As the world struggles to comprehend how a monster could do such a thing to a 10-year-old child, keep her captive as a slave in his dungeon for 8 years, the poor girl begins an unimaginable journey to pick up the pieces of her life.

Natascha is said to have cried on learning that her sick captor killed himself (which he did by jumping in front of a train). Psychologists are divided as to whether her crying shows Stockholm Syndrome. I’m more inclined to hope at this point that she cried because she realised she was really free from the sick bastard, that she cried tears of freedom.

Some newswires have an unhealthy obsession with whether or not Natascha was sexually abused. Obviously her captor abused her, why else would such a freak keep a child captive as a slave?

Some articles I’ve read talk of Natascha’s “consent” to sexual acts. The fact that she may have “consented” to anything is understandable if we remember that Natascha went thru puberty in the sick little den her captor forced her to live in as her home. Naturally, she would be confused, uneducated in such matters, and also fearful and therefore compliant. We cannot understand her consent to be the same kind of consent that you and I might give.

More on this:

• Kurier - Video of the den (caution: you may find this distressing)
• BBC - Austria agonises over Natascha questions

Update:

• Natascha’s first words to the public after 8 years in captivity

It seems the poor girl is mourning her captor and suffering from Stockholm Syndrone; I’m not entirely convinced and she seems to say there is only a part of her mourning in a way. I think there is a much larger part of her just soaking up the fact that she is finally free and managed to escape alive.  Quite understandable for a child after so many years kept as a prisoner.

She is also amazingly strong and totally right about any “intimacy” issues.  It’s her private business and I find it rather sickening that the press should speculate in a “was she, wasn’t she?” stupor. The crime is that he kept her prisoner against her will for 8 years, everything else that may or may not have happened is all a part of that unforgivable crime.
I only hope she can move on with her life and wish her all the best.