CANTON, Minn. – To questions about why she waited 30 years to report being raped repeatedly at age 14 by an Amish man for whose family she worked, Lizzie Hershberger said it was the Amish way. In part, it was not even having the vocabulary to describe what happened. Also, she said, the church had already disciplined and forgiven Chriss C. Stutzman and turned on her. She said she was bullied and mocked, spit on, and called a “schlud” and “hoodah,” which are Pennsylvania Dutch words for “slut” and “whore.” They gossiped that she had “mental issues,” Hershberger said. Later she the Amish life, married outside the sect, and raised four children. She co-founded a national organization, Voices of Hope, as a forum for women to tell their stories
Earlier: Guilty plea in Amish rape