April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and one Gainesville organization called Rape Response is working to support survivors any way they can.
The organization provides a wide variety of services to survivors and their loved ones, and they work to educate the public and spread awareness about sexual assault.
According to Angel Jackson, community engagement director with Rape Response, they are most well-known for their 24-hour crisis phone line.
“Twenty-four hours, seven days a week, there is a trained advocate who is willing and able to answer calls for survivors or anybody in that survivor’s life,” Jackson said. “Sometimes we get calls from parents, schools, friends, cousins, and we're able to walk that survivor through that process.”
In addition, staff and volunteers with Rape Response accompany survivors to the hospital if they would like a rape kit. All of the exams are done at Northeast Georgia Medical Center, even though the organization provides services to six counties: Hall, Habersham, White, Lumpkin, Forsyth and Dawson. They also help survivors make reports to law enforcement and assist them as their case moves through the court systems.
Jackson said they have a good relationship with law enforcement agencies. In March, advocates reached out to police departments and sheriff’s offices and asked them to wear teal ribbons.
Cpl. Jessica Van with the Gainesville Police Department said the ribbons are a way to show their appreciation for the organization.
“[Wearing the ribbons] shows our support for the organization and what they stand for, as far as supporting the survivors of sexual assault and raising awareness for the education of sexual assault,” Van said. “A lot of people don’t truly understand what can classify as sexual assault.”
She added that the department sometimes has meetings with Rape Response to help officers learn how to deal with reports of sexual assault.
“If they feel comfortable reporting it to us, then of course, that officer is going to take every step they can to make sure they get the correct information,” Van said.
Throughout this month, those with Rape Response have worked hard to spread awareness. They have done social media campaigns and hosted a couple of events. Jackson said she knows people are still nervous to gather because of COVID-19, so they did not host as many events as they typically would.
According to the CDC, nearly one in five women have experienced completed or attempted rape during her lifetime. Around one in 38 men report the same.
Experiencing sexual abuse as a child is an adverse childhood experience (ACE) that can affect how a person thinks, acts, and feels. It can cause physical and mental/emotional health consequences.
Jennifer Tarnowski, advocacy director with Rape Response, said understanding what is considered "consent" is critical.
“It doesn't matter who somebody is. It doesn't matter who their partner is, whether it was a partner or whether it was a stranger,” Tarnowski said. “Regardless of how they identify, if they did not give a clear and honest ‘yes,’ it's not okay.”
Jackson said she wants people to know that the staff and volunteers with Rape Response are not judgmental.
“It can happen to anybody, regardless of age, race or what you look like,” Jackson said. “The biggest thing for survivors, what they need, is somebody to tell them they believe them and it's not their fault.”
Information regarding how to volunteer and how to access Rape Response’s services can be found on their website.
