions answered all time
Survivor questions answered in 2022
Question
Views
Why might survivors of gender-based violence may feel hesitant to report the human rights violation?
12,995
What are ways women can protect themselves against female abuse?
2,882
What should I do if my partner pushes my boundaries in a way that makes me uncomfortable?
639
I don't want to believe I was assaulted as a young child because I know this person very well and can't see it in them to act this way but I can recall details and have vivid flashbacks. What should I do? How do I seek help for this?
574
Am I still allowed to call what happened sexual assault when it wasn't penetrative?
539
+28 more
Hover over the map to explore
Country
Questions submitted 2
United States
7
South Africa
5
Philippines
2
Bahrain
1
Greece
1
Ireland
1
India
1
Poland
1
In 2022, we partnered with trusted organizations to offer resource referrals, bridging the gap between need and care for survivors. From legal aid to counseling services, each referral is carefully vetted to ensure safety and quality. This collaboration allows survivors worldwide to connect with crucial support systems in a timely, effective manner. It’s one more way Our Wave is committed to providing holistic, accessible aid on the road to healing.
We define a resource referral as each time a visitor to Our Wave clicks on a link to visit one of our trusted resource partners. These links appear in our Resources hub, in emails that we send to our community, and throughout the navigation of our platform.
Resource referrals all time 2
Resource referrals in 2022
Resource Name
Referrals
Bloom by Chayn
663
National Domestic Violence Hotline
596
me too. Healing Room
503
After Silence
404
Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
379
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
373
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
358
RAINN | National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline
346
me too. Survivor’s Sanctuary
317
Childhelp
316
+2 more
This report encompasses data collected from January 1, 2022 to January 1, 2023.
All stories and messages written by survivors are used with the survivors' permission to publish.
We made significant changes to our metrics reporting processes from 2019 to 2022. Because of these changes, some metrics may contain inaccuracies when compared to later years.
1 Comparison to the same metric during the previous annual report period.
2 Aggregated metrics from the founding of Our Wave in 2019 to the end of 2022.
3 Community members are defined by unique IP addresses that visit our Community platform over a given period of time. We periodically clean up our metrics to remove IPs from known scrapers, crawlers, and bots.
4 Demographic and tag data from stories submitted directly to the core Our Wave storytelling platform (community.ourwave.org)
Do you have any questions or recommendations about our data? Send us an email at [email protected].
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