Wednesday, April 10, 2002
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Wednesday, April 10, 2002 |
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Help available for victims of sexual assault
By JOHN
MUNFORD
Victims of sexual assault in Fayette County don't have to go through such a traumatic experience on their own. They get help from the beginning from advocates from the Southern Crescent Sexual Assault Center, who explain medical exam procedures at Fayette Community Hospital and help support the victim's friends and family. Advocates also help victims navigate the criminal justice system and seek support through counseling programs. As center employee Tara Samples noted, it can take three or more months after the incident before a victim can even feel comfortable talking about it, and it can take up to five years or more for them to truly "recover" from the incident. "There's a lot of self-blame," Samples said. "The victims feel they can't trust their own judgement. ... The victims think they are responsible." That's partly because statistics show 84 percent of sexual assault victims know their attackers, Samples said. And that compounds the grief for those victims, who often see their attackers in their daily lives, she added. It's one of the many reasons sexual assault is considered to be a significantly under-reported crime, according to experts. Fortunately in Fayette County, every police agency have special officers designated to investigate sex crimes, and that helps the process tremendously, said center employee Tonya Burkett. And Fayette Community Hospital officials have been very helpful too, said center executive director Jennifer Bivins. But locally, advocates don't meet as many victims at the hospital as they do through the center's 24-hour crisis line, Bivins said. "We'll get a lot of calls after spring break," Bivins said, explaining that teens and college-age adults are very susceptible to becoming victims of sexual assault. The center is trying to focus more services on male victims of sexual assault although they are typically overlooked by others. In fact, center employees are hoping to recruit more male volunteers to help with its education programs, specifically at the high school level. The center offers school programs for children as young as preschool with a "good touch, bad touch" curriculum. Other education programs target middle school and college students. Advocates are available to speak at civic clubs and church groups to promote awareness about the center's programs, personal safety tips and rape prevention. The center is a nonprofit agency with offices in Jonesboro and Henry County. The 24-hour crisis line phone number is 770-477-2177. The center needs volunteers to man the crisis lines and serve as victim advocates, but people wishing not to work directly with victims can still help out by answering the main office phone and performing various other duties. The next volunteer training courses are scheduled for June. All of the center's services are free. A benefit concert slated as part of observing April as sexual assault awareness month is slated for Saturday, April 27, at Breakers Music Hall in Jonesboro. The concert will feature Jeffrey Butts of Modern Hero, Eden and Roam. Organizers are also planning Wednesday, April 24, as a Denim Day where employers who wish to participate collect a dollar from employees who want to wear jeans to work that day to support sexual assault awareness. On Friday, May 17, a fund-raising golf tournament is planned at Lake Spivey Golf Course. For information, call 770-603-4045.
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