A.I.C.S. is an acronym that stands for Auteurs d’Infractions à Caractère Sexuels (Authors of Sexual Offences). This term is used in Belgium by legal professionals and therapeutic support workors, particularly in organisations that offer accountability programmes for perpetrators of sexual offences.

Traumatic amnesia, whether complete or partial, is a common memory disorder among victims of violence. It is clinically defined as the inability to recall all or part of the key elements of a traumatic event. It can last for decades and lead to the loss of entire periods of childhood, with very few accessible memories, resulting in a painful sense of having no past or reference points. Link. 

Article 417/5 of the Belgian Criminal Code, introduced by the law of 21 March 2022, defines sexual consent as freely given agreement. It specifies that this consent must be active, cannot be inferred from silence or lack of resistance, can be withdrawn at any time, and cannot be given under the influence of fear, psychotropic substances, illness, or through coercion, threat, violence, surprise, or deception.

Article 417/5 will become Article 132 as of 8 April 2026.

Source : SOS VIOL website  

A brave space is a concept developed as an alternative to dominant public spaces and to safe spaces. It is a space where people knowingly take the risk of making mistakes and being corrected, in order to learn and grow. Unlike safe spaces, brave spaces are not limited to those directly affected; they are also open to allies, people who are sensitive, genuinely curious, or willing to learn more about a lived reality or form of discrimination. The concept encourages moving away from reflexes of blame and finger-pointing.

A case closed without further action is a decision by the judicial system* not to bring criminal proceedings against a suspected offender due to insufficient evidence, lack of expediency, or for reasons of judicial priority or the statute of limitations. This decision, based on an assessment of the facts, is not final and may be revoked if new evidence comes to light, or if the victim takes the initiative to refer the case to an investigating judge or to summon the perpetrator directly to court. Currently, when a victim of sexual violence files a complaint (which is already rare), there is more than a 50% chance that the case will be dismissed.

The main difference between a decision to close a case without further action and a dismissal is that the former is a decision taken by the public prosecutor during the preliminary investigation phase, while the latter is a judicial decision taken by an investigating judge after a judicial investigation.

* In Belgium, the decision is taken by the public prosecutor.

Sources: 
Belgian courts
Amnesty

Free, informed and uncoerced agreement to engage in a sexual act. There is a feminist tradition that questions the very possibility of consenting in a context of domination. Giving in is not consenting. According to philosopher Manon Garcia, the lack of clarity surrounding the term ‘consent’ stems from our liberal cultural heritage. Liberalism developed the notion of consent based on the fictitious idea that individuals are completely free to make their own choices, as if unconstrained by dominant structures. Consent is not just about agreeing or yielding to a proposal, but rather about the possibility of participating in an ongoing and enthusiastic conversation between people. 

See also Article 417/5

Sources :
Traverser / Transcender & La bonne poire
To go further, see Manon Garcia.

Criminology is the scientific and multidisciplinary study of crime, encompassing the analysis of the causes of crime, the characteristics of offenders and victims, and social and institutional responses. It draws on various human sciences such as law, sociology and psychology to understand crime and develop prevention and intervention policies. 

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a therapeutic approach indicated for the treatment of traumatic situations. EMDR is particularly appropriate for treating psychological difficulties following sexual violence (anxiety, hypervigilance, exhaustion, insomnia, etc.). This method, based on scientific studies, takes into account thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations. It does not matter whether the event is clearly identified or not, or what its origin is or when it occurred.

Bron :
EMDR Networks

Equine therapy is a form of psychological treatment mediated by horses and provided to individuals in both their psychological and physical dimensions. The word equine therapy is composed of equus (Latin for horse) and therapeia (ancient Greek for treatment or care). The methods used by equine therapists can be physical (perceptions, sensory stimulation, movements, postures, muscle tone, etc.) or psychological (verbal exchanges, emotions, desires, relationships, etc.). Mediation, which is central to equine therapy, is based on the idea of a three-way relationship between the patient, the therapist and the horse. 

