Rape is traumatic.

And although we know rape victims have to deal with physical and emotional distress, many victims also must handle a monetary burden, too.

The study

Ashley M. Tennessee, DHA, MBA, MPH, and assistant professor at the Division of Healthcare Studies and Department of Health Professions at the Medical University of South Carolina, recently helmed a study that discovered many American rape victims must pay for some rape-related medical treatment.

Tennessee was inspired to pen the study for personal reasons.

While taking refuge in the New Orleans Superdome [during Hurricane Katrina], Tennessee’s dear friend was sexually assaulted as a result of an “unsuccessful struggle and fight” to obtain food for her and her two sons “after rations were dropped through the ceiling of the Superdome,” she says.

Tennessee also knows many women and men who have been molested during their formative years or as adults.

“When the opportunity arose to select a topic for my doctoral research, selecting rape was a no brainer,” she adds.

The issue

Oddly, other victims of violent crimes are not responsible for paying for crime-related injuries, Tennessee says.

Although the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) requires states to pay for rape kits, “hospital billing procedures often include more services than those associated with the rape kit alone, and forensic costs also vary by state,” Reuters reports.

Rape victims who have private health insurance pay $950 on average, or 14 percent of the cost of medical services. Insurance providers pay about $5,789.

The Impact

Tennessee is confident her research could help everyone in the U.S. because sexual assault is not a singular crime.

“The lasting effects of a rape reverberate throughout our society,” Tennessee says.

“Victims of sexual assault often suffer extensively from PTSD, lose their ability to maintain intimate relationships, suffer from an inability to maintain social interactions, and even more so, lack an ability to remain gainfully employed.

Victims bear the brunt of the pain and suffering post-assault. However, society suffers significantly as viable, formidable individuals are no longer physically or mentally able to contribute in a substantive manner.”

Future research

Tennessee hopes her work also will serve as a building block for future studies. She’d like to see research done concerning the prevalence and incidence of male rape and rape in the LGBTQ community.

The researcher also would like the study to facilitate changes to the VAWA, as well as Joint Commission accreditation standards.

“It is my desire that this study furthers the dialogue surrounding sexual assault and that the result of that dialogue [leads to] the suggested policy changes and recommendations that ensure rape victims going forward will never have to pay for a crime committed against them,” Tennessee adds.

Related on EcoSalon
The Recipe for a Great Anti-Rape Campaign Includes Sanitary Napkins and Social Media
How to Really Help Rape Survivors: #NowWhat
Yep, Even ‘Friends’ Use the Date Rape Drug: #NowWhat

The post Rape Victims Pay for Some Rape-Related Medical Expenses, Which is *Totally* Fair: #NowWhat appeared first on EcoSalon.

Sexual assault is a devastating experience, and one organization is determined to give back some of the dignity that has been so unfairly stolen away.

“I stood there examining my body beneath the stream of water and decided, I don’t want my body anymore. I was terrified of it. I wanted to take off my body like a jacket and leave it at the hospital with everything else.” This profound quote in the New York Post was an excerpt from a sexual assault survivor’s handwritten testimony during the recent and highly publicized trial of Stanford University student, Brock Turner. Turner was eventually convicted of rape, but only sentenced to six months in jail and three years’ probation.

With victim blaming still running rampant, slews of rape kits going untested, and more rapists being slapped on the wrist with sentences so light they’re almost nonexistent, survivors of sexual assault need all the help they can get. But after such life-altering experiences, it can be difficult to do something as simple as look in the mirror without feeling ashamed, much less come forward against one’s attacker. Especially so when the process typically starts with succumbing to an oftentimes invasive rape kit that has the propensity to leave survivors feeling that much more vulnerable and violated.

Some victims have the option of being slightly more prepared before going to a hospital or health facility for a rape kit. However, the survivor from the Turner case, like so many others, reportedly woke up in the hospital after her attack. For the victims who aren’t able to make prior preparations, or for the many who aren’t aware of rape kit proceedings, RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) describes the hours long exam as one which may include genital swabs, blood samples, and photographs of private areas, often ending with the victim’s clothing being confiscated in order to be examined for traces of the perpetrator’s DNA.

