Tag Archives: sexual assault

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Allegra

Feronians, it’s April once again, which means it’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month. A big part of why SAAM exists is because we don’t often talk about sexual assault – for every Steubenville or Delhi case that involves a prosecution and spurs widespread discussion, there are thousands of assaults that pass by without comment, and without legal consequence.

On the one hand, this year seems like it’s had a lot of good conversations about this topic – and thinking back to 2001, when the national campaign officially began, I think that there’s a ton of progress that we can see. Watching commentators like Melissa Harris-Perry proclaim their support for rape survivors on air and hearing Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard tell survivors ‘we hear you, you’re valued and you’re believed’ as Australia begins an inquiry into child sexual abuse is amazing, and isn’t something that I think we would have seen 12 years ago.

We’ve also seen new approaches in assault prevention that are moving away from the old framing – how potential victims of assault can protect themselves – to how to prevent assaults more broadly. These range from videos about how you should treat people who’ve passed out (don’t assault them, do get them a blanket) to broader campaigns on what bystanders can do. (Trigger warning – that video focuses on an evening leading up to an assault, and various ways that bystanders could have made a difference).

But I also know that these still aren’t the norm when it comes to talking about assault. When multiple CNN commentators spoke to how difficult life will be for two young men convicted of rape, without expressing any similar concern for their victim, many people got upset, but CNN never responded. Judges, educators and journalists still focus on how to change what women wear as a way to control men.

So, in honor of the strides we’ve made, and with an eye towards the work that still needs to be done, here’s some more information on activism opportunities this month, locally and nationally:

Activism / SAAM Events

Local
New College of Florida events (Sarasota)
Tampa events, and events throughout Florida

National
One Student – based out of the Tampa area, this group focuses on campus strategies for preventing sexual violence
Project Unbreakable (trigger warning – this project involves survivors reclaiming words that were used against them through art. It can be very powerful, but is a very emotionally charged space.)

Resources for survivors

National
RAINN
Survivor Project

Local
CARE (Charlotte)
Peace River Center (Hardee, Highlands & Polk)
The Dawn Center (Hernando)
Crisis Center of Tampa Bay (Hillsborough)
ACT (Lee)
Sunrise of Pasco County, Inc. (Pasco)
Suncoast Center (Pinellas)
Manatee Glens (Manatee)
SPARCC (Sarasota & DeSoto)

SANE: Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, and How They Can Help You

Posted on February 12, 2013 by E.G. Hanna

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After experiencing a sexual assault a hospital is often the first place the victim goes for help and medical services. Unfortunately, a hospital is not always well-equipped to provide services for a rape victim. Often they experience long wait times in a busy and crowded place, their trauma is seen as less important than other patient’s trauma, the staff is not sufficiently trained in the type of examination needed for forensic evidence, and worse, the staff may be unsupportive and even judgmental of the victim (from a report by the US Department of Justice.)

The SANE program was created to combat this issue and provide a safe and competent way for the sexual assault victim to receive the care they need. “Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) are registered nurses who have completed specialized education and clinical preparation in the medical forensic care of the patient who has experienced sexual assault or abuse.” Planned Parenthood of Southwest & Central Florida operates a SANE program in our private health center in Manatee County, allowing rape victims to receive their care in a quiet, private environment. Typically, the person is referred to the SANE program by police or paramedics, and brought to the center. There, the nurse examiner provides the exam, which in general consists of “the medical forensic history, a detailed physical and emotional assessment, written and photographic documentation of injuries, collection and management of forensic samples, and providing emotional and social support and resources.” After the exam, the nurse also ensures the integrity of the samples is maintained so that they are admissible in court, and may testify in legal proceedings related to the examination.

Overall, the SANE program provides many services: professional forensic evidence collection, documentation, and preservation of evidence, screen for and prophylactically treat for sexually transmitted infection, evaluate for pregnancy risk and offer prevention, document and care for injuries, refer for followup medical care and counseling, and aid law enforcement in prosecution. All of this is done in a private, supportive and nonjudgmental environment by a professional who is trained to provide specialized care.

