"No, thank you," she said politely as she walked out of the SAFE exam to meet me. "I don't feel like talking. It's been a really long day." The dark purple handprints around her neck said this, and more. Her horrible ordeal began early that morning somewhere in the city. After reporting the attack to the police, and receiving their endorsement that she had, in fact, been raped, this tiny young girl was then sent to a hospital in the county. She waited for five hours to be seen.
She knew that she couldn't shower, change her clothes, eat or drink, or use the bathroom for the duration of this wait, as that might taint the evidence - her body. Upon speaking with a nurse she was promptly sent back to a hospital in the city. The hospital administrators' priority toward zoning laws diverted attention away from the needs of this victim. She then waited for another four hours in this hospital before having her vagina scraped.
Everyone wants something from her: the police and investigators want her statement, SAFE nurses want evidence, and her family wants her to do what they think is best. I'm concerned with what she wants. I listen. If she wants information on counseling programs, I provide resources for her. If she wants me to talk to her family, I do. This is daunting work - I never know what I'm going to walk into.
Some might say that she was "lucky." If the police did not find her claim to be true, then getting a SAFE exam would not be an option, at least not with the support of the state. Similarly, without evidence from a SAFE exam, legal action is no longer a viable option in the state of Maryland. What other crime involves such scrutiny? A complaint concerning a robbery does not involve questions centered on whether the victim encouraged the violation. More importantly, law enforcement believes that the crime actually occurred. This isn't to say that the perpetrator will be caught and justice will automatically be served, but at least the claim is considered valid. Most sexual assault victims are frequently doubted by the police or told that they asked for it, and that it was their own fault.
As a little girl raised in a family promoting the equality of men and women, I was profoundly disturbed when I discovered women's inferiority in the general population. I saw a clear link between this inequality and the abuse of women. As I matured I became increasingly infuriated with the frequency of rape and violence against women and people's general apathy towards it. In high school I heard stories of rape from many of my girlfriends, and it only got worse in college. Very few of them did anything about it. I wanted to help them empower themselves, because accepting these brutalities only perpetuates the problem.
I starting researching the laws, statistics, and myths published in the field. This had become my focus; my goal was to influence change in response to the abuse of women. I interviewed rape victims in order to complete a report that would reveal the reality and frequency of rape from women's own voices. It was evident that I needed to dig even deeper, go even further beneath the surface and get closer to the source.
Going through crisis intervention and active listening training prepared me to learn from as well as to support these women. The work I do as a volunteer for a sexual assault and domestic violence hotline has exposed me to the varying injustices women receive as a result of the policies meant to address being beaten or raped. Helping abused women to be heard - and believed - showed me that the system does not support them. A recent call sticks in my mind.
The caller explained how she was intoxicated during her attack. She awoke to find herself nude on the sofa of a living room that she did not recognize. Her clothes were scattered all over the room, and all her credit cards were gone. After calling the police, she was told that it was her fault for getting so drunk. He would not authorize a SAFE exam, particularly because she was unconscious during the attack. He then told her that if he did agree to authorize the SAFE exam, and no semen was found, she would be responsible for paying the cost of the exam, which is about $2,500. Both his assertions were not only heartless, but were simply untrue. He did, however, file a report for the stolen credit cards. Which policies or laws provide this officer with the discretion to decide which crimes to pursue?
Working for the House of Ruth, a shelter for battered women in Baltimore, taught me about the challenges of leaving abusive spouses. Calls to the police often result in the blame being placed on the woman. There are not enough facilities to accommodate these victims. There is not enough education propagated to prevent the cycle from beginning, nor is there enough aid given after the abuse has taken its toll. The system desperately needs to be improved.
As an emergency room advocate for Turn Around, a rape crisis and domestic violence center providing counseling, support groups, and legal services for abused women, I was brought face-to-face with the unfairness that sexual assault and domestic violence victims experience at the hands of those thought to be there to help them. As it stands, the treatment these victims receive from hospitals and law enforcement has a very real potential to harm them further. My sole purpose as an emergency room advocate is to support them, and hopefully empower them. This should also be the priority of hospitals and law enforcement.
I now understand the cycle of abuse that battered women experience. I can now empathize with the tumultuous feelings that sexual assault victims endure. It is through these realizations that I discovered that they are also victims of the bureaucratic institutions that currently lack the ability to help them.
So what can we do to improve this problem? Women need to make themselves heard. Violence against women is still not as readily addressed as other crimes, and in order to help it flow into the mainstream, it must be identified, heard, and most importantly, addressed. Women, victims, survivors, and supporters, must speak out and make these injustices no longer something to hide or be embarrassed about. In order for law enforcement to address these injustices, they must be identified as the crimes that they are. It's up to us. We can't let violence, or the authorities, silence us. This April, Sexual Assault Awareness month, is a perfect time. Let's make some noise!
About the Author
Emily Sullivan works as an editor for medical journals in Baltimore and anticipates working on a law degree, focusing on public interest in the capacity of women's advocacy.
My curse is my gift. My nightmares, deep sensitivity, and emotional instability gives the best (and most uncomfortable) inspirations I could ever have. For me, art is passion - and visions are the mirror, which show my feelings and connect me with the rest of the world. Read More...
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