For those of you interested in learning more, there’s a detailed, first-hand account of one woman’s rape examination experience here, but I would proceed with caution for its potentially distressing content.

This careful and thorough collection process isn’t ideal, but is designed to preserve potential evidence that may be admissible in legal proceedings. And although patients are able to put a stop to the rape kit at any point in time, unlike the woman in the first-hand account was led to believe, it doesn’t make the process any easier. Unfortunately in the cases for some survivors, this could mean that their only option after having been sexually assaulted and subjected to a rape kit is to leave the medical facility dressed in a hospital-issued paper gown.

After facing scrutiny from every angle, this flimsy, dignity-stealing sheet of nothing can degrade survivors of sexual assault – women, men, and children – even further. However, The Grateful Garment Project, a non-profit organization based in San Jose, Calif., has made it the group’s mission to “ensure that every victim of a sexual crime who crosses the threshold of a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) facility or who seeks medical attention and/or law enforcement involvement is provided with whatever new clothing, toiletries, snacks, and other miscellaneous items that he or she may require.” Having further expanded its  horizons to “encompass all victims of sexual violence in California,” this non-profit also provides for children who are sexually exploited commercially and human sex trafficking victims.

Currently active in 25 California counties, The Grateful Garment Project is partnered with more than 60 agencies statewide who also share the organization’s vision of helping victims of sexual violence. Thanks to The Grateful Garment Project and its partnerships, between 25 and 40 women, children, and men, are provided with resources each day in California. In fact, during The Grateful Garment Project’s 2015-2016 fiscal year, the organization donated more than 25,000 items. From a t-shirt to a pair of sweatpants, a little bit of care and respect can go a long way in the effort to provide sexual assault victims with a shred of dignity.

“Every 109 seconds, another person experiences sexual assault,” and although “the number of assaults has fallen by more than half since 1993,” the sad fact is that “only 6 out of every 1,000 rapists will end up in prison.” These statistics taken from the RAINN website are not only eye-opening, but also heartbreaking. Until sexual assault is eradicated, until victims are no longer blamed for being victimized, we should do our part to make the rape kit process as tolerable as possible. Consider donating to The Grateful Garment Project, and if you, or someone you know, are suffering in silence, don’t hesitate to contact the 24/7 National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.

Let us know your thoughts on the EcoSalon Facebook page.

Related on EcoSalon

Sexual Assault Survivors Use Art for Justice
Sexual Assault Survivors Can’t Catch a Break: #NowWhat
The Sad Reasons Eating Disorders and Sexual Assault are Linked

Image of Hopeful Woman Opening Curtains via Shutterstock

The post The Grateful Garment Project: Returning Dignity to Sexual Assault Survivors, One Piece of Clothing at a Time appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnWhat political pundit and professional asshat George Will doesn’t understand about rape could fill a book, and if you want to avoid domestic violence, just get married!

It’s been a really special week for promoting rape culture, blaming victims and spewing misconceptions about domestic violence.

Before we dig into what happened, the takeaway is this: Women want to get raped (or at least say they were raped) because they like attention. If you don’t like attention, get married—because married women are never assaulted.

You Lucky Rape Victim, You!

George Will, a respected-by-some political commentator often seen on Sunday morning news shows, wrote this in the Washington Post: “In colleges, more rape victims are coming forward because victimhood has become, ‘a coveted status that confers privileges’.”

He is arguing that all of the “special treatment” people who have been raped receive is endangering a generation of nice young men who are just boys being boys. AmIRight, GW? Oh, and it’s Obama’s fault for “riding to the rescue of ‘sexual assault’ victims.”

(Quick note: While we mostly talk about women speaking out against male assailants, this isn’t always the case. Imagine how cool it would be to be male rape victim? I bet there are even more privileges.)

Back to George Will’s horrifying, hurtful comments. In his column, he goes on to do some super special math in an attempt to diminish the problem of sexual assault and rape on college campuses.

Sorry, but the cat is out of the bag here—this is a really, really massive cultural problem.

The fact that 20 percent of women on a college campus will be a victim of sexual assault is hard to prove, not because it is based on fiction, as Will would have you believe, but because despite the fact that more people are speaking out, victims are still scared to come forward. Sadly, the number is probably higher.

