Studies show that 1 in 8 women will develop Breast cancer in their lifetime. 1 in 3 girls, will be Sexually abused before the age of 17.
As a sexually abused and assaulted survivor, I have a personal drive and obligations to give the knowledge of Awareness to my college campus and the metro Milwaukee area.
When I was a young girl, a very close family acquaintance would routinely molest me, I feared for my life, my abuser would intimate me by using my family as a target to kill, if I ever spoke of these act. This violent abuse went on from the age of 6-9.
Nearly 4.8 million America women are physically assaulted every year! Violence against women has long been a widespread but little known Epidemic affecting local, national and international communities alike.
On March 31, 2011 President Barack Obama issued a Presidential Proclamation for the month of April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Sixty percent of assaults go without reports to the police, many victims result of unaided assistance, and too many offenders elude justice. About 1 and 3 girls and 1 and 7 boys will be sexually abused before the age of 17 years old. (Briere & Elliott, 2003) Based on law enforcement reports around the country, 96% of people who sexually abuse a child is male (Snyder,2000.)
In addition to the immediate physical and emotional costs, sexual assault may also have associated consequences of post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, depression, homelessness, eating disorders and suicide.
No one person, organization, agency or community can eliminate sexual assault on its own. But together we can educate our entire population on the significant effect that personal survivor stories along with increasing the support and enlightenment of the individuals directly effect by abuse.
Remember that each victim of sexually assault and abuse represents a sister, a daughter, a nephew or a friend.
For Further Resources
Pathfinders
4200 N. Holton Street, Ste. 400
Milwaukee, WI 53212
Phone: 414-964-2565
Crisis Line: (414) 271-9523
TTY: TTY Capability,
No Separate Number
http://www.pathfindersmke..org
Sexual Assault Treatment Center
945 N. 12th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53233
Phone: (414) 219-5850
Crisis Line: (414) 219-5555
http://www.aurorahealthcare.org
The Healing Center
611 W. National Avenue, 4th Floor
Milwaukee, WI 53204
Phone: (414) 671-4325
Crisis Line: (414) 671-4325
TTY: (414) 672-3301
http://www.thehealingcenter..org
Or, if you would like to go outside of Milwaukee, I would encourage you to go to our website (www.wcasa.org) and choose Resources>Find Help.
You can pick another county nearby and find contact information for the sexual assault service program (SASP) in that community.
