04/30/99

Sexual Assault -- Myths and Facts

1-888-999-5545 (English)
1-888-568-8332 (Spanish)

Twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year, victims of sexual assault in Connecticut can call one of the two numbers listed above for help. Calls are automatically routed to the nearest of twelve Sexual Assault Crisis Services (SACS) throughout the state. Central CT SACS, for example, a regional program affiliated with the YWCA of Meriden, serves residents from Meriden, Wallingford, Cheshire and all of Middlesex County.

Jessica Lewis, Director of Central Connecticut SACS, explained the support process to me, from the initial crisis call onward. Three trained counselors, two women and one man, work each hotline shift. A woman always answers the telephone calls; the second woman provides back-up if one of them is called away to a hospital or elsewhere to meet with a victim; and the man goes with her to speak with the person(s) who accompanied the victim. Emergency room staff or the police routinely call SACS for support in these cases.

The woman counselor meets privately with the person who was assaulted to listen and respond to questions, to provide a reassuring presence, to discuss options related to medical tests, pressing charges (or not), the police report, legal counsel and services available from SACS, such as short-term follow-up counseling at no charge. The male SACS counselor conducts a similar discussion with the person(s) who accompanied the victim. A couple of days after the crisis, the same counselor who met with the assault victim contacts her again for a follow-up conversation and discussion of follow-up services.

Director Lewis emphasized the importance of emotional support from trained counselors, who recognize and understand the trauma of sexual assault, the fears associated with reporting it and the shame surrounding such incidents. Often the people closest to the victims are the least available to help, because they are traumatized, too. SACS counselors help victims of sexual assault think of themselves as "survivors," a term with positive implications for the self and for recovery.

Each regional SACS program provides its own 24-hour hotline; counseling and support during crisis; support and advocacy during hospital, police and legal procedures; support groups; female, male and bilingual counselors; educational programs for schools, churches and clubs; training programs for police and teachers; referrals to appropriate agencies as needed; a resource library for information related to sexual assault; self-defense training; volunteer counselor training; and a quarterly newsletter.

Outreach to schools -- to teachers and to students of all ages -- is an especially important part of SACS' sexual assault prevention efforts. Students learn different skills at different ages, skills related to personal safety, self-esteem, healthy relationships, refusal skills and date rape (countering myths with facts).

Myths about Sexual Assault

* Victims are usually raped by a stranger in a dark alley. False. Three out of four victims of sexual assault know their attackers. More than half of the assaults occur in the victim's home or at the home of a friend, neighbor or relative. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1997)

* Rape is a big city problem. False. Rape happens everywhere -- in urban, suburban and rural areas.

* Women who don't resist rape secretly enjoy it. False. Most victims are in fear for their lives. Victims make the best decisions they can in order to survive this violent and terrifying crime.

* Males cannot be raped. False. Nine percent of rape and sexual assault victims are male. (Bureau of Statistics, 1997)

Facts about Sexual Assault

* Rape is a crime of violence. Attackers are not motivated by passion, but by a need to control, dominate and hurt.

* Rape is a serious problem in the United States. There are an estimated 12 million rape survivors in the United States. In 1995, a rape occurred in the U.S. every five minutes. Yet less than five percent of all rapists go to jail for the crime. (FBI statistics, 1996)

* The victim is never to blame. No man, woman or child chooses or deserves to be raped. To say that a person provoked rape by wearing certain clothes, flirting or engaging in risky behavior is victim blaming.

* Victims of assault do not "cry rape." According to FBI statistics, only 3 to 5 percent of all rape claims are found to be false.

I pray for the day that no man, woman or child will ever have to call a SACS hotline. There are no excuses for sexual assault. In the meantime, I'm grateful that there are so many men and women willing to volunteer their time to take the 30+ hours of counselor training, in order to respond at any time of the day or night to victims of assault. The SACS program in your area may need more volunteers.

Also, regional directors adjust community outreach programs to meet changing needs, as suggested by staff or in response to requests from residents. For example, a recent Central CT SACS newsletter printed guidelines for safe Internet use, in recognition of the need to inform the public about how to guard against the potential dangers associated with exchanging information with strangers on the World Wide Web.

To request support or to offer help, call one of the hotline numbers listed above, or check your phonebook for the SACS office closest to you. For additional information, CONNSACS (Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services) maintains an Internet site at: http://www.connsacs.org.

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.