Sexual Assault
Hotline 

1-800-656.HOPE (4673)


RAINN

National Sexual Violence Resource Center

Domestic Violence

Hotline

 1-800-799-7233


National Domestic Violence Hotline



WINGS

Securing Housing After Domestic Violence Guide

Male Victims - Helping men find support and overcome the trauma caused by abuse or assault

Dating Violence

Hotline

 1-866-331-9474

Love is Respect

Be Seen and Heard© (Sexual Abuse Awareness and Prevention Curriculum for students Pre-K to high school.)
1-888-667-2370

FAQ's

Answers From A Sexual Abuse Survivor Part 1

When did you identify that what you were going through was sexual abuse?

Firstly, I didn’t realize that what I went through as a child was sexual abuse until college. As a kid I had no idea that sexual abuse had a name. What my dad was doing made me feel uncomfortable, nervous, and terrified. But I thought that was what every family was like.

 Click here to read the full blog.

Answers From A Sexual Abuse Survivor Part 2

When did you identify that what you were going through was sexual abuse?

I knew when it happened it was wrong but I didn’t have a word for it. At eight years old I had no idea what sexual abuse was; all I knew was that it didn’t feel right. I didn’t understand that it was abuse until high school. We started learning about deviant behavior in psychology and it was like a switch flipped. “Oh my gosh!” I thought, “That’s what I went through!”  The label of what happened to me was nonexistent until that moment.

Click here to read the full blog.

Answers From A Sexual Abuse Survivor Part 3

When did you identify that what you were going through was sexual abuse?

Honestly, I did not realize what I was going through at the time was sexual abuse until my freshman year of college. My instincts told me that something was not right when I held my sister’s hand. The pain in her eyes broke my young soul.

Click here to read the full blog.

The Importance of Code Words

What is the importance of code words? Well, let’s back up and start with what a code word actually is. A code word is a term a child can use to alert their parents that they are uncomfortable, without having to be detailed. Your child needs you and they can’t be too specific on why they need you. Click here to read the full blog.

When The Unthinkable Happens

We have written blogs over the last year on how to talk to your child about sexual abuse, the power of language, and why abuse prevention education is so important. All of these topics encourage including children in their own personal body safety plan. But what do we do when our child is not the victim but the abuser is someone they know? A trusted hero in our community, someone like a coach, a teacher, or even a well-liked parent of a friend, is arrested for sexual abuse? How do we have conversations when the unthinkable happens? Click here to read the full blog.

The Right To Come Forward

Often times people will question why an adult who was sexually abused in their childhood waited years to disclose. I cannot speak for all victims or survivors, but I can say with a certainty many of us felt shame, embarrassment, and guilt; we were led to believe it was our fault or we could get in trouble. Many of us loved our abusers because that same abuser was someone we once trusted and we didn’t want them to get into trouble. It is possible for victims and survivors to work through healing and unlearn what they were taught in the midst of survival: they were never at fault and their abuser is to blame.  Click here to read the full blog.

Standing Tall And Speaking Loud

Speaking up for what we believe in has never been an easy feat. Standing by our values, beliefs, and mores can be risky; History has shown us time and time again speaking publicly against injustices can put us in danger. Fear and all, so many of us jump into the void of the unknown that is self-advocacy. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which we celebrate every third Monday in January, is a powerful reminder of why self-advocacy can ultimately be for the world. Click here to read the full blog.

Circle Of Trust

What is a “Circle of Trust”? Simply put, it is the people children rely on for a healthy and happy upbringing.

From the day that they are born, children depend on others. In a perfect world, family and community work together. They provide basic necessities and nurturing. Children have no choice other than depending on these people. While children grow from that care, so does the love and trust with those closest to them. This creates a Circle of Trust. This bond allows children to feel safe and free to be their true and authentic selves.

Click here to read the full blog.