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Sexual Assault Forum Calls on Silent Victims to Speak
by Rebecca Roa
The Counselors and the Law
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A panel of eight community and campus officials confronted students with the consequences of not reporting sexual harassment and rape.
If you or someone you know has been sexually harassed or raped, "understand this: if it is not reported, it is highly likely that it will happen again," said Dean of Students Craig Goforth.
Panelists cited national surveys that say up to one in three women and one in five men have been sexually assaulted by the age of 18.
Nearly 100 students filled Belk auditorium on February 16 to hear officials explain what happens when someone reports sexual harassment or rape, as well as each official's role in the process.
The panelists stressed that reporting a case does not mean that the victim must press charges. "All we are asking is for the victim in these types of cases to come forward and report it. If you decide later that you do not want to prosecute, that's your choice," said Mars Hill Police Chief David Lewis.
Each panelist made it very clear that there are no grey areas in sexual assault and rape cases. You have two options, to report the case or not. This set the scene for victim advocates like Anita Allen from My Sister's Place (Rape Crisis Center for Madison County), who offered to provide "shelter, support or an office to go to just talk for anyone who has been a victim."
Likewise, Officer Teresa Harwood offered her services, noting that she has found that women tend to go to her because she is the only female police officer in the Mars Hill Police Department and has "dealt with sexual assault and rape cases on the college campus before."
Campus Counselor Bill Dycus said "One third of sexual assault and rape victims never tell." He urged students to "Tell somebody. Do not keep it a secret. The more silence there is, the more cases of assaults and rapes there will be." Options available to the victim once a case has been reported, he said, include medical care and access to counseling.
"Sometimes it takes years for someone to report a sexual harassment or rape case," said Kathy Ray, the legal assistant at the District Attorney's office for the 24th District. This is because it is "terrifying and sometimes brutal to the victim." But, "a victim of this type of crime should never feel like they are the only one that this has happened to."
Renee Colette, a sexual assault nurse examiner, told students that "There is no time frame to report an incident, but any evidence must be collected within 72 hours of the incident."
The forum ended with an eye opener when Bill Dycus stated that "Seventy five percent of rapes are alcohol related." Goforth warned that a person accused of rape can't get off the hook by saying he and his partner were drunk. "In the State of North Carolina, if a female cannot give consent (because she has had too much alcohol), then it is rape and should be reported immediately."
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