Sexual Assault: A Taboo Topic Sex. That little three-letter word demands attention in this world that thrives on the glorification of physical intimacy. Less eye catching are the words, sexual assault. Those words, sexual assault, are rarely heard in casual conversation but the actions associated with sexual assault are otherwise far too common for comfort. With one in four women and one in six men being sexually abused before the age of eighteen, this is a massive issue worldwide and even in a majorly religious community such as Rigby Idaho (The Children’s Assessment Center, 2016). No individual or community are excluded; nearly everyone knows someone who has been abused or has been assaulted themselves. Thus, everyone should consider the …show more content…
This usually violent action or multiple actions lead to short-term wounds such as bleeding, bruising, internal damage, infections, soreness, and dislocated or broken bones (The Assessment Center, 2016). In some cases, the victim is not physically harmed at all. Bruising and soreness generally disappear in little over a week, but broken bones require six weeks to four months or longer to heal properly. Serious internal damage demands an emergency operation. Otherwise, the internal bleeding will halt on its own. In infections, if the bacteria begin to colonize within the wound, the healing process is often prolonged.
Hence a quote from Stephen Fry, an English poet and comedian, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will always hurt me…mental wounds can grind and ooze for decades and be re-opened by the quietest whisper.” (Fry, 2014). This quote implies that physical wounds will heal with time, but the unseen mental wounds can fester over the years. Additionally, mental trauma heals much slower and is more susceptible to being subjected to the same trauma again, through a sound or a certain place. Thus affecting who the victim is as a person and how they will
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Mentally, the most common effects are PTSD, depression, and dissociation, all of which cannot be remedied overnight and ordinarily require outside help (source). Outside help includes speaking with a psychiatrist. However, the healing process is often prolonged because it takes at least a year for 75% of child victims to tell someone what happened (The Assessment Center, 2016). Only 10% of college students report their assault, and out of that, the survivor will on average, wait eleven months to report (Ladd, 2016). For all ages, this waiting time before attempting to receive help serves the prevention of the healing process, thus prolonging the span of time spent in
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
On 07/16/15 at approximately 0438 hours, Kirkland Officers were dispatched to an Assault near Anthony’s Homeport in the 100 block of Lake Street South, Kirkland Washington. Dispatch related the female victim, KMW, DOB 08/25/74, called 911 and reported that a Hispanic male approximately 18 years of age had kicked her in the head. Officer DeAguiar arrived on scene and informed radio that the victim had been sexually assaulted by an unknown male that fled on foot. K9 Officer Hopkins responded to the scene to assist with a K9 track.
According to the National Defense Research Institute, policies and programs should be improved to increase reporting of the full range of sexual assaults, including those not perceived as sexual acts. They should expand sexual harassment and gender discrimination monitoring, prevention, and accountability practices and equip commanders with data and guidance to take effective actions. Prevention and enforcement efforts should target bullying, hazing, and other demeaning behaviors. The factors contributing to risk and prevention of sexual assault and sexual harassment should be identified. Lastly, current sexual assault training that service members receive should be assessed (Morral, Gore & Schell, 2014). There needs
As sexual assault incidents have an increasing presence in media, the importance of properly processing these cases has also grown. This guide will provide a brief overview of Sexual Assault Response Teams and how the various disciplines independently function for those with an interest in advocacy training.
Officer arrived at her residence and she related Marshall BURPA was touching her 9 year old daughter.
Victims can exhibit all sorts of mental and emotional reactions to the unwanted violation of assault. Mentally, the most common effects are PTSD, depression, and dissociation, all of which are not remediable overnight and ordinarily require outside help (Effects of Sexual Assault and Rape, 2017). Outside help includes speaking with a psychiatrist. However, the healing process is lengthened unnecessarily because it takes at least a year for 75% of child victims to tell someone what happened (The Assessment Center, 2016). For all ages, this waiting time before attempting to receive help serves the prevention of the healing process, thus prolonging the span of time spent in pain.
Sexual assault is a topic that no one wants to cover, but almost everyone endures, or knows someone who has endured it throughout their lives. Particularly, sexual assault on college campuses is a huge deal. One in five women are sexually assaulted, which is a number that is insane to think about. In reference to the article on ending college sexual assault, the way the initial victim Maya reacted to the sexual assault is the same way many others do as well. Not only does it go unreported, which leaves the door open for continued sexual assault, she also fell behind on her studies as her mental state deteriorated. That example represents many students worldwide across campuses, and that is something that is just not alright.
