DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT INTERVENTION & PREVENTIONSexual assault is a horrifying and often brutal crime of violence, power, and control, and victimizes millions of people every year in the United States.
Sexual violence affects a significant portion of our population, yet is a subject that few people will acknowledge or discuss. As a result, the myths about sexual assault continue to perpetuate in the consciousness of society. We have all heard, 'it was what she was wearing', 'she was drunk', 'she asked for it' or similar ways of placing blame on the victim instead of the perpetrator.
No one asks to be sexually assaulted. Studies show that in seventy-one percent of sexual assaults the offender planned to assault someone in advance.
Fifty percent of sexual assaults occur in the homes of victims and in an estimated 65 percent of cases, the victim knows the assailant.
Often people mistakenly believe that sexual assault only occurs to certain groups of people defined by gender, age, or ethnic background. Sexual assault can happen to people of either gender and all ages, races, cultures, education levels, sexual orientations and economic status. No segment of our society is immune to the possibility of sexual assault.
Many are also mistaken in believing that sexual assault is about sex. It is not; sexual assault is about power and control over another person.
While the causes and realities are difficult to accept, the outcomes are very real. Victims often feel guilt, anger, or depression and are unable to sleep or continue relationships with the ones they love. Eating habits change and many cannot make decisions or concentrate. Victims can lose their sense of self and in some cases contemplate suicide. Sexual assault is a crime that affects victims for the rest of their lives.
Those who believe that sexual assault has not affected them because they have not been assaulted should think about the impact of sexual assault on society. Billions of dollars a year are spent on medical care, evidence collection, prosecution and incarceration related to sexual assault cases. Federal and state funding is used to support rape crisis centers and other agencies that provide services for victims and their families. And while the financial burden that America pays is great, the moral debt is even greater. As long as sexual assault continues to occur, no one is truly safe.
For those who have been victims of sexual assault, help is available. Crisis intervention, counseling, case management, legal advocacy and other support services are available through The Lighthouse to anyone who has experienced sexual assault.
Recovering from Rape, by Linda E. Ledray
Sexual Assault: Will I Ever Feel Okay Again, by Kay Scott
Secret Survivors: Uncovering Incest and its Aftereffects in Women, by
E. Sue Bloom
