Fighting Back after Sexual Assault

by Molly M. Ginty

Whatever stage of life you’re in, and whether you’re physically fit or living with chronic illness, you can find ways to be a wise steward of your health and well-being. Our health and wholeness are important keys to responding to God’s call for us and acting boldly on that call. That’s why Women of the ELCA have embarked on a new health initiative: Raising up Healthy Women and Girls. This ongoing column represents our commitment to the issue of women’s health.

At 3 a.m. on a June night four years ago, a man broke into Bridget Kelly’s Texas apartment, held a gun to her chest, and drove her to an ATM to withdraw money. He then took her to a field, raped her, shot her in the back three times, and left her for dead.

Kelly somehow managed to run to a nearby house, where the owner called for an ambulance that rushed her to the hospital for six hours of emergency surgery.

Against all odds, Kelly not only survived, but fought back, prosecuting her assailant (who is serving a 50-year prison sentence) and serving as a spokesperson for the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault www.taasa.org

"I’m determined to destroy the shame and secrecy that prevent survivors of sexual assault from getting the help they need," says Kelly.

Like a growing number of rape survivors, Kelly is going public about her ordeal. Thanks to efforts like hers, there is some cause for celebration as America marks Sexual Assault Awareness Month, held in April and sponsored by the Enola, Pennsylvania-based National Sexual Violence Resource Center www.nsvrc.org

The National Institute of Justice reports that occurrences of sexual violence have plummeted by two-thirds in the last decade. And according to health advocates, sweeping changes in legislation, criminal justice, and medical care are helping to ease the plight of rape survivors.

In recent years, Congress has passed the 2000 Sexual Predator Prosecution Act (which mandates consecutive prison sentences instead of concurrent ones for sex offenders), the 2004 Debbie Smith Bill (which improves the processing of evidence collected in hospital rape kits), and the 2005 Violence Against Women Act (first passed in 1994 and recently amended to devote an unprecedented $50 million to rape crisis centers and hotlines).

"These legislative changes are part of a larger trend," says Kellie Greene, founder of the Orlando-based Speaking Out About Rape www.soar99.org "In the last few years, we’ve started training victim advocates to counsel rape survivors and nurse examiners to collect forensic evidence. We’ve launched sexual assault sensitivity training for law enforcement officers, and improved sexual assault education in schools and colleges."

Health advocates are also making headway in their fight to eradicate the stigma of rape. "People used to ask rape survivors, ‘Why were you there? What were you wearing?’ and ‘What were you doing with him?’" says Scott Berkowitz, president of the Washington-based Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). "Now they’re beginning to stop blaming the victim and instead focus on the perpetrator’s actions."

Despite these advances, experts say much work remains. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, one out of six American women suffers a rape or attempted rape, yet only 40 percent of these crimes are reported to police.

Why is rape the most under reported crime in the United States? Some survivors fear retaliation by their assailants, whom they know in 60 percent of cases. Some seek to avoid the judicial process, which can drag on for years with no guarantee of conviction. Some fear that state "rape shield" laws — which prohibit the use of a survivor’s sexual history as evidence — will be ignored, as happened in the 2003–2005 rape trial of basketball star Kobe Bryant, whose accuser’s name and sexual history were leaked to the press.

While acknowledging these fears, health advocates also stress the need to identify and prosecute rapists, who average eight to 12 victims. "The only way you are going to prevent this from happening to other people is to step forward and speak out," says Greene.

Immediately after being assaulted, rape survivors are encouraged to forgo showering and head straight to the hospital to get a forensic exam (in which blood, semen, and hair samples are collected in a rape kit) and fill out a police report.

Alerting authorities will not only help survivors catch their assailants, but help them get treatment for injuries, the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, and the prevention of possible pregnancy.

"Even if you’re not comfortable notifying authorities, you should at least go to a rape crisis center for counseling," says Susan Lewis, a spokesperson for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

For many survivors, the trauma of rape triggers psychological problems such as anxiety, withdrawal, hypervigilance, and depression. One-third suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a chronic condition characterized by emotional detachment, sleep disturbances, and flashbacks, and that calls for professional counseling.

To help rape survivors cope with symptoms like these, RAINN is launching the nation’s first online sexual assault hotline this month. Available at www.rainn.org, this hotline connects survivors with trained counselors through e-mail instant messaging.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which ranks crimes in order of violence, places rape second on its list, after only murder in severity. "This is one of the most devastating traumas anyone can endure," says Berkowitz. "If you’ve ever been assaulted, it’s vital that you reach out for support and get all the help that you need."

National Alliance to End Sexual Violence www.naesv.org

Raising Her Voice www.raisinghervoice.org

Article published in Lutheran Woman Today, April 2006