Since April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we wanted to chat with The Center for Sexual Assault Survivors about SAAM, how to promote it and what we can do to provide information on sexual assault awareness even during times like today, where public access is restricted. We created a video interview to discuss this topic, and the Center’s Program Manager, Sydni Ewell, conducted a virtual interview with us!
In the interest of remaining as accessible as possible, we created this blog with the questions and answers for those who need captioning services or do not feel they can follow along with the video. We hope that, in the future, Zoom and other video meeting sites will provide free captioning overlays that do not require a real-time captioner to be present on the video call or a public URL to have a third-party captioning service add in the captions later. YouTube does provide captions - but in the event the captions are incorrect, we created this for your benefit!
The Center for Sexual Assault Survivors is a non-profit rape crisis center located in Newport News, VA. They mainly service the peninsula, but their service area also includes Isle of Wight and Surry counties. They provide free sexual assault crisis services, including individual counseling, support groups, legal/law enforcement accompaniment, education and training to the community. Sydni Ewell is currently the Programs and Victim Services Manager at the Center!
Note: ALL questions have been linked to the corresponding clip on our YouTube channel.
Questions for The Center
A month to promote the meaning, understanding, and prevalence of sexual assault. “I Ask for Consent” is always the motto. Consent can be given, or NOT given, in various forms. Providing resources, support and tools that will be a means of education for ALL survivors.
SAAM is extremely important for both survivors and the surrounding community, including family members, friends, and the general public. The month helps people understand the reality of sexual assault and ways we can all help survivors. I think that it also highlights the strength of survivors and the importance of supporting each other.
Yes! The community not only learns more ways to come together, but also about resources, the meaning of consent, the importance of body autonomy and various ways to assist each other in times of need.
Traumas such as SA can be especially triggering in times such as these due to the public restrictions and lack of physical accessibility to resources. However, technology and the use of social media can be utilized in a positive way to show support and keep the community informed of each business’ or organizations practices and services at this time. We can continue to post uplifting messages, inform the public of statistics, engage through videos such as these, podcasts, blogs, etc. It is important that we still communicate and support one another during these times and do not shy away from the verbal communication.
The Center is very active with promoting sexual assault awareness. We have ongoing community engagement events that focus on topics such as healthy boundaries, consent, understanding your body. We engage all age ranges, from young children to elder adults...because sexual assault affects everyone. No person is immune, which means that every person deserves support and healing. All of our services are completely free of charge including individual/support group counseling, advocacy (to include hospital and law enforcement/legal accompaniment), trainings, community engagement events, etc. We are active on social media and have increased our efforts particularly during this time to assist in innovative ways during the pandemic.
Trauma, long-term impacts, trust, control of their bodies, neurobiology
Fear of pregnancy, STDs, not being believed, change in family/social dynamic
Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, Alcoholism and drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts, Problems in intimate relationships, Underachievement at school and at work.
One in five women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in their lives (a)
In the U.S., one in three women and one in six men experienced some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime (o)
51.1% of female victims of rape reported being raped by an intimate partner and 40.8% by an acquaintance (a)
52.4% of male victims report being raped by an acquaintance and 15.1% by a stranger (a)
In eight out of 10 cases of rape, the victim knew the perpetrator
At least 1 in 6 men have been sexually abused or assaulted.
81% of women and 35% of men report significant short- or long-term impacts such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (a)
Rape is the most under-reported crime; 63% of sexual assaults are not reported to police (m)
The prevalence of false reporting is low — between 2% and 10%.
Coping mechanisms (support through individual/group counseling, journaling, gardening, exercise, believing the person, not trying to “fix” someone)
Reaching out, particularly during times like this when social distancing is needed, we do not need to emotionally distance ourselves.
The hotline is available 24/7 and we are in the process of securing more technology-friendly ways of providing support such as telecounseling.
Questions for IOW Victim Witness
We work with local law enforcement and partners to address a lot of problems. One of the main collaborations we have is through our SART (Sexual Assault Response Team). SARTs are required for local jurisdictions, especially if they are receiving a grant similar to what ours does (V-STOP). This allows us to collaborate closely with community partners to arrange access to services, including information on cases, forensic interviews and overall well-being and status of survivors of sexual assault.
We’re working on remote advocacy services! For now, our office currently has an anonymous online chat through ResourceConnect. Individuals who want to chat with us can access our chat by going to rc.chat/iowvw. If we feel like the information requested requires confidential information to be shared, then we’ll request to talk by phone with the individual by giving them our contact info.
We can still assist with filing for Virginia Victims Fund applications. This is good for survivors of sexual assault, too, because if the case was reported to law enforcement within 5 days, any services at the hospital (kit testing, etc) can potentially qualify for the VVF along with other expenses, such as installing a security system, replacing clothes or bed linens, etc.
We’re also still providing court case notification. The courts are closed to non-emergency proceedings until at least 04/26, so we make it a point as soon as we receive the information to call victims and witnesses to let them know about the situation. We believe transparency is key, especially today.
We promote via social media a lot! We post videos, infographics, share information about our partners… We also like to promote our partner organization’s events, both by participating and spreading the word. In fact, we have an event board in our office that we decorate every month to advertise for community events based on that particular awareness month.
Keeping us in the loop with awareness events is one of the best things agencies we partner with can do. Our grant doesn’t allow us to take money for fundraisers, but we can promote the fundraisers of other organizations or participate in them! Providing us with informational materials, such as brochures or infographics, is another way we like to partner with our community agencies. National Crime Victim Rights’ Week also occurs in April, so having that additional information to give out during our table set up is great!
Do you see a difference in the needs of survivors in IOW compared to a less or non-rural/urban area?
Most definitely. Being a rural community, IOW doesn’t have access to the same resources that many non-rural areas do. Many survivors have to go across the JRB to receive SANE resources or, if a juvenile, has to go to CHKD in Norfolk. We know the healthcare systems work diligently to provide services, but we also know that working as a FN or SANE requires specialized education that takes time.
We also see that residents don’t necessarily have internet or access to public internet, such as libraries. In very rural parts of the county, some residents don’t have a neighbor for at least a mile away, so if they need to call for help, they are limited.
Education! When people are educated about sexual assault awareness, survivors are more willing to access our services, make reports to law enforcement or work with community partners.
We’ve also seen an increased desire to receive mental health services. It’s difficult to get that access because of barriers to transportation, internet connection or community stigma, but SAAM has really helped people understand that survivors of sexual assault are never to blame for what happened to them and there are services available.
If you’re interested in more information on sexual assault awareness, visit the Center’s website. Follow them on social media (@visitthecenter) for real-time updates on their services. If you’re interested in more information on victim/witness services, visit IOWVW’s website or follow us on social media (@iwcvicwitness). Thanks again to Sydni and the Center - stay safe everyone, and don’t forget to wash your hands!