Sexual Assaults on campuses (likely unreported)

As a survivor of domestic and sexual violence, I can understand why so many "victims" do not report these crimes. Frequently, their anxiety about having to re-tell their experience...first in reporting to campus and/or local police, then in interviews with prosecutors...ultimately in the courtroom...adds insult to injury. While typically, this survivor addresses a larger audience, in terms of abuse, this post concentrates on awareness as it applies to the college careers of women in the United States. According to the American Association of University Women, one if five women are raped during their time in college. Sixty-five percent are unreported, and alcohol is involved in 75% of cases.

Frequently I repost the National 24-hr DV Hotline number 1-800-799-SAFE. Specific to Sexual Assault, call 1-800-656-4673. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) frequently affects reactions and decision-making for a lifetime after such an ordeal. Visit www.survivoronamission.org for helpful information about domestic violence, rape, PTSD, and some of the most effective ways to move from survive to thrive, post-trauma. This site includes a tab for trauma resolution; and pure awareness is one of many highly effective techniques that helps "victims" reclaim their power.

For this survivor, even the word "victim" makes me cringe. Beginning my fund raising career at Homeward Bound in Phoenix, my foundational mentor, Dr. Pamela Martin taught me that empowerment begins when we identify as survivors, not victims. Regardless of each woman's choice to report or not to report the crime against her, reclaiming our power begins in our choice...our decision...to consider ourselves as "survivors" or as "victims".

Taking the bold step to report the crime reduces the likelihood the assailant will repeat the offense against you or others. Rarely do offenders step out of line only once. Each time they experience no consequence, the odds increase for the pattern to develop, and the offender becomes a serial offender. Especially in campus communities, when we choose not to report the crime, the assailant is likely to strike again...maybe even the same "victim", maybe someone else in her social circle or a fellow student on the same campus.

Each of us is responsible for our own actions...we do not trigger the actions of another. Choosing to wear a short skirt or fitted top is not an invitation. Sharing a glass of wine and conversation does not imply intimate access. Shame is a demoralizing emotion that stifles our expression and potential. Trained as a Trauma Resolution Specialist, I've learned to guide "victims" and "survivors" in releasing negative emotional energy as a beginning step in self-recovery, and a key factor as we strive to thrive and serve others.

In service as an advocate, I speak for those who haven't found their pathway to stepping out of silence. Using poetry and art as a healing tools, in collaboration with A Window Between Worlds, am in the production phases of releasing my copyrighted poetry collection, based on my own experience. Much of the poetry collection will be inter-twined in my true crime survival story as a more palatable way of delivering extremely grissley content. My poem, Stepping Out of Silence is included in my toastmaster's icebreaker at www.youtube.com/wetch?v=OYNeOCO_Ops To support my advocacy efforts, tax deductible contributions are welcome at www.SurvivorOnAMission.org As an adovocate, I am in your service. Contact me to assist you or someone you care about in making the post traumatic shift, first from victim to survivor...then, Survive to Thrive.