Trauma is a serious issue that more than 25 percent of children in America experience by the age of 16 (Pynoos & Fairbank, 2003, as cited in Williams & Lent, 2008). Trauma may can involve: household violence, sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, terrorisms, natural disasters, and loss of a loved one through death, divorce or abandonment (Van Westrhenen & Fritz, 2014; Williams & Lent, 2008). Dripchak defines trauma as a sudden extraordinary event that overpowers an individual’s ability to cope and manage their reaction to the event (2007, Williams & Lent, 2008). An individual’s response to trauma is subjective and multidimensional. With several factors influencing how individuals respond to trauma.
Sexual assault is a serious health issue in America concerning both physical and mental health. While it gets attention and is thought of as an issue, preventive measures and methods to seek help are not always affective. Thus, this campaign will give women and victims an opportunity to tell their stories and resources to affectively deal with the aftermath of an assault. Considering the high amount of assaults on colleges campuses, the target audience will be college students. One in five women are sexually assaulted in college, and therefore it’s reasonable to suggest something is systematically wrong with education programs in America. Additionally, colleges and universities tend to sweep sexual assaults under the rug or desperately try to hide the truth. With stories coming out recently surrounding sexual assaults in Hollywood, we need to re-examine every area of society, and prioritize places where sexual assault statistics are high. To ensure a safe place for female and male students, “No More Sweeping,” will acknowledge everyone’s experiences, creating an inclusive and informative environment. Here I will explain why a campaign like this is needed, and why for the future mental and physical health of sexual assault victims, we need to support victims and offer a safe platform for every experience.
Sixty percent of adults report experiencing abuse or other difficult family circumstances during childhood. (Mental Health Connection, N.D.). This shocking statistic exemplifies the high prevalence of childhood trauma. Furthermore, twenty-six percent of children in the United States will witness or experience a traumatic event before the age of four. (Mental Health Connection, N.D.) Trauma is an extremely common and complex phenomenon. But what is trauma? According to Merriam Webster, trauma is defined as, “a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury.” (Merriam Webster, 2017). Dr. Lenore C. Terr from the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of America further describes trauma as unique to each individual. It can be caused by a series of events or one severe incident. Unfortunately, childhood trauma is usually experienced repeatedly. For example, many children endure sexual abuse, bullying, and severe family problems over and over again. Children may experience a variety of traumas that have lasting consequences on their mental health. Those who experience childhood trauma are more likely to develop psychological disorders. This occurs because their brains lack neuroplasticity, which inhibits their ability to adapt to various stressful circumstances.
Your best friend was just raped, she goes to the principal and tells him who did it. So the principal takes notes on what she says and puts it in a file. he never gave it to the police or even called the police. The guy got away with rape. All women big, small, and fast women too are all seen as the weaker sex. Men take advantage of women every day of every year in many different ways. Men rape women and get away with it. 2/3 of all women that are raped know their attacker. Still nothing is done.
Before I begin, allow me to preface this post: I'm not trying to be a hot take, nor am I trying to profit off of a sensitive topic. We don't make money off of page views and my identity is not rooted in viewership statistics. However, I feel pressed to faithfully steward this platform God gave Mitchell and I in writing, and want to share my thoughts with you in hopes to extend grace and compassion to those in need.
“American Psychiatric Association defines trauma as an event that represents a threat to life or personal integrity. Trauma can also be experienced when children are faced with a caregiver who acts erratically, emotional and /or physical neglect, and exploitation” (Maltby, L., & Hall, T. 2012. p. 304). Trauma comes in many different forms including: war, rape, kidnapping, abuse, sudden injury, and
The alarming increase in sexual assault among male and female students is a source of concern. Despite improvements in the general statistics on rape cases, the college setting remains to be the hot bed of sexual assault, especially among the female counterparts (Allen, 2007). A victim, regardless being a male or a female, never feel safe in their life as something precious was taken from them once. Statistics show that 17.6% of women are likely to be victims of rape in their entire lifetime while only 0.3% of males are estimated to be the victims of sexual assault. According to the National Violence Against Women Survey (NVAWS), the most critical ages men and females are likely to be engaged in sexual abuse is when they are children or adolescents (Gonzales, Schofield & Schmitt, 2006).
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