Awareness to Action

Hello friends, 

I apologize that it’s been awhile since the last blog post. I did want to give an update that on March 23, CY CHRIST received our letter from the IRS making us a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization! Our next steps are to get registered with the state of New Mexico as a charity and start fulling our mission, toward our vision of making churches free of abuse, and restoring those who have been impacted. You can find our full mission and vision statements on the “about” page on the website. 

Awareness of the Problem

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, so we want to post as many blogs as possible to bring awareness to sexual assault. Here are some quick statistics on sexual assault. 

  • 433,648 Americans 12 and older are assaulted each year. 
  • 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed, 2.8% attempted).
  • About 3% of American men—or 1 in 33—have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime (ibid).
  • 8 out of 10 rapes are committed by someone the victim knows. 
  • 39% by an acquaintance
  • 33% by a current or former partner. 
  • Approximately 70% of rape or sexual assault victims experience moderate to severe distress, a larger percentage than for any other violent crime.
  • One in 9 girls and 1 in 53 boys under the age of 18 experience sexual abuse or assault at the hands of an adult.
  • 59%  of perpetrators for child sexual abuse are acquaintances.
  • Only 230 out of every 1,000 sexual assaults are reported to police. That means about 3 out of 4 go unreported.

Awareness of What You Can Do

There is very little point in providing awareness of these crimes if we don’t tell others what their role can be in fighting sexual crimes. Awareness is the first step needed in order to start an action. So what can you do during this month of awareness?

  • You can post and share on your social media, things that bring awareness to Sexual Assault, and resources to help victims. 
  • Share resources with friends and family about awareness and care. 
  • If you personally know someone who has been a victim of this type of crime, consider reaching out in a friendly, non-intrusive way. Ask how they’re doing, if there’s anything you can do for them. Don’t be judgmental, and often times keep in mind they may not want advice, but a listening ear. 
  • We know most events have been canceled as a result of the pandemic and ongoing mitigation efforts, but you can still learn and show support. By going to websites such as rainn.org, or endsexualexploitation.org, or visiting your state’s sexual assault/violence coalition website. Particularly if you’re wanting to know how you can be most helpful to someone who has gone through such a trauma you can visit this page by RAINN: https://www.rainn.org/articles/tips-talking-survivors-sexual-assault. 

Awareness of Resources to Help Recovery

Though we want to bring awareness to sexual assault, we want to make sure we provide those who have been hurt with the resources that you need to heal from those wounds. If you would like to talk to someone right away, here are some of the best options for you, but if you’re in immediate danger call 911. 

Sexual Assault

RAINN has a national hotline that’s available 24/7. You can make a phone call by calling 1 (800) 656-4673, or you can get help online in a live chat by going to https://hotline.rainn.org/online. 

Domestic Violence/Intimate Terrorism

There is also a hotline for people who are in domestic violence (intimate terrorism as we define it). You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, they also have a live chat option you can use be clicking https://www.thehotline.org/what-is-live-chat/. 

Human Trafficking

If you’re in a human trafficking situation, you can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. You can also use their online chat option by going to https://humantraffickinghotline.org/chat.

We at CY CHRIST are working on launching an online prayer room, where you can submit prayer requests securely and confidentially for us to pray over. But you can always go to the Lord in prayer. We understand how hard it can be, especially when it seems God has let your prayers go unanswered in the times when you needed Him the most. But try talking to God like you would talk to a friend or to yourself. There’s a peace in the silence and in knowing that He hears your prayers. Praying is available 24/7. 

You can visit https://centers.rainn.org to look at just a few of the resources you have locally. Or you can look for a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) office or family advocacy center near you.

Conclusion

You can take action this month. You can take action by bringing awareness to this problem, by telling your family and friends, or audiences on social media. You can take action by learning more about the problem. You can take action by just listening to what someone who has been hurt needs to say. You can take action to start your healing by reaching out to one of these hotlines, they can help you. 

April is the month to take action to stop sexual assault. 

Sources:

  1. https://www.rainn.org/statistics/scope-problem
  2. National Institute of Justice & Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women Survey (1998).
  3. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2010-2016 (2017).
  4. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Socio-emotional Impact of Violent Crime (2014).
  5. H.M Zinzow, H.S. Resnick, J.L. McCauley, A.B. Amstadter, K.J. Ruggiero, & D.G. Kilpatrick, Prevalence and risk of psychiatric disorders as a function of variant rape histories: results from a national survey of women. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 47(6), 893-902 (2012).
  6. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement  (2000).
  7. i. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2010-2016 (2017)