RAINN - Getting the Facts About Sexual Violence
This #wellnesswednesday Yoga to Cope introduces RAINN, the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network, an organization providing resources for individuals who may be experiencing or have experienced sexual violence.
This blog post is an important introduction to the nation’s largest organization focused on anti-sexual violence. Please note that the topics and educational facts disclosed here may be perceived as sensitive. Know that resources for outreach and support are provided throughout the blog post.
Keep your eyes and ears out for our next podcast guest from RAINN coming out next week November 9th.
Getting the Facts About Sexual Violence
The first step to healing is knowing it isn’t your fault
Over the past few years, sexual violence has become part of our national conversation—and it’s crucial that we continue to talk about it. Every 73 seconds, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted.
I’m vice president of victim services at RAINN. Since 1994, RAINN has been serving survivors of sexual violence and their loved ones through the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE, online.rainn.org, and in Spanish at rainn.org/es).
In addition to our free, confidential, 24/7 hotline, we also carry out programs to educate millions of Americans about preventing sexual assault and supporting survivors, and work on non-partisan federal and state legislation to make sure perpetrators are brought to justice.
After 26 years of serving survivors and their loved ones, we’ve learned that a huge part of healing is knowing that you aren’t alone in what happened and that it wasn’t your fault.
But for so many survivors, they’ve grown up either not having conversations about consent, boundaries, and sexual violence, or may have heard unhelpful or unsupportive narratives. This just makes those feelings of isolation and self-blame worse.
So let’s break down some misconceptions.
What constitutes sexual violence? How do I know if I was sexually assaulted?
You are the best person to define what happened to you. You have the right to decide what you’re comfortable with regarding your own body. You are the ultimate authority on knowing if a boundary has been crossed.
Sexual violence is not a legal term, it’s a general, all-encompassing term we use to describe any kind of unwanted sexual contact. This can include child sexual abuse, intimate partner violence, drug-facilitated sexual assault, and many other types of abuse.
Laws defining different forms of sexual assault vary from state to state. You can learn about the laws in your state in RAINN’s state law database.
Are the majority of sexual assaults committed by strangers or someone you know?
The short answer is both. But research also tells us that eight out of 10 sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the victim, and about a third of the time the perpetrator is an intimate partner. The number of known perpetrators is even higher for minors. Of sexual abuse reported to law enforcement, 93% of kids and teens know the perpetrator.
Who can sexual violence happen to?
Sexual violence affects people of all genders, sexual-orientations, abilities, ages, and racial and ethnic backgrounds. An estimated one in six women and one in 33 men in the U.S. experience sexual assault in their lifetime.
Does it matter what you were wearing, drinking, etc.?
No. Nothing excuses sexual violence. You always have the right to decide what you are comfortable with and what you consent to.
The most important thing to remember is this—sexual violence is never a survivor’s fault. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is available. You can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE, visit online.rainn.org, or access the RAINN Friends and Family Toolkit to learn more about supporting a loved one. You’re not alone, we’re here to help.
Look out for my next post where I’ll be taking a closer look at healing after trauma and sexual violence. To keep up with RAINN’s work to support survivors and get justice, you can subscribe to our monthly newsletter or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok.
Keeli Sorensen is the vice president of victim services at RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, where she provides strategic and operational leadership to the National Sexual Assault Hotline and more than 20 other hotlines that RAINN operates for public and private sector clients.
If you missed Yoga to Cope’s de-stress breath class with our founder Kala MacDonald it can still be accessed through RAINN’s Instagram here.