This year the world experienced the #MeToo movement, which has empowered people around the world to share their stories of sexual abuse. With this community of support and empowerment, several instances of sexual misconduct in media, entertainment and politics have been exposed.

This is a severe reality women face on college campuses and in the workplace. According to a Cosmopolitan survey, one in three women ages 18-34 have been sexually harassed at work.

Another survey shows that one in four college women report being survivors of rape or attempted rape at some point in their lifetime. That means 673,000 women currently in college in the United States have experienced rape at some point in their lifetime.

We can join the fight against sexual assault by becoming a community of support, raising our voices and denouncing these actions. Even if we are not victims, expressing the proper condemnation can help someone overcome this experience.

Shannon Houck, assistant teaching professor in the psychology department at Syracuse University, gave some insight related to sexual assault in an email:

The Daily Orange: What is the most common reason for women not to speak out if they have been victims of sexual assault or harassment?

Shannon Houck: There are several reasons why a victim of sexual assault or harassment might choose to not disclose their experiences. Often, there is a fear that they might not be believed – or worse, that they will be blamed.

Unfortunately, many victims have to undergo questions like: Why did you put yourself in that situation? What were you wearing? Why didn’t you scream for help? Questions along these lines imply that if only they had only acted differently, they could have avoided the assault or harassment.

So, speaking out can be a very shaming experience, one that causes the person to not only relive what happened to them, which can be emotionally and psychologically difficult, but also to have to defend how and why it happened. In addition to the potential social, emotional and relationship consequences, there can also be professional and career implications. For example, it is estimated that 75 percent of employees who speak out about harassment encounter retaliation.

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The D.O.: How can this affect them long term if they don’t find someone who they can talk about their traumatic experience with?

S.H.: Well, those who choose not to report or disclose their experiences are less likely to access the resources that might benefit them – support and therapeutic resources in particular.

And while everyone processes their experiences differently, there are some commonly observed symptoms that can result from experience trauma, including: shame, guilt, depression, anxiety, reexperiencing symptoms such as intrusive thoughts, memories, nightmares and relationship problems, to name a few. Avoiding processing the trauma can exacerbate these symptoms, which can persist in the long term.

The D.O.: What is your advice regarding overcoming this traumatic experience?

S.H.: There are a lot of therapeutic resources dedicated to helping those who have experienced sexual trauma, and it’s important for individuals to feel like they can access the resources they want and need. Many find therapy useful, and there are a lot of evidence-based practices that have been shown to reduce trauma symptoms.

More broadly, there also needs to be a cultural shift towards empowering victims by giving them a voice to speak out. We are starting to see movement in this direction, but of course, continued progress is needed.

For any counseling help regarding sexual assault and harassment in Syracuse University, here are some numbers you can contact:

911 for life-threatening injuries or safety concerns
Department of Public Safety: (315) 443-2224
Syracuse University Ambulance: (315) 443-4299
Syracuse Police Department: (315) 435-3016

Counseling Center’s Sexual & Relationship Violence Response Team: (315) 443-4715 — 24 hours/7 days per week

200 Walnut Place – Walk-in support service available during business hours: 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Doménica Orellana is a freshman broadcast and digital journalism major. She can be reached at [email protected].

Published on January 31, 2018 at 11:31 pm