One of the horrors of rape is that it is not so uncommon.
When Beacon of Hope initiated its Sexual Assault Advocate Counselor Training program in March 2015, the new advocates were not sure who they would see when they walked into an emergency room.
“I assumed I would be walking into a room with a 20-year-old, but we walk into a teenager’s hospital room more than an adult’s,” said Amee Liptak, Crisis Intervention Coordinator and sexual assault advocate for Beacon of Hope, a 24-hour Rape Response service operated by Fair Haven Center for Women in Highland.
Advocates are trained to provide emotional support and be present during the forensic evidence examination, police interviews and throughout the criminal justice process. The training was created by the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Victims of Crime.
“It is a role unlike any of the other positions such as the police, hospital staff, etc. They have confidentiality and that is statutory,” said Kathleen O’Halloran, trial supervisor for the Lake County Prosecutor’s office. “The victim certainly needs a resource they can turn to and trust and disclose aspects of the assault in confidence.”
O’Halloran and Nadia Chivers, deputy prosecutor, oversee the Lake County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART).
An estimated 14.5 percent of Hoosier high school girls have been raped, according to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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CDC data indicates 79 percent of female victims of rape report they were first raped before the age of 25. And 28 percent of male victims were 10 years old or younger. Nearly one in five adult women in the U.S. has been raped at some time in their lives, data shows.
Though Beacon of Hope has not yet received a call to assist a man, Liptak said she knows that day will come.
Fair Haven was approached to administer the training program by SART, said Kelly Vates, the co-founder and executive director of Fair Haven. Vates is the author of “Shattered Innocence,” her personal story of childhood sexual abuse and its aftermath. Her experience ultimately led her to conceive the Fair Haven center with co-founder Patty Conley, director of operations.
Vates said the center conducted two advocate training sessions last year and she hopes to have two or three training sessions every year. Volunteers who take the training come from a variety of backgrounds such as business owners, teachers and nurses.
Liptak and other Beacon of Hope staff members also are trained advocates and alongside the volunteers they work shifts as they man the 24-hour crisis line. When called upon, an advocate grabs a response kit filled with new clothing and goes to the emergency room.
The patient is given the new clothing to replace her own that will be taken into evidence, in the event she decides to pursue legal action. She said the items in the bags are all new and are donated.
Franciscan Alliance works actively with Beacon of Hope, said Michelle Resendez, regional Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Coordinator for Franciscan Alliance and board-certified forensic nurse. She oversees 23 forensic nurses in the Franciscan system.
“I recognized early on the importance of having someone at the bedside,” Resendez said. “The physician is getting the process ready and the patient is alone. Their mind is distracted. They may or may not have a support person and may have questions they may not feel comfortable to ask or may not know what to ask.”
“Usually there is a woman on a gurney, defeated and in a disassociated state. I introduce myself and say ‘no matter what happens in the room, I am here for you, only you. Together we will get through this. I am in your corner.’ I am calm and I explain things she needs to know. I do not leave her side,” said Liptak. She recalled one woman responded by grabbing her hand saying, “I need you, I need you. You don’t understand, I don’t have anyone.”
Statistics may underestimate the actual number of rapes committed each year, according to the CDC, and exact numbers are hard to determine.
Many cases of rape are not reported and one of the biggest barriers to reporting is the victims’ fear they won’t be believed, said O’Halloran. The presence of an advocate can make a difference.
“The advocate is 100 percent there for the victim,” said O’Halloran. “They are not a neutral party. They are not involved in the investigation. They are there to validate what the victim is feeling and to believe the victim and her version of events. Without that continued validation, victims would more easily fall apart. They need someone they can lean on and believe them.”
Franciscan Alliance treated 85 sexual assaults 2014 and that number jumped to 116 in 2015, Resendez said. The uptick in numbers could be related to outreach efforts made in the last year, she said.
Nancy Coltun Webster is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Beacon of Hope
24-Hour Rape Crisis Line: 219-218-2552