In a presentation for students Monday night, nationally recognized speakers said victims of sexual assault and violence never need to cope alone and having the courage to speak out about experiences can help change negative stigmas.
Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment hosted Sarah Rice, a member of the “Real World: Brooklyn” cast, and Steve Connell, a spoken word artist, during the keynote event for Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Rice, a PAVE ambassador, spoke about her personal experience with sexual assault. She said she was first assaulted by a daycare provider at the age of eight and was sexually approached by her father four years later, but said she was “one of the lucky ones” because she was able to escape the situation.
She said her account was not taken seriously by law enforcement authorities, who credited the assault to her manner of dress.
In the years following the assaults, Rice said she felt charged with the duty of helping victims of similar events and used her time as a member of the Real World cast to advocate an open and honest dialogue about sexual violence.
“My goal is to talk about how being a victim can turn you into the strongest person you can be,” she said. “I don’t consider myself a victim … I’m grateful for the good things in my life.”
Few victims know where to go to receive the necessary support resources, and there remains a tendency to blame the victim for the assault, she said.
Rice said a cultural shift in the response to sexual assault can be accomplished by first believing and respecting victims, remaining conscious of rhetoric that places blame on the victims and encouraging individuals to utilize available resources for necessary support.
She also said individuals are too often caught in a cycle of violence and may experience effects of emotional aftermath of an assault for many months or years after the attack. She said she still struggles with trust issues in her personal relationships.
Connell, who has performed in HBO broadcasts and for President Barack Obama, said holding events to increase awareness could help eradicate or minimize the rates of rape and sexual assault nationwide, an objective he tackles in his performances.
“I create work that reminds us we’re connected and of the power each of us has to shake off whatever happens,” he said.
He added sexual assault is an issue that affects everyone, even if in an indirect manner.
During the performance, Connell performed a work entitled “Angel Rising,” a piece he said was inspired by PAVE Founder Angela Rose’s work to promote awareness after her own abduction and sexual assault as a teen.
For victims, he said survival is not a passive act, and many individuals are left feeling powerless and isolated in the wake of an assault.
He also said the majority of rapes go unreported, sometimes because victims assume they are at fault because of intoxication or their manner of dress.
