SEXUAL ASSAULT: FACT OR FICTION?

One in a series of Project Community articles to provide teens and families with information and programs they need before tragedy strikes.

Fact: “Rape is often not reported or convicted.”

A person may choose not to report to law enforcement or tell anyone about a victimization they experienced for many reasons. Some of the most common include:

• fear of not being believed
• fear of retaliation
• shame or fear of being blamed
• pressure from others
• distrust towards law enforcement
• a desire to protect the attacker for other reasons -(National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 2010)

 

Fiction: “If a victim of sexual assault does not fight back, he/she must have thought the assault was not that bad or wanted it.”

Many survivors experience a “freeze response” during an assault where they physically cannot move or speak. Also referred to as “tonic immobility,” it is a state of temporary, involuntary motor inhibition that occurs in states of in- tense fear.(Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 2014)  

Angela Kang, PhD, is a licensed psychologist in New York and New Jersey with a private practice in Pelham and a member of Project Community. Project Community, Inc. is one of Pelham’s leading charitable organizations that has the unique distinction of having healthcare professionals provide visionary programs and solutions for teens, families and a healthy community. Known for its ever-popular COLOR RUN, its pro-grams and workshops tackle Binge Drinking, Sexual Assault, Anxiety, Self Awareness, and Project CHILDD and YOU&ME for special needs. projectcommunity.us