I Was Deeply Hurt By This Unexpected Event

One of the first times I ever went to a hospital was when I had to have a medical examination done to support sexual assault allegations. I was 12, and I elected not to have my mother with me for fear that she could not emotionally handle what was about to happen. Although I was lucky to have compassionate physicians, I still remember the loneliness that I felt and that I would continue to feel after that appointment. I was fortunate enough to be able to receive free therapy throughout my high school years, and that is something that has never been lost on me. Because of this, I have a personal passion for supporting sexual assault victims in whatever way I can. Throughout my high school years, I spoke at various engagement to fundraise for

Everyone in a lifetime goes through a tough experience in life in which they might think no one else really understands, since no one else has walked on the same footsteps as them. “When Andrew Johnson was fourteen, he and his brother were sold as servants to a tailor, they had to work for him and in return they would get food, clothing and shelter. After 2 years the boys ran away” (“Andrew Johnson”). Johnson, for

The audience that they are reaching out to is mostly women who have a sympathetic take on this subject. The fear of telling someone that this has happened and not remembering the details of the event, the whole in her memory, the media had attacked her and things were written in a negative way towards her so she kept the emotions of how the event affected her a secret in a paper on her computer. They describe that it’s emotional and heart felt so

Traumatic and challenging experiences such as rape and abuse have a monumental impact upon an individual’s sense of identity throughout their lifetime. The horrific exploitation of

Many people in the world have gotten raped. In Survivor Tarah has a secret that no one knows about not even her boyfriend, Cooper. In this instance, a lot of people don't tell anybody about what has happen to them; they keep it bottled up inside.

Her words should have been a song to my ears, “your strength and determination has brought you thus far, and not many victims of sexual abuse are able to overcome such adversity an expeditious and healthy manner”. When the lack of joy failed to be expressed, my family counselor asked why I was perplexed. All that I could utter was “what about the victims of modern slavery and victimized children”? My counselor assured me that many professionals such has mental health counselors helped them. Though my life proved to be valuable again, my only focus was on other traumatized victims.

After ten years, and I had not returned to normal. Nobody, including myself, really knew about it. There was just a general unsettledness in my life. I couldn’t refer to the matter clearly in the past tense. It was unlike typical grieving or trauma. It wasn’t simply the death of a close friend. Nor was it the trauma of the violence. Set between me and the universe there was still a lack of order, a loss of meaning which I couldn’t frame. Something between the Christian call of mission and the real world was incongruent. Reflecting backwards didn’t solve the

After talking to him, I felt as if I had been repurposed, like I have a reason to live again. His story about his wife and how he was kicked out made me grateful for my own family, and it awakened in me a hunger to get back to them. I have to get back to them, to my wife, my girls, I thought, as I pulled out my empty wallet to gaze at their pictures. At that moment I knew what I was going to do, although I denied it for a time, I knew what I had to do. I needed to cross the

One in six boys in the United States have experience childhood sexual abuse by the time they are 18 years old. The effects of childhood sexual abuse can be long-lasting and is a huge public health problem. There is a belief that male victims of sexual abuse do not suffer from the same negative impact that female victims do and we, as a society seem to turn a blind eye and minimize the impact when it comes to male victims. However, there is empirical support that shows men, like women, who experience sexual assault may suffer from mental and physical health problems as a result of sexual abuse which can lead to a variety of problems which includes internalizing and externalizing problems such as depression and anxiety, shame, fear, embarrassment, aggression, drug and alcohol addiction, avoidance, and low self-esteem. Sexual abuse is painful and traumatic no matter who it happens to, but males who have been sexually abused often delay disclosure and carry their feelings around in silence or use avoidance coping strategies so they can try and live a normal life.

Whether or not we are personal survivors of abuse, we are all survivors of something. With that in mind we can inspire one another to keep pushing through whatever hurdles come our way. “Sharing a conversation gives us the chance to empathize with others in a deep way, but also to explore the way we have struggled or may still be struggling to survive and thrive in our own lives,” says Brian Palecek, United Tribes Technical College instructor and presenter during the week. I completely agree with his statement, when I started this project I had in mind to help those who had experienced rape on our campus. Even though DSU has a low number of reported rape cases, it was still an issue that I wanted to address. By the time this project was completed we not only changed the live of other students but it also change mine. “Community Conversation” allowed me to let go of my struggles of verbal abuse as a child and an abusive relationship I experienced the summer before starting this project, and grow into an even stronger

This week’s reading on the various effects that a survivor of sexual assault endures once in their life left me with a heavy heart. It is upsetting to know how frequently these cases can occur on a daily basis, but it great to know that there are resources out there to help survivors. I feel that if more individuals understood the various ways a survivor may react to sexual assault; it would help to eliminate the idea that someone is being “too dramatic” or “overly exaggerative”. The effect that sexual assault has on the survivor can greatly impact them in their daily tasks, often preventing them from seeking assistance or informing their friends and family on the situation. Fortunately, there are a wide range of resources

I was lost. As I walked through the tall, bare hallways of the hospital, I noticed the scared, yet brave children struggling with the fight against cancer. Despite all they were going through, they still managed to send a smile my way. For once, I viewed the world from a perspective outside of my own and realized there are people dealing with the most unimaginable and complicated things. There was an unbearable discomfort in my stomach with the thought of these children being so powerless to change what they were going through. Suddenly, I felt someone approaching me; I could sense the empathy of the unfamiliar face in the short white coat looking through the same glass window as I was.

Although, not all women who are sexually abused go on to live unhealthy lifestyles, the mental aspect of their event haunts them for their lifetime (Gluck, 2016). Mental health continues to be a leading illness in the young population. For women who suffer from sexual violence during their college years, they are prone to post-traumatic stress disorder as they forced to relive the moments of their assault over and over again (RAINN, 2016). Many women become numb and isolate themselves from any relationship that is unfamiliar. The increased paranoia of their ordeal makes it almost impossible to heal and carry out future healthy relationships. These behaviors and feeling are correlated with post-traumatic stress disorder (Krug, Dahberg, Mercy,

Some rape survivors often struggle with feelings of shame, guilt, and self-blame that can make it hard to talk about their experiences. Survivors also often fear that others could blame them or that others won’t believe them. People of all ages, races, religions,

What is a secrets? A secret is something you keep to yourself, sometimes even tell one other person whom is trustworthy, but you do not tell the public. Imagine having to deal with a secret that is so great that you have to conceal it do to fear and frustration within ones self. There is a saying “be careful how you treat others because you never know what they are are going through”, the person next to you could be holding a secret that no one knows about. Did you know, there is about one victim every 107th second that has been sexually assaulted according to the US Department of Justice National Crime Victimization Survey. There are possibly even more due to victims not reporting their abuser. This is a problem in our society because victims that have been raped can experience mental and social consequences that may lead up to other dilemmas. So what are these risks and what are the victimizers motives?