Chapter one
Purpose
The purpose of this project is to introduce a brochure, based on current evidence, that can help rape victims find a healthy approach to recovery. It is important to provide victims with support, contact numbers, counselors and self help strategies in case they do not follow up with a medical professional. If victims refuse to talk it is important to teach them about therapeutic poetry and journaling which are optimal ways of expressing emotions. Holding in feelings over time can lead to self directed violence, nightmares, trust issues, and changes in relationships. Victims are at risk for re-victimization by society and the justice system. A brochure could provide reading material that can enable victims to regain
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Setting of the problem
A western New York five hundred bed hospital in an urban community sees victims of abuse both in the emergency room and the women’s health center. Nurses are confronted with young female victims of various ages, class, culture, and race, who are in abusive relationships or have been assaulted. The vast majority of these victims’ female, and college aged. Addressing the issue of rape is sometime difficult and uncomfortable for both the victim and caregiver. The dialogue, voice tone and body language and advice that nurses articulate to victims can have a lifetime affect. It is important to establish a trusting relationship with victims, to allow for open communication when addressing the sensitive issue of sexual assault. Rape leaves emotional scars that do not heal as quickly as physical wounds. The nurses best equipped to handle victims like this are forensic nurses. The problem stems from underage drinking, loss of control and the ability to say “no” against a deaf perpetrator. The disgusting act of perversion weighs heavy on the minds of the victims, family and friends. It is unfortunate that the innocent victims feel the guilt, shame and stigma. Nurses’ must advocate for female empowerment, self worth and respect by securing their rights, health and wellbeing after a rape. Rape victims are not always followed up with after leaving the hospital, the unresolved emotional end of trauma can lead to long term affects
Any victim of sexual abuse faces the chance of having their development impacted. This is especially true amongst children. Studies have proven that children who have been sexually abused by a female offender often have different developmental experiences (T.A. Gannon, 2008, p. 356). Mental illness is yet another impact that victims face. Many sexual abuse victims transpire into states of depression, rage, and suicide; they even have strained relationships with certain individuals (Denov, 2014, p.
There are two sides to a rape, the rapist and the victim. The victim is most of the time a woman but men are raped as well. It is a common myth that there is a type of woman that is more likely to be raped. This is indeed a myth, most of the time rape is a crime of opportunity, the victim is not chosen because of her looks or behavior, but because she is there (Benedict 2). The average rape victim is 18-39 years old and female, the average rapist is 25 years old and male. The effect of rape on a woman is an enormous one. The woman will come away from a rape with both physical and psychological damage. Eventually the physical wounds will heal, the psychological wounds will take quite some time before or if they ever heal (Grady 4). A sexual assault robs the woman of a sense of control; a feeling of loss of freedom is common among rape victims. To put her life in order she must regain this sense of control. Almost all rape victims suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (Benedict 2). The first symptom is the reliving or re-experiencing of the
Regardless of their area of work, nurses have the potential to be exposed to the intimate partner violence (IPV) continuum. Often noticed as the front line workers, nurses are in a position to observe and assess situations where IPV is suspected, and intervene should these issues arise. Nurses are obligated to provide safe, holistic, quality care to victims of IPV and implement resources such as counseling, community support as well as physical and emotional support; “nurses work with persons who have health-care needs or are receiving care to enable them to attain their highest possible level of health and well-being” (CNA, 2017). Nurses have the ability to be a catalyst for positive change for individuals in abusive situations. Victims
The victim states, “And that distorted me, damaged me, almost broke me. It is the saddest type of confusion to be told I was assaulted and nearly raped, blatantly out in the open, but we don’t know if it counts as assault yet (Baker).” The article demonstrates the emotional distress of the victim while also questioning the morality of the aggressor and the democratic system in defending offenses such as this. The reader grows sympathetic to the agony that the assault and the aggressor has caused and continues to cause throughout the case. The victim's letter encourages victims to speak out and find strength to overcome and help others and condemns the assault of anyone, especially of someone who is unable to consent to the sexual activity. The use of ethos encourages victims to speak out and find strength to overcome and help others and condemns the assault of anyone, especially of one who is unable to consent to the sexual
Sexual assault and the Massachusetts Department of Public works with local rape crisis centers to gather statistical data so we can assess and know the facts and realities of rape in Massachusetts. While statistics do not tell the whole story of sexual assault, they can help us paint a picture of the problem. The forensic nurse has an integral part of this specific population’s victimization. A forensic nurse should have a basic knowledge of the type of offender the rapist can be. As a certified sexual assault investigator for Middlesex County I have investigated, collected evidence, arrested, testified and successfully aided in the prosecution and conviction of rapists. I will explore the definition of rape and criminal statutes related to the crime of rape, rape trauma syndrome, and some of the drugs a perpetrator uses to assist in commission of this crime and how the FN and the police share a different but equal role in prosecuting the offender.
