Tag: sexual assault

Speak Out-April is SAAPM

Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month

I speak out because I believe that every survivor deserves a safe place to find help. Speak out with me this Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. Visit: rainn.org/SAAPM #SAAPM

The Statistics

Graphic states Every 92 Seconds an American is sexually assaulted. Speak Out so other know there's a safe resource.
Graphic states 8 out of 10 rapes are committed by someone known to the victim. 19.5% are by a stranger. 39% are by an acquaintance 33% are by current or former spouse or boyfriend or girl friend 6% are committed by more than one person or the victim can't remember 2.5 % are committed by a non-spouse relative. Speak out about the resources to fight sexual assault
Graphic states Male College Students 5 times more likely than non-students of the same age to be a victim of rape or sexual assault.Speak out about the resources to fight rape and sexual assault.
18-34 year old college women were at more risk than other women to be assaulted. Women of the same age and not in college were 4 times as likely to end up raped or assaulted.Speak out about the resources to fight sexual assault.
Graphic states every 9 minutes a child is sexually assaulted. Speak out about the resources to fight child sexual assault.

The statistics are terrifying. Every ninety-two seconds someone is sexually assaulted. That means that by the time you finish reading this short post, someone has been assaulted. Maybe someone you know. 

Make a Call

If you’ve been assaulted, or you know someone who has been, it can be overwhelming. You don’t know what to do or where to turn. 

Reach out. 

Whether you’re need support, information, advice, or a referral, RAINN’s trained support specialists are ready to help.

Call 800-656-HOPE (4653). There is no charge.

Or if you prefer, there is a CHAT feature available on the RAINN website.

How You Can Help

  • Post a photo on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook of a blue triangle on your hand on Thursday, April 4 to show your support of RAINN Day. A blue triangle represents a megaphone to remind us to use our voices to spread awareness about sexual violence.
  • Change your Facebook profile photo to include RAINN SAAPM frame. Available on Facebook on April 1. Search RAINN SAAPM 2019 to find it.
  • Tell one person in your life about RAINN and SAAPM.
  • What to share? This week, encourage others to speak out by sharing our custom-made posts below on social media:

Want more information about RAINN before you volunteer or donate? Read my post Help Me Help Prevent Sexual Assault.

Why I Speak Out

Although I’ve written briefly about my sexual assault in other posts, I’d rather stay quiet about my suspicions that I was a victim of sexual assault. I was very young, my memory is not clear…I could be wrong…but I don’t think so.

I know that talking to someone about sexual assault can be scary. But it is healing. Even when you doubt your memory. It took time. It took talking to therapists but I did it. And so can you.

There is no one way to heal from sexual assault. Your path will be different from mine. Know that there are resources out there. You can get help. It probably isn’t going to be easy. But you need to know that healing is possible. That is why I must speak out.

You May Never Know

The images and much of the text of this post are courtesy of the RAINN website https://www.rainn.org and the copyright for the images and words belongs to them. But their message is mine. Their message is yours. Speak Out. Spread awareness. Tell one person about RAINN or about the Sexual Assault and Awareness hotline. You may never know how your words helped someone recover from a sexual assault.

Help Me Help Prevent Sexual Assault

It’s my birthday! It is appropriate that today I share information about the two organizations that are most important to me. One is a national organization that works on a large scale. The other is a local organization that gave me a stage upon which I could speak my truth at a time when that truth was raw and difficult. These organizations provide much-needed services to survivors of sexual assault. Will you help me help prevent sexual assault?

Every 98 seconds,

another person experiences sexual assault.

Survivors of sexual assault are of all genders, races, religious affiliations, nationalities, and ages. Sexual violence includes child sexual abuse, rape, intimate partner sexual violence, and other crimes.

Every 8 minutes a child is sexually assaulted in the U.S.

93 percent know their abuser.

RAINN

These statistics are from RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network). It is the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the U.S. According to their website rainn.org. They have helped more than 2.7 million people since 1994. Think about that. They have helped more than 112,000 people per year for 24 years!

RAINN operates a phone line and an online chat 24/7 for anyone who needs help because of sexual violence. The organization partners with 1000 local sexual assault service providers. They carry out programs to prevent sexual violence, help survivors, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. 95 cents of every dollar given goes directly to their programs and services. See this page to know how your donation helps. 

They offer many ways to give. Please visit their donation page here.

RAINN wasn’t around when I struggled to deal with my nightmares and panic attacks. I don’t care whether you call what I experienced repressed memories, false memories, or dissociative amnesia. (Read a balanced discussion of how memories of trauma can work. ). I don’t worry anymore about the details of who did what. I know something did happen when I was very young. That something was sexual, traumatic, and life-changing.

MOCSA

My struggle sent me to therapists and they connected me with a local organization, MOCSA  (Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault). At the time I used MOCSA briefly and then ignored them. But, being able to sit on the MOCSA supported stage and tell my story made a huge impact on me. It was the beginning of me getting my life back together.

If you’re a survivor of sexual assault I want you to know that recovery is possible. Strength afterward is possible. Alone it’s nearly impossible. With the help of services from organizations like MOCSA or RAINN, it’s hard and sometimes feels downright impossible. You can do it. It doesn’t mean that you’ll be “normal” whatever that is, but you can get to the other side. The other side is where you can enjoy the beauty, the peace, and the joy in your life. It’s there, waiting for you.

The RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline is free, confidential, and available 24/7.

Call 800-656-4673

I want to repay MOCSA by paying forward for someone else. Won’t you help me help prevent sexual assault? Your donation will also help a survivor recover. You can donate here or on Facebook. If you’d rather not donate to my local organization, feel free to donate to RAINN. Either way, your donation helps prevent or helps someone recover from sexual assault. Anyone who comments here with a copy or screen shot of their receipt for their donation (black out the amount–it’s not how much you give–it’s that you gave something) between now and December 31, 2018 will receive a free copy of the ebook version of My Soul to Keep in appreciation of your time and support.