It should be noted that the program is geared towards prosecution of the rapist, and if the victim is not interested in filing an official report she will be encouraged to discuss her reasons with the nurse examiner. SANE often encourages the victim to go through the criminal justice process. For a lot of victims, going through the process of reporting the rape and dealing with the legal process is stressful and potentially harmful (personally or professionally), and so many rapes are not reported. Still, the SANE program is a more private and emotionally supportive way to receive medical care, pregnancy prophylaxis, STI testing, and other resources after a sexual assault.

“Don’t Be That Guy”: Ad Campaign Gets Consent Right

Posted on December 18, 2012 by E.G. Hanna

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Most anti-rape discussion frames the rape prevention as the victim’s responsibility. We’ve all heard that we’re not supposed to walk alone at night, not drink too much, don’t wear this or that, etc. It’s long been a feminist complaint that rape prevention needs to be taught to the potential perpetrators. Teaching the necessity of consent, and for that matter, what consent is, is an important step in stopping sexual assault. One recent campaign does a great job representing this: Don’t Be That Guy. Canadian organization Battered Women’s Support Services is using these ads to spread their “The Violence Stops Here” message. It makes it clear that “sex without consent = sexual assault”, and even has ads that make it clear men can be rape victims, too.

The campaign conveys the belief that consent is an active thing that must be continually given, not merely the absence of a no. “Enthusiastic consent” is a term many feminists use to describe what proper consent looks like. As in, if you are with a person who says things like “I’m not sure,” is hesitant, disengaged, or seems too inebriated to make their wishes clear, you have not adequately obtained consent and should stop. Once enthusiastic consent becomes the standard for sexual activity, it is no longer possible to dismiss rape of women who were drunk, who didn’t fight back hard enough (by someone’s standards), or any other thing society often uses to dismiss sexual assault. Most importantly, enthusiastic consent places the responsibility on us all to obtain consent, not on our partners to say no enough times or in the right way.

Because sexual assault has been framed for so long in our society as something that the victim is responsible for, it’s going to take more than one campaign to change the standard of consent. But this campaign is an excellent start.

Project Unbreakable: Giving Power Back to Sexual Assault Survivors

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Firdaus

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In the United States, someone is sexually assaulted every two minutes. Fifty four percent of those go unreported to police, and upwards of 97% of rapists never go to jail. Further, an estimated two-thirds of attackers know their victims.

Having said all of that, if you are one of the millions of Americans who has been a victim of this sort of violence, you may at times feel invisible or misunderstood. While group style and individual counseling are typically used to help people cope with the trauma of their experiences, a network of survivors is emerging with a new twist. It’s called Project Unbreakable, and it’s touring the country and giving people back their power.

Project Unbreakable is a project founded by young activist Grace Brown. She travels the country and takes photographs of survivors holding signs that are significant to their attacks. Many include text from what was said to them by their attacker during the assault. She publishes these photos on Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook and it appears that this sort of survivor solidarity is bringing people courage, strength and hope.

Check out the video below of Project Unbreakable. I’ve found strength and beauty in the images; I hope you do, too.

If you’re a survivor of sexual assault, the following links may be of help:

RAINN: Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network

Safe Helpline: 24/7 support through instant-message or telephone

Male Survivor: An online community specifically geared to address male survivors of abuse

And finally, Sierra DeMulder performing a poem for survivors, titled “Paper Dolls”

(We’re Planned Parenthood, and we’re here.)

April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Guest Post

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Today is a guest post from one of the other members of our affiliate who also works with a gender studies department at a local college.

April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). Like all campaigns, that means lots of ribbons (teal, in this case) and some local events listed below, but what does this month really mean?

The national campaign officially began in 2001, but it has its roots in locally-organized events going back to the first Take Back the Night marches in 1976. While there are a number of different types of activism that take place in April, sexual assault is one of the issues where “awareness” is still a very necessary step in getting us to a place where we can organize effectively. Since over half of all sexual assaults don’t get reported, it’s a huge problem that doesn’t get discussed as much as other less common crimes. While statistics don’t always address the full scope of what falls under sexual assault, 1 in 6 women, 1 in 33 men, and 1 in 2 trans* people will experience rape or attempted rape during our lives.