Source: 
Equine therapy training institute

Feminism is a social movement that fights for gender equality. In a broader sense, feminism aims to combat all forms of discrimination and exclusion based on gender. It fights against the patriarchal system (which legitimises male domination) and the structural and economic inequalities that result from it. Feminism is not a uniform bloc. It encompasses different movements and currents of philosophical and political thought. There are as many definitions as there are people who identify with it. So, shouldn't we rather speak of ‘feminisms’? 

Definition RNFB :
Féminisme(s) 

Shame is an emotion that encourages compliance. In contexts of domination, it becomes a powerful tool for controlling and silencing minorities, often by forcing them into silence. This paralysing emotion can, however, also lead to awareness and become a strong driver of change. Feeling shame can mean stepping out of denial, acknowledging one’s share of responsibility, and finding the motivation to repair what went wrong. That's what the slogan “Shame must change sides!” stands for. 

Sources :
La Bonne Poire and Nos alliés les hommes

Hypervigilance is a state of abnormally heightened alertness caused by the anticipation of real or imagined danger, accompanied by increased anxiety. People experiencing hypervigilance are extremely sensitive to their environment and constantly scan for potential threats. They often imagine worst-case scenarios in order to prepare for them. As a result, their senses remain on high alert and their brains tend to overanalyse and overreact to sensory input, leading to a bias toward threatening stimuli.

Sources :
Comprehensive Terminology Dictionary of the Canadian Government
Encyclopedia pi-psy

Incest refers to sexual acts committed against a minor by  a parent, a direct ascendant relative or relative by marriage, by a collateral relative up to the third degree, or by any other person occupying a similar position within the family of the aforementioned persons. According to WHO figures, it is estimated that sexual violence affects 20 to 24% of girls and 5 to 11% of boys under the age of 17 in Western countries. The majority of these cases are believed to be incest. All social backgrounds, from the most affluent to the most disadvantaged, are affected. Anthropologist Dorothée Dussy defines incest as the cradle of domination, which makes the family a place of silent and naturalised training. When it comes to children, there is never consent.

Justice is a complex word. It can refer to a philosophical ideal (the idea of Justice), the act of judging and punishing (‘doing’ or ‘rendering’ justice), what is legal according to the law (the rules of the game in our modern states) and the institution responsible for enforcing it (Ministry of Justice) – and finally all those things that may clash with our feelings, our individual sense of justice. To avoid confusion arising from this multiplicity of meanings, it is useful to distinguish between ‘judicial system’, ‘need for justice’ and ‘sense of justice’.

Punitive justice is the form of justice most commonly used by the state. Its aim is to punish perpetrators in proportion to the harm caused by their actions. It is based on several core assumptions: that people will only take responsibility through punishment; that inflicting suffering will deter future criminal behaviour; and that grouping people who have acted similarly and isolating them from the rest of society is necessary.

Source :
Excerpt from the Collectif Fracas website.

Restorative justice is an alternative model of justice that prioritises repairing harm to human relationships rather than focusing on which laws were broken. It emphasises the active participation of those involved in a conflict rather than delegating responsibility to institutions, and it seeks to repair harm instead of imposing sanctions aimed at causing suffering. Restorative justice addresses harm, or the risk of harm, by involving all parties in developing a shared understanding and agreement on how wrongdoing can be repaired and justice served. 

Source:
Definition proposed by Anne Lemonne, Ph.D. in criminology, specialist in sexual violence and restorative justice

Transformative justice approaches conflict as an opportunity to strengthen, improve and deepen social bonds by identifying what is not working and working on it together. TJ is based on the premise that individuals have a strong capacity for change and learning. Transformative justice works in parallel on the healing process of the person who has suffered violence and the process of accountability of the person who caused harm. The principle of transformative justice is to transform the individual by empowering them so that their behaviour changes in the future. 

Source:
Excerpt from the Fracas Collective’s website. For more information, see the full definition on the Fracas website.

Being legitimate means being in the right. It combines genuine concern for an issue with sufficient knowledge to be able to speak about it in a politically meaningful way. The term “legitimate” is often used to question or affirm whether someone has the right or the credibility to take a position on a specific issue.

