We share the letter sent to us by a WWOOFer, hoping that it may stimulate deep reflection on what we strive to do on a daily basis as staff and board of the association, but also as ordinary members, to enable everyone/and to have the most beautiful, healthy and respectful experiences. In case you feel unsafe or uncomfortable, in which you have experienced unsolicited advances, do not know how to deal with those who have too personal and unwelcome approaches, do not hesitate to contact us, either during or after the visit.
Ensuring the safety of all members and preventing potential harassment situations has always been our priority, but of course we can only intervene if these situations are reported to us.

But let’s let this testimony do the talking:

“What happened cannot be erased, but it can be prevented from happening again.”

(Anne Frank)

What happened to me during my last wwoofing experience is certainly not comparable to the horrors of the Holocaust, but these words spurred me to put my experience in writing, to take responsibility for sharing it in the hope of protecting other women wwoofers who might experience a similar situation.

At first, I felt welcomed (to my confession that I had “low energies,” the host responded with openness “we’ll bring them up!”), pampered (the first physical contact, besides brotherly hugs, was stroking my head like a father to his son) and deeply listened to.

Gradually (and insidiously), however, his hands and lips took more and more space along my body. From touches on my face (in the manner of a blind person wanting to create a mental image of physiognomy) to massages on my knees, shoulders, back, to attempts to caress me in my private parts, stopped the latter by my gestures and “no’s.” He never went beyond my “no’s,” I give him credit for that. But every day the same pattern of approach was repeated, always in situations “protected” from any prying eyes (of other family members). On the third last evening, returning to my intended quarters, I found him walking out the front door, justifying himself with “I was looking for the lighter,” at which point I managed to put a firm limit on him (more or less these are the words I managed to say to him: “I know this is your property but it is the space you have assigned me for these days and I don’t like to find you inside in my absence”) to which he reacted, the next day, by asking me as a wwoofer not to enter their house anymore unless someone from the family was there… Since that episode he has never approached me again.

Returning home, in the weeks that followed I went from hiding, to finally minimizing to blaming myself for what had happened, brooding over what I could have said or done differently, ashamed that I had been “bamboozled,” and looking at the character flaws enacted in that circumstance: my tendency to complacency, difficulty in setting limits, fear of ruining relationships, naiveté. In essence, another woman could have put clear and definitive limits from the first attempt, or she could have turned to her family members, or she could have contacted the Wwoof Italy Area Coordinator right away. I am aware that I did not act in the best way….

Subsequently, concern grew in me that other women, perhaps younger, inexperienced, or even more vulnerable than I, might be manipulated as happened to yours truly; therefore, I decided to write to the Staff reporting my testimony.

I immediately received a response from a member of the association: he expressed regret that I had not immediately approached the Staff as they could have helped me by opening a constructive dialogue with the host or possibly arranging for me to find another accommodation soon. An exchange of emails ensued, in the spirit of welcoming and confronting each other or even just making sure I was okay. I also had the opportunity for phone contact with another staff member who offered me a space to listen, informed me about the actions they were planning against the host, and welcomed my reflections and proposals aimed at the protection of woofers, as evidenced by the agreed upon publication of this letter.

I have been a member of WWOOF Italy for 4 years and only now have I discovered that behind a website there is an Association made up of People willing to dialogue, questioning and open to improvement, while respecting the values proper to this wonderful Community.

To them I say THANK YOU for the opportunity for personal growth they have given me.

Signed Letter