Sexual assault is something that can affect people emotionally, physically, psychosocially, psychologically, and even spiritually. As often as it occurs in society, the effects that sexual assault can have on an individual are all relatively similar. Sexual assault is any sort of sexually-based action in which one or more participants have not given consent. Often times, people refer to sexual assault as simply rape, however there are other dimensions to sexual assault which can include unwanted kissing, groping, or touching of any form. Emotionally, victims are conflicted about whether it is their own fault or if it the fault of the attacker. In many instances, the victim will blame themselves for what has happened to them. Physically, there is nearly always damage in the affected areas (vagina, anus, penis, breasts, etcetera) that can lead to painful tissue damage. There is also the risk of pregnancy or STD’s that the victim must be aware of. Psychosocially, the victim becomes distant with everyone they were once close to. Their level of trust declines dramatically, causing relationships with spouses, family, and close friends to crumble. Since the victims tend to push their loved ones away, often without giving any sort of reason, they can sometimes face isolation and a lack of support from those whom would usually offer council. The psychological effects are tremendous as well. Victims of sexual assault will often have severe anxiety, post-traumatic stress
Victims of sexual violence is the first population we will discuss. “On average, there are 321,500 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States” (Rain.org, “Victims of Sexual Violence: Statistics,” 2016, para. 1). Criminal justice professionals will encounter rape victims and sexual assault victims. Police officers have the duty of charging and arresting the perpetrator and getting the persons assaulted to safety. Victims of rape and sexual assault have to
Sexual assault is apparently a growing concern that has emotionally and physically affected many victims in the country. While most of them report the problem, they have a difficult time opening up and complying with the therapy sessions that can help gather enough information addressing the problem. Laurel is a good example of the victim who had suffered sexual
The Centers for Disease control reports that one out of every five women will be sexually assaulted or raped during their lifetime with most victims being girls or younger women. According to RAINN, the Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network (https://www.rainn.org) which calls itself “the nation 's largest anti-sexual assault organization,” nine out of ten rape victims are women and there are more than 237,000 victims of sexual assault in the U.S. every year, with a reporting rate of only 40 percent. Eighty percent of victims are under 30. Two-thirds of all the reported assaults are by someone known to the victim and only 3 percent of rapists get any jail time. The effects of rape are long lasting and have public health and social welfare consequences. According to RAINN, victims of sexual assault have higher rates of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and drug and alcohol abuse than the general population. Rape is a personal issue because of the trauma it induces in its
Mulla uses a variety of victims’ narratives, forensic nurses’ statements, and detectives and attorneys, along with research studies to strength her study on the different topics of forensic sexual assault intervention. Each chapter of this book contains a different topic that contextualizes the overall topic of medico-legal intervention in sexual assault. These topics include DNA, time, emotions, reproduction and production, technology, documentation, home and healing, and patient compliance. Each one of the topic alludes to how this medico-legal intervention contributes to a victim undergoing more “violence” that is in the form of “care”. Using the narratives of victims, research about sexual violence, and personal observations in each of
Sexual assault is not just a crime against an individual, it affects families, the community, and society as a whole. In recent years, our society has shifted to one of rape culture and rape myth. Rape myths are erroneous, stereotypical, and prejudicial beliefs about rape victims and reasons of sexual assault. Rape myths can impact survivors of assault, as well as the behavior and effectiveness of family, friends, medical and social services, and law enforcement (Rape Victim Advocates, 2016). Rape impacts our society by attacking the cohesion and mutual protection that makes a society. When we allow such crimes to go without the most vigorous and vigilant investigation and punishment, we allow for whole segments of society to be diminished, we are sending the message that society is okay with rape (Abbey,
The Violence of Care: Rape Victims, Forensic Nurses, and Sexual Assault Intervention. NYU Press, 2014.
I choose this topic because sexual assault is one of the most offensive crimes committed in our society. Not only is it a threat to the community, but it has a physically and psychologically effect on the victim in many ways. For the last couple of decades, sexual assault, rape, and child molestation has become the focal point of public concerns today. According to a 1993 National Crime Victimization Survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, about 500,000 rapes or sexual assaults occur each year (Statistics, March 2010). The Department of Justice states that, “rape crimes have risen nearly three times as fast as the total crime rate”, although other studies have shown statistics that are in
This literature review provides a brief overview of six scholarly articles and other facts about sexual assault .This review will first define sexual assault as it is defined in these articles. It will analyze the strengths and limitations of the definition used and will discuss the occurrence of sexual assault in the general population.This review will also illustrate the protective factors, barriers to recovery , impact of development and the specific sexual assault population that are absent in these articles. Sexual assault is a societal issue that impacts men and women at every age in their life, it’s much more highly reported among college aged women. The majority of women who are victims of rape are
National Institute of Justice: Rape and Sexual Violence: A brief overview of rape, sexual violence, and what victims can do to stay informed about their legal options.