Source :
Excerpt from the Collectif Fracas website. For more information, see the full definition here.

Loyalty can be defined as being faithful to one's values and commitments to someone or something. One can show loyalty to someone by approving their choices and taking their side in a conflict situation. In the context of sexual violence, loyalty is often invoked by those close to the people involved in order to minimise or deny the facts. This harmful stance prevents the possibility of accountability, reflection and reparation.

Source :
Excerpt from the Collectif Fracas website. For more information, see the full definition here.

A dismissal is a decision handed down by an investigating court that puts an end to proceedings. This decision is made prior to the trial and only in the case of a criminal investigation. It precludes a trial from being held to determine the guilt of the person being prosecuted. It may be based on insufficient evidence, the inability to identify the perpetrator of the offence, procedural irregularities, the statute of limitations, or even the death of the person being prosecuted. The investigation may be reopened if new evidence emerges at a later date.

The main difference between a dismissal and a case closed without further action is that a dismissal is a judicial decision taken by an investigating judge after a judicial investigation, while a case closed without further action is a decision taken by the public prosecutor during the preliminary investigation phase.

Peer support is a practice that aims to integrate lived experience into psycho-medical-social systems by involving former recipients of care and support. For services working with people affected by sexual violence, peer support helps them stay closely connected to lived realities. People who have gone through similar experiences can share their stories and, through their recovery journey, offer hope for the future, support others in vulnerable situations and contribute to better care.

Patriarchy is an unequal social system based on gender binary and hierarchy, which gives men an advantage and exploits women and gender minorities. To maintain this hierarchy, the system educates boys to be violent (sexually, but also financially, physically and psychologically) and legitimises this violence by establishing male solidarity and blaming victims in order to exonerate perpetrators. After oppressing women and gender minorities, men establish hierarchies among themselves and also oppress men who do not sufficiently conform to masculine stereotypes.

Sources :
Chronicles of ordinary sexism, episode “C’est quoi le patriarcat ?”, and La Bonne Poire.

Loss of chance is a specific form of damage that can be defined as "the certain loss of a probable advantage". It refers to the disappearance of the possibility that a favourable event would occur, or that an unfavourable event would be avoided. Loss of chance can be quantified, particularly in claims for financial compensation following rape, and may therefore be eligible for compensation.

Sources : 
J.-L. FAGNART, « La perte d’une chance ou la valeur de l’incertain », in La réparation du dommage. Questions particulières, Anthemis, Droit des assurances, 2006.D.
PHILIPPE, « Perte de chance et détermination du dommage »

A right or special advantage granted by an authority to a person or group, outside of the common rules. Privilege allows certain groups of people to thrive in economic, political, social, emotional and other contexts. This privilege results from the organisation of a society that functions on the oppression and domination of less privileged groups. Be careful not to confuse this with ‘fundamental rights’: describing something that should be accessible to everyone as a privilege can undermine struggles for equality.

Sources: 
Via Remuer notre merde: We All Can Do It: Une analyse anarchiste de la Théorie du Privilège
Glossaire RFNB
Femmes de Droits
Via Remuer notre merde: Les privilèges de la blanchité, mâles, hétérosexuels et classistes

We use the term ‘experimental research’ to indicate that this is non-academic research, in the sense that Traverser / Transcender research is independent and not directly linked to a university laboratory. At the same time, experimental research can be strongly inspired by academic work, particularly in the social and economic sciences. Its methodology draws more from transdisciplinary artistic practices, action research and peer support. Experimental research could also be described as ‘hybrid’ and/or deliberately ‘punk’.

Source :
Definition proposed by the Traverser / Transcender team

Transdisciplinary research is an approach that seeks to address complex social issues by bringing together knowledge from different scientific disciplines and non-academic fields. In the context of Traverser / Transcender, the aim is to create a space where criminology, performing arts, law, psychology, economics, poetry, anthropology, lived experience, peer support, sociology and more can meet. The prefix ‘trans-’ indicates that the research moves between, across and beyond individual disciplines. Transdisciplinarity offers an alternative to the systematisation and standardisation of thought by opening up new perspectives.