Statistically, this means that even if we haven’t been assaulted, we all know people who’ve been raped. This is an issue that affects everyone. And like the numbers show, this isn’t just a ‘women’s problem,’ even though it can get treated that way.

Making sure that the scope of this issue gets appreciated is a big part of SAAM. But in addition to bringing attention to this issue, many groups are shifting the focus of this month to be Sexual Assault Awareness and Activism Month. There are a lot of projects and programs around this, ranging from victim advocacy to bystander training to broad campaigns to help eradicate rape culture.

That last one is particularly important to me because this month brings a lot of light onto great programs to help people learn how to protect themselves, how to minimize risk, and how to deal with bad situations. While those are all really important, they don’t address the fact that sexual assault survivors aren’t the ones who’ve created the problem of sexual assault – rapists, abusers and assaulters have done that.

The poster below is one of my favorites when it comes to this arm of sexual assault prevention – this is one of the few ‘tip sheets’ where I can say with certainty that if we all followed its instructions, we would end the problem of sexual assault today. (Thanks to Tumblin Feminist for creating it, and the US Navy (of all things) for making it more widely disseminated.)

Resources for survivors

National
RAINN
Survivor Project

Local
CARE (Charlotte)
Peace River Center (Hardee, Highlands & Polk)
The Dawn Center (Hernando)
Crisis Center of Tampa Bay (Hillsborough)
ACT (Lee)
Sunrise of Pasco County, Inc. (Pasco)
Suncoast Center (Pinellas)
Manatee Glens (Manatee)
SPARCC (Sarasota & DeSoto)

Activism / Events

National
Circle of 6
Project Unbreakable (trigger warning – this project is about people using art to reclaim words that were used against them when they were assaulted. It can be very powerful, but is a very emotionally charged space.)

Local
New College of Florida events (Sarasota)
Tampa and Manatee events

Cheers to a Safe, Sexy New Year!

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Firdaus

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It’s that time of year again: endless cookie trays, wrapping paper rolls, and holiday cheer (or stress!). So, whether you’re spiking the eggnog under mistletoe or popping champagne to your own fireworks, here are some tips for staying safe and sexy.

Boozing 101: Alcohol reduces inhibitions, and can lead people to do things they wouldn’t while sober (this is probably why we drink it). Along with safer sex practices, we want you to arrive home safely. Every thirty minutes someone is killed by drunk driving. Holidays are no exception.

Date Rape 101: Not to yellow your snow but every 2 minutes, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted. About 2/3 of assaults are committed by someone the victim knows, and 38% of rapists are a friend or acquaintance. Oh, and 80% of victims are under 30 years old.

Ways to protect yourself? Stay vigilant! Know your boundaries, and be clear about them. If an assault takes place, CALL THE POLICE!

Spiked Drinks 101: Drugs like Rohypnol (“roofies”) or Gamma-Hydroxybutyerate (“GHB”) are clear, tasteless, odorless chemicals that are sometimes slipped into drinks to help an attacker subdue their victim before an assault. Within 5-10 minutes of ingesting wither of these drugs, a person’s inhibitions will become impaired, often leading them to “black out,” or have short-term amnesia. This gives an attacker the opportunity to assault their victim with less chance that the victim will remember the encounter or be able to report it. These drugs leave the blood system within 72 hours, and are often hard to detect in toxicology reports. So, how do you keep yourself safe?

Watch your drinks ALL NIGHT LONG.
Never accept a drink from a stranger.
Never leave your drink with friends or strangers.
Avoid the community spiked punch bowl – you never know what’s inside.
Have a “buddy system” if you go out. Let friends or partners know where you are, who you’re with, and how you’re getting home.

Safe Sex 101: Getting hot and heavy tonight? Pack ahead! Remember to bring your contraceptive method with you if you’re away from home this season. Packing ahead can prevent some awkward interactions, like getting hot and heavy…then realizing you don’t have protection.

So pack ahead and remember that if an accident happens, you can buy emergency contraception in all 50 states without a prescription (if you’re over 16) – you just have to ask a pharmacist or come to a Planned Parenthood.

Live well, love well, and drink responsibly this holiday season. (I personally think I’ll skip the booze all together in exchange for Strawberries and Champagne lube!)