Sexual assault hotlines seeing more traffic
Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford’s impact on the national political landscape could be debated for years to come. But it cannot be refuted that her testimony has had led to an increase in the number of women who have overcome fears to report past cases of sexual assault.
During the Senate confirmation hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Blasey-Ford testified that Kavanaugh assaulted her more than 30 years ago while they were both high school students.
Following Blasey-Ford’s testimony, sexual assault hotlines serving Carbon and Schuylkill counties, as well as national hotlines, all saw an increase of calls last week, with many of them coming from women who waited years to report an assault.
“We noticed there’s a significant increase in the number of hotline calls we’re getting both during the day and at night, compared with a regular week,” said Ali Perrotto, president and CEO of Sexual Assault Resource and Counseling Center of Lebanon and Schuylkill Counties.
“We’re also seeing there are people who are contacting us, whether they identify as survivors or not, because they are really impacted by the conversation around the hearings, and how politicians and media have responded to it.”
In a four-day period following Blasey-Ford’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the National Sexual Assault Hotline, reported a 338 percent increase in hotline traffic. The day immediately after her testimony was the busiest day in the hotline’s 24-year history.
Locally, SARCC and the Victims Resource Center, which serves Carbon, Luzerne and Wyoming counties both saw an increase in the number of calls.
According to Janet MacKay, victims resource executive director, there was a particular increase in the number of people who reported sexual assaults which occurred in the past, which they had been afraid to report. She said it makes sense that Blasey-Ford’s testimony played a role in that.
“Certainly that probably contributed to it, a lot that’s been happening over the last year or so with more women telling their stories, it’s definitely contributed to that,” MacKay said.
The last 12 months have brought an unprecedented amount of attention to victims of sexual violence. In October 2017 the #metoo movement went viral online, and many women were empowered to share their stories of sexual violence. Here in Pennsylvania, the second trial of Bill Cosby and a report on sexual abuse by Catholic priests also led to an increase in calls to sexual assault hotlines.
“I think anytime there’s a big media story or coverage, survivors are watching that, and feel impacted by it,” Perrotto said. “It’s not unusual that someone would call and react to something like this.”
Increased awareness can also increase the amount of adversity a victim can face for reporting their sexual assault. Blasey-Ford was faced with skepticism and attacks, and that was just from the Senators who were tasked with hearing her testimony.
One of the main reasons that victims will go years with our reporting a sexual assault is a fear that they won’t be believed. That is even more common in victims who were assaulted when they were a child. Agencies like SARCC are in support of Pennsylvania dropping the statute of limitations for rape, in case someone is afraid to report it for many years.
Under Pennsylvania state law, rape charges can be brought up to 12 years after an alleged assault, and if the victim is a child, up until the accuser is 50.
In most instances the person who committed an alleged sexual assault is someone who is well-known to a victim and their family. In many cases, it can be someone who is known to the entire community. MacKay said she isn’t surprised that Blasey-Ford was fearful that she wouldn’t be believed.
“Sexual assault victims that we’ve seen over the years have always been concerned about whether they would be believed or not. That’s why most of them don’t come forward and don’t tell,” MacKay said.
Whether sexual assault is in the headlines or not, agencies like VRC and SARCC have made it their mission to be there for women who want to report a sexual assault. They always believe and support victims and attempt to validate what they are feeling.
“They make the decision if they share their story, and who they share it with. That includes whether or not they report to the police or not, that is their decision to make,” MacKay said.
Questions like “what were you wearing,” or “were you drinking” are often what a victim will hear when they attempt to report an assault, but those can be harmful because they may force a victim to suppress their trauma even further.
“Those don’t have anything to do with the fact that the person who committed the violence made the decision to hurt another person, and that puts responsibility back on the survivor rather than the person who committed it,” Perrotto said.
The attention paid to victims of sexual assault could be at its highest level ever. But MacKay said that what the issues needs, more than awareness, is an understanding of what causes men to sexually assault women, and how we treat victims.
“There’s a lot of old myths that come up, there’s a backlash that happens when all these stories come out. We have a long way to go to change the cultural norms. I’m hoping that’ll start to change,” she said.
Both SARCC and VRC offer 24-hour free hotlines for victims of sexual assault. VRC’s hotline for Carbon County residents is 610-379-0151. It can be found online at vrcnepa.org.
SARCC’s Schuylkill County hotline is 570-628-2965. It can be found online at sarcclebanon.org.
Hotline numbers
National Sexual Abuse Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673)
Sexual Assault Resource and Counseling Center: Call 570-628-2965 in Schuylkill County
Victims Resource Center: Call 610-379-0151 in Carbon County
Women’s Resources of Monroe County: 570-421-4200
Crime Victims Council of the Lehigh Valley: 610-437-6611