People fear they will be blamed. They fear they will not be believed. They fear they will lose friends. At times, because our culture is so fucked up, they fear it’s their fault.

Don’t Want to be Assaulted? Get Married!

Okay, I am about to blow your mind with my problem-solving skills. If you REALLY don’t want to get sexually assaulted (being the victim is like sooo 2013, yea?) here’s the plan: Skip college and get married really young—and don’t get a job because in 2011, 11,364 people filed formal complaints of sexual harassment at work, according to The American Association of University Women.

Following close on the heels of George Will’s terrible column, The Washington Post published a lovely little gem co-written by conservative think tank geniuses W. Bradford Wilcox and Robin Fretwell Wilson. They claim the best way for women to avoid being victims of rape and assault is to quit being such whores and get married.

I would like to pause and comment on the choice of stock art here. A couple walking on train tracks in a seemingly desolated “True Detective”-esque area captioned: “Marriage, the safer route.” Lord.

In this piece, written in response to the popularity of #YesAllWomen, the authors write: “This social media outpouring makes it clear that some men pose a real threat to the physical and psychic welfare of women and girls. But obscured in the public conversation about the violence against women is the fact that some other men are more likely to protect women, directly and indirectly, from the threat of male violence: married biological fathers.”

So, let me get this right: To be safe from being sexually assaulted, you need to be in a heterosexual relationship and have babies and be married to your babies’ biological father?

Let’s pretend, for a second, that we live in a world where that’s a scenario that we’re all interested in. If we were able to live that dream, would we be safe? I think you know I’m about to say no.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Violence Against Women Survey:

• You are married straight woman, just like the article says: Do you have it made? Nope: More than 30 percent of women who married or lived with a man as part of a couple reported abuse at the hand of said husband or partner.
• Ah, but I’m a gay lady! Sorry. Eleven percent of women with female partners reported being raped, physically assaulted and/or stalked.
• Gay man? You’re not safe at home either. Fifteen percent of men who had lived with a man as a couple reported being raped, physically assaulted, and/or stalked.
• Finally, straight dudes. They’re always safe, right? No. More than 7 percent of men surveyed who had married or lived with a woman as a couple reported domestic violence.

And these numbers only reflect the number of people who responded, and who responded honestly.

What Does All of This Mean?

George Will and his cronies are not just ill-informed, they are liars, willfully spreading misinformation and saying incredibly hurtful, stupid shit.

This kind of media coverage validates the lie that the number of sexual assaults is exaggerated at best, fabricated at worst. It perpetuates the crazy notion that people who step forward and ask for justice after being raped are probably just trying to get attention and special treatment. It seeks to shut-up victims of domestic abuse by discrediting the very fact that such a thing is possible.

The good news is that people are pissed. The hashtag outrage is palpable (see #SurvivorPrivilege). But, to be honest, I am at a loss, and just feeling really angry. Angry at the people who wrote this crap, angry at the people who believe it and angry at The Washington Post for publishing it. I’m angry at people who rape and assault people. I’m angry at anyone who doubts victims who are brave enough to come forward and seek the justice and help they deserve.

What we’re dealing with is a cultural crisis that isn’t contained to college campuses or to one segment of the population. We are all at risk of sexual assault in the places where we should feel the most safe—on campus (a home away from home) and at home. Being raped or assaulted is never a privilege.

Related on EcoSalon

The Steubenville Rape

The Maryville Rape

Blurred Lines and Rape Culture

Slut Shaming is the Status Quo

Sexual Assault: Victims No More

Image: Wendy Nelson Photography. via Compfight cc

The post Rape Victim? Lucky! Don’t Want to be Assaulted? Get Married: That Happened appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnAccording to the media, women’s bodies are less important than pigskin.

On August 11, 2012, a 16-year-old girl was raped by two teenage football players in Steubenville, Ohio. The judge chose to try the two young men as juveniles. On March 17, 2013, Trent Mays was sentenced to a minimum of two years in a juvenile correctional facility, and Ma’lik Richmond was sentenced to a minimum of one year—both could be in detention until they turn 21.

