Considering that organizations such as Florida Council Against Sexual Violence and Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network have observed college-aged people are at higher risk for sexual assault than other age groups, understanding the intricacies and risk factors of sexual violence on campus is all too vital. In the context of movements like #MeToo, society is paying more attention to rape culture, and a huge part of that is understanding victims. In particular, many sexual assault survivors are susceptible to revictimization. That is, someone who has already undergone sexual assault once may be more likely to experience further sexual violence. In fact, Human Services Administrator Ana Ferrer at Broward County’s Nancy J. Cotterman Center (NJCC) says most research finds that victims who were sexually assaulted before age 18 are twice as likely to be assaulted again in adulthood, with some research listing survivors as 13 times more likely to be further victimized.
According to Ferrer at Broward County’s Nancy J. Cotterman Center (NJCC), there are several reasons victims are vulnerable. For one, trauma has a direct effect on the perception of those who have experienced it. Survivors of abuse have a different sense of what a healthy relationship consists of, and behaviors they consider normal could be harmful in actuality.
Further, Ferrer said, “When you’re being abused on a regular basis, individuals need to develop survivor skills. They learn to shut down cues to survive their environment, but moving forward into adulthood, those cues are important to keep people safe and to sense danger or assess situations.”
So, where people who have not been victimized might be more vigilant, sexual violence survivors may be more susceptible to dangerous situations if they are unable to recognize red flags soon enough to avoid them.
Many of these different perceptions stem from the trauma that ensues after an assault, as it may provoke certain behavioral and psychological manifestations that, according to a 2006 field test by Robert Davis, Pamela Guthrie, Timothy Ross and Chris O’Sullivan, predators may sense and twist to their advantage. Medically, these developed traits are categorized under Rape Trauma Syndrome. Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust details these psychological side effects and said, “rape by its very nature is intentionally designed to produce psychological trauma,” and calls it, “a form of organized social violence comparable only to the combat of war.”
Rape Crisis organizes symptoms into three categories: physical, behavioral and psychological. Physical symptoms include initial shock, gynecological complications, nausea, tension headaches, back pain and sleep and eating disturbances. In terms of behavior, victims cry more often, change their social behavior, develop a stammer, become hypervigilant, experience sexual disturbance, begin self-destructive habits including substance abuse and notice relationship problems with family and friends as well as significant others. Moreover, victims also experience psychological symptoms like increased anxiety, self-blame, flashbacks, numbness, humiliation, memory loss, depression and suicidal ideation.
Another component of revictimization lies with perpetrators. Regarding assaulters themselves, Ferrer said, “We need to hold individuals who perpetrate accountable for what they do and stop the victim blaming. More recently, with all the different things that have happened in the media and politics, we can still see how prevalent the victim blaming piece has been and continues to be.”
There lies another commonality in these situations: society’s attitude towards victims. Ferrer also mentioned that society has a big part in changing the culture surrounding sexual violence. We will all encounter situations in which we are bystanders, and, whether we remain passive or intervene, support a victim or forgive a rapist plays a part in reconstructing rape culture — or perpetuating it.
While society must hold itself responsible for accountability, victims can go through treatment to increase their assertiveness and reduce self-blame, two qualities which Davis mentions put a victim at further risk for future assault. Ferrer noted that part of individual therapy is addressing symptoms so that survivors can change their view of the environment and relationships and begin to trust others. In addition, working on establishing clear boundaries and standing up for themselves when those boundaries are broken may help previous victims to identify manipulative and abusive people sooner rather than later.
Of course, assault is never the victim’s fault, and individual therapy is about improving a survivor’s life and reducing effects of trauma rather than assigning total responsibility of preventing assault to victims. At NJCC, those who have experienced sexual violence have access to a 24-hour hotline, free counseling and a forensic medical exam without being obligated to a police report. Most importantly, Ferrer wanted survivors to know they are not alone, and there’s help.
“There’s people you can reach out to who will believe you and who will help you find a voice if you feel you haven’t found it,” she said.
