Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week, recognised on the 5-12th February 2024, provides a platform to raise awareness of the importance of acknowledging the voices of survivors to foster understanding, empathy, and support for them. The week is also a reminder of the urgent collective need to address the issues of sexual abuse and violence to prevent such forms of distress and harm in society.
What is Sexual Abuse and Violence?
Sexual abuse and violence include a range of actions that violate a person’s autonomy and consent. This happens whenever someone is forced, pressured, or manipulated into any unwanted sexual activity, including when they are incapable of consenting due to age, disability, or the influence of alcohol or drugs. Sexual violence includes rape, incest, child sexual assault, ritual abuse, non-stranger rape, statutory rape, marital or partner rape, sexual exploitation, sexual contact, sexual harassment, exposure, and voyeurism. It is usually motivated by a person’s desire to harm or control and may happen to people of all ages, races, genders, sexual orientations, religions, and ethnicities. The impact of sexual violence is widespread in society and affects not only survivors themselves but their loved ones and their wider community.
Estimates published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicate that globally about 1 in 3 (30%) of women worldwide have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. In Singapore, figures reported by the Singapore Police Force (SPF), suggest that sexual crime continues to be a concern in the country, with 9,629 reports of sexual assault, including rape, sexual assault by penetration, outrage of modesty, and sexual crime involving children and vulnerable victims being reported between 2019 and 2022.
The impact on survivors
Sexual abuse and violence can have a wide ranging and lasting psychological, emotional, physical, and social impact on victims. How someone is impacted however is NEVER their fault, with all blame and responsibility of any sexual abuse and/or violence being with the perpetrator.
As with all traumatic experiences, each individual copes differently and there is no wrong or right way to respond. Some survivors may isolate themselves due to fear around their family or friends not believing or rejecting them. To cope with the trauma, some survivors may also minimise or deny their experience and have thoughts like; “It wasn’t that bad” or “I’m OK now”. Others may choose to express their emotions openly. Regardless of the timing of the crime, whether it happened recently or months or years ago, the impact on an individual’s ability to function in daily life can be significant.
While each survivor’s experience is unique; many survivors many suffer:
Emotional responses including: Shame, guilt, sadness, anger, denial, shock, fear, embarrassment.
Psychological difficulties including: Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD), Flashbacks, Depression, Phobias, Anxiety.
Physical responses including: changes in sleep and eating, increased startle response, physical safety concerns, injury, concerns about pregnancy or contracting an STI or HIV
Supporting those we care about
Survivors will generally seek help from friends and family and others they trust before reaching out to processionals and authorities such as the police. In the first 72 hours after a rape, a victim is likely to be in shock and they may still be in danger. Safety away from the perpetrator, seeking out medical assistance, collection of any evidence for later reporting and getting support is important.
Knowing how to respond to a loved one’s disclosure of sexual assault or violence, is also important to avoid any unintentional traumatisation. Generally, being able to listen and respond without judgement is the best way to support someone, however knowing what to say and not say during a distressing disclosure can be very helpful.
Some vital and important statements that The Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) suggests that should be communicated to a survivor are:
“It’s not your fault.”
“It’s your choice how you want to move forward.”
“It’s your experience, not anybody else’s.”
“I’m here to support you.”
Some statements that should not be said are:
“Why didn’t you scream?”
INSTEAD… “Were you able to ask for help?”
“Why did you get drunk?”
INSTEAD… “No matter how drunk you were, it’s NOT your fault”
Being aware of what support the survivor wants and needs is also critical. For example, are they seeking professional help, thinking about filing a police report or needing to be heard and validated? The survivor’s choice of support is always respected and their current safety, and well-being should always be prioritised.
Impact on friends and family
Not only does sexual assault and violence affect the survivor, but it can also impact those closest to the them, including parents, partners, children, co-workers, and friends. Similar emotional responses to the survivor can occur, including shock, denial, fear and anger as loved ones try to make sense of and cope with the experience.
Where to go?
Although the process may be difficult and long, with good support, healing from the trauma of sexual assault and/or violence is possible.
If a survivor decides to seek out professional help, there are several options available, including finding individual psychological or counselling support, accessing the free services provided by SACC via the helpline, which are available to survivors of all genders (including LGBTQ survivors), or they can attend a sexual abuse survivors group (see details below).
Those caring for and supporting the survivor can also consider seeking out professional psychological therapy or counselling if needed.
Playing our part
Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week serves as a reminder that everyone has an important part in helping to prevent the widespread and lasting impact that sexual abuse and violence has on individuals, their loved ones and the wider community as well as supporting survivors to create a safer and more respectful world for us all.
#SexualViolenceAwareness #SupportSurvivors
Who to contact
– Call SACC helpline at 6779 0282
– Free Sexual Trauma Support Group – Alliance Counselling Office (Cluny Court)
Ph: +65 6466 8120
To meet with a professional psychologist or counsellor, call The Other Clinic at 8809 0659 or email us hello@theotherclinic.sg.
References:
Singapore Police Force SPF | Sexual Crime (police.gov.sg)
Violence against women (who.int)
Sexual Assault Care Centre Home – Sexual Assault Care Centre (aware.org.sg)
Helping Someone You Care About – Sexual Assault Care Centre (aware.org.sg)
Publications_NSVRC_Factsheet_Impact-of-sexual-violence_0.pdf