Unfortunately, this story isn’t unique; and while the media’s coverage of the case isn’t either, the role that social media played could have changed the tone. But it didn’t. Even after seeing the most degrading, humiliating photos and videos of this girl splashed all over the internet by friends of the attackers—for more than six months between the night it happened and the time the verdict came in—people are blaming the victim and offering sympathy to her attackers.

CNN’s Candy Crowley, Poppy Harlow, and Paul Callan started off the pity party: “’I’ve never experienced anything like it, Candy. It was incredibly emotional, incredibly difficult, even for an outsider like me, to watch what happened as these two young men that had such promising futures—star football players, very good students—literally watched as they believed their lives fell apart.” – Harlow. Crowley and Callan go on to ponder the impact that “essentially” being convicted of rape will have on the boys’ lives.

Fox News, as usual, took the asshole cake when reporter Mike Tolbin used the victim’s REAL name on air. The footage has since been edited. Fox went on to prove its total dickishness—er, sorry, understanding of the delicate situation—with this gem: “Editors’ Note: The Associated Press named the minors charged due to the fact they have been identified in other news coverage and their names were used in open court. FoxNews will not name the defendants.” Phew. Maybe the one college who hasn’t heard of them will let them play football again, because, isn’t that what really matters?

According to ABC, it is. Before the case exploded, but long after footage of the night was all over social media, ABC focused on Richmond’s “state of mind” after winning a big game. This is a quote from the article, not Richmond himself: “It’s no surprise that he was in a celebratory mood. But even Richmond admits that some of what happened at the parties he and several of his teammates attended that night crossed the line.”

Wait, did ABC News just say the equivalent of “boys will be boys?” Seriously?

The level of anger I feel at the media is intense. While the idea that everyone with a loud voice should be responsible was shattered the second Perez Hilton became a viable source and Fox dubbed itself “fair and balanced,” serious news channels with massive platforms owe us, at the very least–and I do mean very–an unbiased report of the actual facts on news programs.

And the facts are: Two teenage boys raped a girl and rather than talk about the fact that they are criminals, the media is lamenting the loss of their football careers and, by doing so, perpetuating rape culture.

Rape culture can be complicated to explain, and one of the best breakdowns is here. In short, rape culture is: Beliefs that encourage male sexual aggression and violence against women. It is a society where violence is seen as sexy and sexuality as violent. In a rape culture, women perceive a continuum of threatened violence that ranges from sexual remarks to sexual touching to rape itself. A rape culture condones physical and emotional terrorism against women as the norm.

Terrorism. Can you imagine the outrage if the media referred to these attackers as terrorists?

When the media regularly supports rape culture, it influences how viewers and readers think. On Tuesday, two teenage girls in Steubenville were charged with threatening the victim’s life over social media—police are also investigating a male for harassment.

That teenage girls are threatening this woman is especially heartbreaking. How can anyone have seen these tweets and photos—and let’s assume that teenage girls have—and not feel empathy? What kind of world are these kids living in? Before social media, I can see a girl struggling to believe that guys she knew would do this. But they know. And they don’t seem to care.

After the story started to spread, why didn’t the adults involved step up and say something? Where were the parents before this happened? Why did no one at the party that night say, “Hey, she’s drunk. Let’s get her home?” Why aren’t girls taking care of each other?

I’m not saying in any way that women are responsible for rape—rapists are. But having so recently written about adult women’s backlash against new movements in feminism, I can’t help but go back to the idea that we need to stick together. How we treat each other sends a message to men and boys as to how we expect to be treated.

We have to take it back a generation and teach both girls and boys from a young age that rape is never okay. We need to destroy rape culture by shattering the idea that male sports players, and men in powerful positions, are gods who are exempt from the rules. We need to make sure that everyone understands the definition of consent (and anyone who saw the photos of the victim, complete with captions calling her “the dead girl,” can see she didn’t, and couldn’t, consent). We need a new version of feminism that girls will embrace, because whatever they are being taught now isn’t working. Who wants to lean in with me on that?

Note: The victim’s legal fees have been covered, but in response to the many who have asked how they can help, she and her family are suggesting that people donate to the Madden House, an emergency safe-shelter for women who are rebuilding their lives.

Image: CMCarterSS

The post That Happened: The Steubenville Rape appeared first on EcoSalon.