Source :
Definition proposed by the Traverser / Transcender team.

Being recognised as a victim is essential when trying to rebuild one’s life. But recognition by whom, and in what way? We often first think of recognition by society or by the criminal justice system, which has the power to officially acknowledge that violence has taken place. We may then think of the perpetrator, who may or may not recognise the facts. While these forms of recognition can play a role in a victim’s recovery, for example in obtaining compensation or fostering self-recognition, recognition also fundamentally means being able to say to yourself: “What I experienced was not nothing. I have the right to feel what I feel, and I have the right to take time to heal.” This form of recognition often takes time and is perhaps the most crucial step. "Relying on what a perpetrator is willing to say or admit gives them too much power. With distance, the journey of recovery often becomes a return to oneself: learning to trust oneself again, to listen to one’s body, emotions and inner voice."

Source: 
Team of Traverser / Transcender, to read on the website of la Ligue des Droits Humains. 

By reparations, we primarily mean reparations for victims of sexual violence, but more broadly also reparations for the ecosystem that enabled that violence. At this stage of our research, we define this ecosystem as the group of all people connected to a situation of sexual violence (victims, victims’ loved ones, perpetrators, perpetrators’ loved ones, therapists, actors within the justice system, and society at large). We therefore prefer to speak of ‘paths to reparation’, as what is reparative for one person may be difficult for another. Each path to reparation should be respected in its uniqueness.

Source :
Definition proposed by the Traverser / Transcender team.

Financial compensation is money paid to compensate for harm caused by an accident, a criminal act, a breach of contract or a violation of human rights. It is compensation for the harm suffered. The suspicion of alleged venality on the part of victims of sexual violence often creates an obstacle to seeking and obtaining financial reparations, even though the cost of sexual violence to victims is immense.

Source :
Magazine Axelle

Accountability is the process through which perpetrators are encouraged to acknowledge their actions and their consequences, to offer apologies, reparations or compensation to those affected, and to engage in a process of healing and transformation of the behaviours, attitudes or beliefs that led to the violence. Accountability can also take place at a community level, when a group examines and recognises the dynamics that allowed the violence to occur.

Source:
Ababord.org

Stupor is a state of paralysis or freezing in which a person is unable to react. It occurs when someone is confronted with violence that threatens physical (their own or someone else’s) or psychological integrity. It is an involuntary response to a traumatic situation: a reaction of the body and brain that attempts to protect us from a vital cardiovascular and neurological risk caused by violence that is too intense to bear.

Source:
What is sideration? via memoiretraumatique.org

Also known as ‘secondary victimisation’, secondary violence refers to the additional suffering endured by a victim of violence as a result of inappropriate reactions to their status as a victim. This can take several forms: questioning the victim's experience, victim blaming (holding the victim responsible for the assault they have suffered), or institutional reactions (such as refusing to take a complaint, or procedures that are humiliating, intrusive, or overly lengthy).

Victim or survivor? For those affected, the choice of words often matters deeply. In both cases, the terms refer to states of being rather than fixed identities, leaving room for movement and transformation. From our perspective, victimhood is a temporary state: a transitional moment and a necessary step in the process of healing, but not an end in itself. We remain victims as long as there is no path toward healing. Above all, it is crucial to respect each person’s choice to define themselves in their own way, as living with trauma and its consequences is a deeply individual experience.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a psychological treatment approach. It focuses on understanding and changing negative thought patterns and behaviours that contribute to emotional and behavioural difficulties.

What characterises CBT is its focus on the ‘here and now’. Through practical exercises and close support from the therapist, it addresses problems that are visible in behaviour and targets cognitive processes, both conscious and unconscious, that are understood to shape emotions and emotional disorders.

