The project called “Duke Breaking Out”, run by the Women’s Center at Duke University, has received a considerable amount of media attention on Facebook with 37,000 people currently liking the page and over 100,000 shares.
The page posts a picture of a sexual assault victim, usually turning his or her face away, with an important quote from their story posted below.
“‘We are going to play a game now -- but first you have to promise me that you will never tell your mommy and daddy about it, ok?’ --I was 5, he was family,” one story wrote.
It brings to question society’s role in the mention and education of rape.
“I have worked with several young people, both male and female who were raped," said Penn-Trafford High School Guidance Counselor Dave Martin. "[I was working] at a Private School/Partial Hospital Program called Pressley Ridge. It was a school for severely emotionally disturbed children. A little girl I once worked with was used in a twisted religious ritual when she was 5 to 6 years old. Her father allowed several grown men to use his daughter as a sexual sacrifice to their so called “god”. This occurred off and on for almost a year.”
Rape has mostly been viewed as a taboo topic, something that cannot be discussed freely thus causing a disconnect in information.
“We're all frightened by this type of crime," Bernie Ryan, the manager of St. Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Manchester, England, told BBC News. "We're all frightened about the stigma that it attracts and what people will say, and I think we need to get over that fear and talk about it openly.”
Libbey Moore, a Penn-Trafford Alumni and prospective Indiana University of Pennsylvania freshman also brought to life the societal situation of sexual assault and abuse.
“Three people from one side of my family have been sexually assaulted. I have seen the detrimental effects it can have on somebody.”
She described how law enforcement and the justice system take it more seriously with children rather than men and women. In adult cases, it is more a question of what the person was wearing or if they were intoxicated or not, and there needs to be reform with this type of approach.
Also, in regards to ways to aid the healing process, she had a bit of background.
“As someone who has not been [sexually assaulted] but has done other types of therapy, I think it is beneficial to talk about what happened and have someone take you seriously and sort of validate what you're feeling.”
Services such as Blackburn, Aspire News and Safetrek try to help victims talk and work out the situation.
Blackburn, centralized in Pennsylvania, offers counseling to victims to try to help them report the crime and/or help them understand and accept what happened.
Aspire News is an app that contains summaries of big news stories; however, when the user goes to the ‘help’ section, they are able to get help and find resources to facilitate the process.
Safetrek is an another app anyone can download on their phone that is a direct link to the police. Users press their finger on the designated place, hold until safe. Then once they release it, they type in the predetermined four digit pin. If the user is not safe, they release and do not enter the pin.
Both apps are available on Google Play and the App Store.
Beth Babyak, the education and outreach program manager at Blackburn, explained further on victims and how they feel when reporting the crime.
“Many considerations make this a complex issue, especially when reporting,” says Babyak. “[Victims] blame themselves for what happened. At Blackburn we give you all your options along with whether to report or not.”
Though, one of the biggest points is what victims can do.
“A person can be victimized, but they do not have to be a victim, i.e., they can choose to no longer allow the perpetrator to control their emotions and therefore their life.” stated Martin. “However, this is easy to say, but not so easy to do.”
Rape is an act of non-consent, and there are people who have stood up and said we should have a conversation about it. Based on what is being said, this is a conversation that is long overdue.
Madeline Gavatorta, News
