A. Attention Getter: According to a 2010 study by the Center for Disease Control, before their college graduation day, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men will be sexually assaulted. The prevalence of sexual assault on college campus is staggering, and chances are if you are not personally affected, you’ll know someone who is.
B. Background and Audience Relevance: Sexual assault is an umbrella term that includes a wide range of non-consensual sexual activities. Survivors of sexual assault can be of any age, gender or background.
C. Speaker Credibility: For the last 2.5 years, I’ve worked as an advocate for sexual assault survivors both in a hospital setting and on our campus with the WAVES office. I’ve completed over a hundred hours of crisis response …show more content…
Sub point 1: When I meet with students they often tell me that they are afraid of not being believed by friends or family or that they are afraid they’ll be blamed if they tell someone. We’ve all heard of incidents of false reporting, but to put it in perspective research indicates that only about 2-8% of reported cases turn out to be unfounded. This means that if someone chooses to disclose to you that they were sexually assaulted, going by the numbers, chances are they aren’t lying. We do more harm then good as a society by not believing or blaming the survivor. According to Caren Sempel, the Associate Director for Interpersonal Violence with WAVES, the most helpful and powerful thing you could do for a survivor is to simply say “I’m so sorry this happened to you and I will support you through this journey.”
2. Sub point 2: When a survivor is ready to reach out to community resources, it’s important to know where to turn. As a friend you don’t have to know all the answers, that’s what professionals are for, but it’s a good idea to have a general idea of what resources exist in your community or be able to find those resources for your friend. This process can be insanely overwhelming for someone going through it alone, and having someone to talk to about it can make all the
B. Background and Audience Relevance: Sexual assault is an umbrella term that includes a wide range of non-consensual sexual activities. Survivors of sexual assault can be of any age, gender or background.
C. Speaker Credibility: For the last 2.5 years, I’ve worked as an advocate for sexual assault survivors both in a hospital setting and on our campus with the WAVES office. I’ve completed over a hundred hours of crisis response …show more content…
Sub point 1: When I meet with students they often tell me that they are afraid of not being believed by friends or family or that they are afraid they’ll be blamed if they tell someone. We’ve all heard of incidents of false reporting, but to put it in perspective research indicates that only about 2-8% of reported cases turn out to be unfounded. This means that if someone chooses to disclose to you that they were sexually assaulted, going by the numbers, chances are they aren’t lying. We do more harm then good as a society by not believing or blaming the survivor. According to Caren Sempel, the Associate Director for Interpersonal Violence with WAVES, the most helpful and powerful thing you could do for a survivor is to simply say “I’m so sorry this happened to you and I will support you through this journey.”
2. Sub point 2: When a survivor is ready to reach out to community resources, it’s important to know where to turn. As a friend you don’t have to know all the answers, that’s what professionals are for, but it’s a good idea to have a general idea of what resources exist in your community or be able to find those resources for your friend. This process can be insanely overwhelming for someone going through it alone, and having someone to talk to about it can make all the