Sources :
Wikipédia
Réseau TTC Belgique

T.R.E. or Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises are exercises designed to release stress, tension and trauma. It is a somatic practice based on exercises that are accessible and adaptable to everyone, allowing access to the natural bodily reflex of trembling common to all mammals. This reflex of trembling, or spontaneous body movements, allows both deep tension to be released and the autonomic nervous system to be regulated. 

Source: 
T.R.E. France

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterised by intense, unpleasant and dysfunctional reactions following an overwhelming traumatic event. Events that can cause PTSD are those that provoke feelings of fear, helplessness, or horror. Experiences of war, sexual assault, and natural or man-made disasters are common causes of PTSD. When people with PTSD experience symptoms, they generally fall into the following four categories: intrusive symptoms, avoidant behaviour of anything that reminds them of the event, negative effects on thoughts and mood, and altered alertness and reactions.

Source:
Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy

Body psychotherapy is an approach that focuses on the interactions between the body and the mind. Drawing on science and psychology, it is a versatile therapy that can be used in both individual and group therapy settings.

Mind–body interventions (MBI)  include all psychotherapeutic approaches that start from the body or use the body as a medium, but also, more broadly, methods involving physical work for psychotherapeutic purposes. Depending on the theoretical framework they draw on, mind-body interventions may have different goals.

Sources : 
Gestalt Humanistic School
Soigner par les Pratiques Psycho-Corporelles : pour une santé intégrative — ouvrage sous la direction d’Isabelle Célestin-Lhopiteau, publié en 2015 (Dunod).

The adjective ‘toxic’ originally referred to a substance that causes the destruction or degradation of an organism. It is now often applied to behaviours or people, often in a way that essentialises them without specifying exactly which behaviours or forms of violence are being referred to. Like the word ‘problematic’, ‘toxic’ is used as an umbrella term to disqualify someone. Several feminist voices are calling for the development of objective vocabulary and criteria to accurately describe the violence experienced.

Source :
Excerpt from the Collectif Fracas website. For more information, see the full definition here.

GBSV is an acronym that stands for gender-based and sexual violence. The term is used by professionals (sociologists, criminologists, healthcare workers, etc.) and activists alike to avoid constantly repeating the word ‘violence’, which can be heavy and loaded. This is particularly important in contexts where victims may be present, in order to minimise the risk of reactivating their trauma. This theoretical term helps to create distance.

A person who suffers the harmful consequences of an event or the actions of others (e.g. victim of rape, assault, etc.). Recognising oneself as a victim after experiencing sexual violence is an essential step in beginning the process of healing. Victim or survivor? The choice of words is often important for those affected. Victim is a temporary state, a moment of transition, an essential step towards healing. However, it is not an end in itself. Our hypothesis is that we are victims as long as there is no path to reparation.

Source:
Definition proposed by the Traverser / Transcender team.

Since rape is everywhere, let us dare to bring it into everyday language. As often as it happens, as often as it is endured, as often as it knocks on the door, or enters without knocking. Let us make space for it in the shared vocabulary of daily life. It concerns everyone, women and men alike. Name it, say it, dare to hear and listen to its repetition and its banality. Saying the word rape may feel violent. Yet what is violent is not the word, but the act itself. Even when it feels frightening, breaking the silence around rape and acknowledging it is a crucial first step towards opening prospects for reparation.

Source:
Definition proposed by the Traverser / Transcender team.

Psychological abuse encompasses a range of techniques used by an abuser to attack a person's self-confidence, self-esteem, self-image, perceptions, emotions, thoughts, psychological functioning or mental health in order to facilitate the establishment of psychological control. It can cause the victim to become confused, to systematically doubt their memory or perceptions, to develop significant emotional distress, or to become socially isolated. 

Source: 
SOS Violence Conjugale

A physical, visual or verbal act experienced by a person, at the time or later, as a threat, invasion or aggression, and which causes suffering, a feeling of degradation and a loss of control over “intimate contact”. 

We could talk about violence that affects sexuality rather than sexual violence, in the sense that sexual violence can be considered to be more related to domination and patriarchy than to sexuality. Se-called “sexual” violence is not a “sexual act” but an “act of domination”.