Questions and answers

1. How can I submit a story about my experience of violence?

Go to the “Submit a story” section and share your experience by writing it down and filling out the required fields of the submission form (all other fields are optional). If you wish, you may attach supplemental materials, such as a photo, drawing, Word or PDF document, and/or indicate the location of the incident on the map. You may also write your story by hand and send it by mail to:
Vardarbības arhīvs, Autobiogrāfiju krājums
LU Literatūras, folkloras un mākslas institūts
Mūkusalas iela 3, Rīga
LV-1048

2. What may I write about?

The “Archive of Violence” is intended for stories about experiences of different types of violence. This includes any kind of violence – physical as well as emotional – that you have experienced or witnessed. You may write freely and openly, including your name, if you wish. But you may also write anonymously, without including any personal information that could identify you.

3. Where will my story be held, and who will have access to it?

The stories are held in the Autobiography Collection (autobiografijas.lv) at the Archives of Latvian Folklore of the University of Latvia Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art (LU LFMI). The stories are not accessible to the public. Access to the stories is available only to the creators of the “Archive of Violence”, researchers and students conducting research about different types of violence, and artists creating works related to the topic of violence. The creators of the Autobiography Collection will individually evaluate every application for the use of the stories submitted to the archive for research or artistic purposes.

To contact the creators of the Autobiography Collection, write to dh@lulfmi.lv

4. Will my identity remain confidential?

The “Archive of Violence” accepts anonymous stories and any information that their authors have provided. The goal of this initiative is not to verify the identity of the submitter, and no additional information regarding the submission is saved.

5. Will I receive a reply and/or help when I submit a story?

The “Archive of Violence” does not reply to submitted stories, and it does not provide help to victims of violence. If you need help, visit the “Help” section of our website for information about specialist support.

6. Is it possible to remove a story from the “Archive of Violence”?

Because the “Archives of Violence” accepts anonymous stories and the identity of a submitter is not known, it is not possible to remove a story from the archive. This is due to the fact that the archive cannot confirm the author of a particular story.