ywrape crisis center

CYBERVIOLENCE:
What Every Parent and Teen Should Know
Panel Discussion 

Thursday, January 6, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

For more info about this event click here.


The YWCA of Bergen County Rape Crisis Center—the only one of its kind in the county—is a safe and welcoming place for survivors of sexual assault/abuse, their families and friends. Our 24/7 crisis intervention hotline provides free and confidential assistance and our advocates provided counseling and medical and legal accompaniments to dozens of survivors. The center also offers support groups, volunteer training, educational programs for schools and businesses, and sponsors activities to raise community awareness about sexual violence.

hotline 201-487-2227
The Rape Crisis Center provides a free and confidential 24-hour hotline to survivors of sexual assault and abuse, their family, and friends. Support is available to anyone who has experienced sexual violence, whether it happened hours or years ago.

services
Confidential sexual violence advocates are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide:
• Short-term crisis intervention counseling.
• Medical and legal accompaniments to hospital emergency rooms, medical appointments, police/law enforcement agencies and legal proceedings within Bergen County.
•information about all options, including medical attention, reporting, the legal process, and sources of support for survivors, family and friends.
• Referrals and community resources for survivorsand family members seeking group counseling,
long-term counseling, medical, legal and/or financial information, as well as other community resources.

support & education
support groups
The Rape Crisis Center sponsors therapist-facilitated groups for male and female adult survivors of sexual violence throughout the year.

community education/training
Our speakers' bureau is available to address schools, professional and community groups on issues
surrounding all forms of sexual violence. Training is available to professionals and first responders who work directly with survivors, and we offer a variety of informational brochures and handouts.

To schedule a speaker or find out more about our services or volunteer opportunities
call 201-881-1700.

sexual violence is:
• Sexual activity where consent is not obtained or freely given.
• Perpetrated by someone the survivor knows. Approximately 70% - 80% of survivors know their attacker in some way.
• The responsibility of the offender, not the survivor. No person "asks for" or provokes sexual assault by acting or dressing in a particular manner.
• Not an act of lust. The offender's motive is not sexual gratification, but to control, humiliate and/or degrade a person.
• The most underreported crime. The FBI estimates that only 1 in 10 rapes are reported.
• A serious problem that affects survivors in significant ways over their lifetime, including long-term health problems, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and depression.

sexual assault can happen:
• At any time, night or day.
• Anywhere: at home, on a date, in a car or in a public place.
• To any person: regardless of sex, gender identity, age, race, sexual orientation, appearance, religion, occupation or educational level.

if you are sexual assaulted:
• Get to a safe place.
• Call the YWCA of Bergen County Rape Crisis Center for support and information.
• Consider obtaining medical attention to assess for and treat potential injuries.
• Consider notifying the police or activating the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART). (If you plan to pursue prosecution, do not bathe, shower, douche, change clothes, eat, drink, smoke or urinate for the purposes of evidence preservation.)

myths & facts about sexual violence

myth
Most sexual assaults are committed by strangers.
In reality, the majority of the time the offender is someone that the victim knows. Victims are usually
coerced, manipulated, tricked or threatened by someone they are acquainted with. One study found
that 84% of women who were raped knew their attacker and for 57% of those women, the offender
was a first date or romantic acquaintance.

fact
Alcohol or drugs increase a person’s vulnerability to sexual assault.
Alcohol and drugs can increase anyone’s vulnerability. In one study, 75% of males and 55% of females were
under the influence of drugs or alcohol when the sexual assualt occurred.

myth
Men cannot be sexually assualted.
Anyone can be victimized. 1 in 6 boys under the age of 18 are sexually assaulted. It has also been estimated that 10% of all men have been sexually assaulted. Because of social stigma however, male sexual victimization is vastly underreported.

fact
The most common place for sexual violence to occur is in the victim’s home.
The second most common place is the offender's home, because the offender is usually someone
the victim knows. Many people think that sexual assaults happen in dark, abandoned places, but the greatest risk lies where we feel the safest.

fact
Most of the time, sexual assualt is planned.
Sexual assault is not an impulsive act. If it is a single offender, it is planned 60% of the time; gang attacks are planned 90% of the time.

myth
Perpetrators are deranged, psychopathic, under-educated men from poor backgrounds.
Sex offenders are found in all socioeconomic classes. Offenders can be anyone: doctors, lawyers, the homeless, blue-collar workers, classmates, co-workers, etc.

awareness events
The YWCA Rape Crisis Center sponsors a number of special events throughout the year to help raise community awareness of sexual violence. These include:

Bergen County Clothesline Project: a powerful display of T-shirts, created by or on behalf of survivors, that bears witness to sexual assault, sexual abuse, incest, child abuse, domestic violence and death as a result of violence. There are clotheslines for women, men and children.
For details about the 2010 Clothesline Project click here.

Denim Day: An annual observance held on April 28th dedicated to raising awareness and educating young women and men about consent and the prevention of sexual violence. Click here for Denim Day 2010 info.

The Work of Healing: An Exhibit of Survivors' Artwork & Poetry: An event featuring an art exhibit and poetry
reading that seeks to acknowledge the pain of survivors of sexual victimization, celebrate their healing process and develop a sense of community among concerned individuals.
For info. about the 2010 Art & Poetry Exhibit click here.

volunteers
Volunteers are needed for a variety of tasks including office work, public speaking, letter writing, research and direct service provision.

brochure translations
The following brochures are downloadable Adobe PDF files. If you need the free Adobe PDF reader, click here.

Spanish
Chinese
Korean

For information call 201-881-1700.