First Fruits Friday - Abused to Affirmed
An estimated 85% of the women who walk through the doors of Seneca are experiencing, or have experienced, domestic abuse or sexual assault. This is not unique to Seneca.
According to the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN):
“Every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted.
And every 9 minutes, that victim is a child. Meanwhile, only 25 out of every 1,000 perpetrators will end up in prison.”
Recently, we got a call from a young lady who had been drugged and raped. She is now approximately 2 months pregnant. Unfortunately, she did not go to authorities and has refused to press charges against the men. She is in a desperate situation now and is scared and overwhelmed.
When sexual assault happens to our clients, we first advise getting them to a doctor to make sure that they are okay. We offer them a safe space to file a police report. We then refer them for one on one counseling for this event. We make sure that they get into domestic violence shelters or work with our pro-life partners to get them into a maternity home far away or to other agencies that are in place to help in these circumstances. We have them put the national hotline numbers for sexual assault and domestic violence into their phones. We make sure that they are safe and healthy before we get to the self-sustaining aspect of case management.
Most importantly, we notice them and listen to them. This young lady just needed to cry. She said she was sorry that she was crying. She had no reason to apologize. The Case Manager just reassured her to let it out, feel the feelings and release them. We were not going anywhere - we are here for her.
Many women in these situations feel shame, embarrassment, anger, confusion, frustration with the justice system and a whole array of other emotions. Sometimes, they just need to be affirmed. They need to know that they are worthy human beings, that God calls them his beloved and that they are the brides of Christ.
Won't you help us affirm our ladies who experience such tragedies? If this blog touched your heart, please consider a donation to Seneca.
If you are domestic violence or have experienced sexual assault, call the hotline at: (800) 656-4673 or chat online at online.rainn.org