The
Awareness Center wants to thank both "Sharon" and the Baltimore Jewish
Times for having the courage to tell about and publish the Sept. 16
article "Teens Talk About Life After Rape"
"Sharon"
deserves a round of applause, for surviving not only the assault, but
misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment, which unfortunately is way too
common. It's great to hear that finally both Sharon and her family have
been given the opportunity to heal.
It's
so important for the Jewish community to accept that one out of every
three to five women, and one out of every five to seven men have been
sexually abused or assaulted by the time they reach age 18.
Sexual
abuse and assault are often crimes of secrecy and silence. The problem
is compounded as only 32 percent of sexual assaults against people 12 or
older are reported. Reasons include fears that reporting could lead to
further victimization by the offender; fears of other forms of
retribution by the offender or by his or her friends or family; concerns
about the arrest, prosecution and incarceration of an offender who may
be a family member or friend and on whom the victim or others may
depend; concerns about others finding out about the sexual assault or
about not being believed; and concerns about being traumatized by the
response of the criminal justice system.
The
Awareness Center Inc. is the international Jewish Coalition Against
Sexual Abuse and Assault, based in Baltimore. We are a victim advocacy
organization.
Vicki Polin
Executive Director, The Awareness Center Inc.
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