Some TV shows are different. They are made with so much patience, love, and respect that it touches you. Just think about it: six women who have been raped follow during a grueling therapy week in Croatia. Geraldine Kemper did it.

Let the numbers sink in for a moment. More than one in ten women in the Netherlands has been raped at some point. Why do we hear so little about this? Talking about rape feels uncomfortable. We all know that ‘it’ happens, but it is a painful reality that touches us so deeply inside that we prefer not to talk about it. We would rather reject it. There you have it: the birth of a taboo. And that is precisely what makes victims of sexual violence often walk around for years with a story they dare not share. Sometimes also because they are ashamed and often with a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result. It is terrible.

Geraldine takes the women to Croatia to try to manage their PTSD with the help of various forms of therapy. And believe me: these stories will not leave you cold. I watch the series and feel too much to describe. Frustration. Anger. A lump in my throat. Fear. At the same time, I also feel a lot of respect for the women who are brave enough to share their profound stories. And Geraldine, there could not have been a better presenter for this program. What admiration I feel for you. How proud you must be of the women, this team, and yourself for having the courage to break this taboo. A program about an absolutely horrible subject that really needed to be made. You have created it carefully. Incredibly impressive. I am a bit speechless.

Geraldine and the women is now available on Videoland.

Image: RTL