3 minute read
SISTAH Teen Mentoring Initiative
Violence Against Girls
Fact: In the U.S. a violent act is committed against a child, woman or man every 60 seconds.
That means that by the time you read this page one in three children will become a victim of an assault. The emotions of fear, panic, terror, shame, guilt, avoidance, and powerlessness come to mind almost immediately for thousands of girls who are victims of assault. With more than 80,000 known cases of child sexual assault in the U.S. , a majority of sexual assaults against girls are committed by a personal contact, that is to say., in the home by a parent, step-parent, sibling or relative, or outside of the home by a friend, neighbor, teacher, care giver or stranger.
The pervasiveness of child sexual assault is growing at an alarming rate and more needs to be done to protect and treat vulnerable girls.
Vista Maria treats over 900 girls annually who are victims of abuse, neglect and trauma through its specialized trauma recovery, mental health and substance abuse programs. These concentrated programs were specifically designed to help girls, ages 11 to 17, to cope with the issues associated with abuse, neglect and exploitation. Girls come into our care with low self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness, an distorted view of sex and many have suicidal thoughts. Others show symptoms of depression, isolation, self-harming, self-medicating or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Our goal is to help girls regain a sense of self-esteem, reduce the feelings of shame about the abuse and begin the process of overcoming the trauma. Sexually abused girls need immediate professional evaluation and treatment to help reduce the devastating, emotional fears that may develop as adults.
Girls discover that they have value and that life has worth. Vista Maria becomes a place where girls can take their greatest fears and turn them into their greatest strengths.
FACT: Girls ages 12 to 24 are at the greatest risk for experiencing a sexual assault (U.S. Department of Justice 2001)
Additional Statistics:
20% of high school girls ages 14-18 report being hit, slapped, shoved or forced into sexual activity by a dating partner (Journal of the American Medical Association, 2001). According to recent studies, violence against girls is a serious concern as it now affects 1 in 3 girls in the United
States. The violence can in the form of physical, sexual, or verbal abuse. For girls, their perpetrator is more likely to be someone they know, feel close to or even love, including a boyfriend or family member. Girls aged 16 to 19 are four times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault (National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) designed by the U.S. Department of Justice (2000). The National College Women Sexual Victimization Study estimated that between 1 in 4 and 1 in 5 college women experience completed or attempted rape during their college years (Fisher 2000).
RESOURCES Therapists and Hotlines:
Laura Sanders, LS, LMSW, ACSW, Trauma Therapist
http://laura-sanders.com/therapy or contact the office at 734-662-3509 Parenting Matters, 800-531-5151 National Sexual Assault Hotline, (800) 656-HOPE
Additional Resources:
Center for Disease Control, Sexual Assault Information
http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/sexualviolence/together/index.html
Prevent-abuse-now.com
http://www.prevent-abuse-now.com
State of Michigan, Dating Violence Facts
http://www.michigan.gov/datingviolence/0,1607,7-233-46553-169367--,00.html
State of Michigan, Dating Violence Brochure
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdch/Dating_Violence_brochure_2_175591_7.pdf
State of Michigan, Safe Dating Information
http://www.michigan.gov/som/0,1607,7-192-29941_30586_240-2893--,00.html
Date Safe Project
http://www.datesafeproject.org
