|
Talking about sexual violence
 By
Maria Pena
(May 1, 2007) What do you think of when you hear
the term sexual
assault? Some of us may think it is something
that happens to someone else, strangers hurting other strangers.
Although stranger rape accounts for 26% of sexual assault,
it is important to know friends/acquaintances, relatives
and intimates account for 72% of all sexual assaults.
What this means is that to protect those we care about,
prevention is key. It is time to talk about sexual violence
in our communities with openness and honesty.
Sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes in
the nation. National estimates are that 1 in 4 females and
1 in 7 males will be assaulted in their life, many before
they reach the age of 18. Take a second to think about it
and you may understand why it would be difficult to come
forward as a survivor of sexual assault. Imagine being asked
to give excruciating detail about your last sexual experience
to a group of people. Imagine being asked questions about
what happened during that experience and what was said and
done.
Often in our work, we are asked questions that have to do
with the prevention of sexual assault. “How do I prevent
my son from being molested?” or “How do I prevent
my college daughter from being raped?” The key is to
TALK about it. During the month of April, SafePlace and other
agencies in the community promoted awareness of sexual assault
in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Our goal is to
get people talking. Here are some ways you can assist yourself
and your community in talking about sexual assault:
- Examine gender roles and violence in the media. What
role does this portrayal of violence have in our everyday
lives?
- Talk to your children or teens about healthy relationships
using age appropriate language; be open and honest with
them. There are several websites that offer advice on how
to do this, including: www.loveisnotabuse.com and www.loveisrespect.org.
- Sponsor an event to raise awareness about sexual assault,
such as a picnic for safety or a speakers panel on a college
campus. Ask to have a speaker brought in to your work place,
school or group to talk about sexual assault. SafePlace
offers speakers and materials to address groups of all
sizes and ages. Contact us at
360-786-8754 to learn more about this.
- Educate yourself about the dynamics and underlying causes
of sexual violence. SafePlace has educational information
that we would be happy to mail to you; contact our 24-hour
advocates on the crisis line at
360-754-6300.
Sexual assault services and prevention are important to
us at SafePlace. We offer our 24-hour crisis line and a 24-hour
sexual assault response at the hospital for rape exams. We
also have a support group for sexual assault survivors, assistance
with sexual assault protection orders and advocacy appointments
if or when needed. If you or someone you know has been assaulted,
you can call the crisis line to talk with an advocate.
It is up to all of us to act as prevention specialists and
open up a community-wide dialogue in order to truly address,
educate and prevent sexual assault in our community. |
