To the Editor:
Given the recent op-eds that have been printed in The Herald, I thought I would take this opportunity to reach out and highlight some important resources and ways that we can all support survivors of sexual assault. It's very likely that we all know someone who has been sexually assaulted. The prevalence of this sort of violation is disturbing, with one out of every four women experiencing a sexual assault or attempted sexual assault before the end of their college careers and one out of every six men being sexually assaulted at some point in their lives. We live in times when victims are more likely be questioned about the validity of their experience or are to some degree blamed for the violation that another person inflicted on them, unless they have an incredible support network of friends and family who believe them and validate that the assault was not their fault.
Students and staff at Brown advocated for my position to exist so that those affected, either directly or as friends, can have a confidential space to receive support. It has been a privilege for me to work on campus and to be a witness to the dramatic impact that sexual assault can have on somebody. Over and over, I am inspired by the resilience that survivors have shown in coping with the aftermath of this trauma while managing to meet the demands of being a Brown student. I work from an empowerment-based model, meaning that I offer information about options that a survivor could pursue (legally, medically, as well as other academic and psychological resources) and support students to make their own choices about what would be best for them. Many of us in times like these feel that one should take this or that course of action, but for survivors who have already had power taken away from them, it is important to allow them to take the lead in choosing what steps would be beneficial to their healing. Some students choose to report this crime to the police; some prefer to go through the campus disciplinary process; some prefer to focus their full attention on their healing. The majority of students who have shared their experience with me choose not to pursue a course of action through the Department of Public Safety or the Office of Student Life, but want primarily for things to return to normal - for them to feel safe again.
Our campus crime statistics, like national research, show that most students are unlikely to report their experience to campus authorities (between 2-5 percent do), but we know that they are likely to speak with a friend. This is where a real opportunity exists for us as a community to support those who take the courageous act of breaking the silence about their experience. For those who are concerned about false reports, it is important to focus on research, not stories. Lisak et al (2010) analyzed 10 years of sexual assault cases on a college campus and found that 5.9 percent of the cases were false accusations.
If you are a survivor, please know that healing from this experience is possible and that there are incredible resources for you available on and off campus. For more information please check the resources page on the Health Ed website - http://brown.edu/healthed - or email me at bita@brown.edu to set up a time to meet confidentially.
Bita Shooshani
Coordinator of Sexual Assault Prevention and Advocacy
