Sexual Assault in the Village
I have witnessed many friends and relatives go through the pains of being sexually assaulted in the village. Many people do not know that living in a small community it is frowned upon for a woman to speak up after being assaulted. Often times it seems virtually impossible for one to even report being assaulted. How does one continue to live in a community that is often less than a mile long, with relatives and friends of her attacker, after reporting such a (disgusting) crime? Where would she go? Who could she talk to? Villages lack the resources that are available in Anchorage for victims of sexual assault, but it happens at a much higher rate. When her attacker is released from jail, what happens next?
They should be sent to jail in the city
ReplyDeleteI agree, what do you suppose life is like for a victim in such a small community? What do you think could be done to help someone in such a situation? Thank you for your response.
DeleteIt's hard, every time you leave you know that you will see one of their family or worse even them. too scary to talk
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThat does sound scary, what would be your advice to someone in that situation?
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a village. Was molested a ton in the village. I see how men get away with that shit and how families don't fight for something to happen. Why is it that when it comes to this we are so weak? I told myself that I would not raise my daughter in the village. She is 2 now and we live in a city in Ak. I know I can't protect her 100% of the time but I am damn sure she is safer here than in the village where pedophiles are free to roam.
ReplyDeleteI feel you on that, I was molested as a child as well, when I spoke up about it, I got in trouble. When I was ready to leave for college and I knew that I would not have to live next door to the person, I reported it. When I did so, other people spoke up about the same person. I have not been back since. Thank you for sharing. And I wholeheartedly agree that more people should speak up and there should more people willing to offer support to victims in the village. Thank you for sharing.
DeleteAccording the Alaska Dept of Public Safety there are 3025 registered sex offenders. Alaska's population according the U.S. Census Bureau is at 722,718.
ReplyDeleteAS 18.65.087 authorizes the Department of Public Safety to maintain a public central registry of persons required to register as sex offenders and child kidnappers under AS 12.63.010 This registry includes offenders who have been convicted of sex offenses specified under AS 12.63.100 who have registered and those who are required to register but may not be in compliance.
Offenders who have been convicted after August 10, 1994 of crimes that are defined as a “sex offense” in AS 12.63 are required to register with the Alaska Sex Offender Registry. (http://www.dps.state.ak.us/sorweb/sorweb.aspx)
What are the numbers where you live?
Here is a link to look the numbers in where you live, what are they?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dps.state.ak.us/sorweb/sorweb.aspx
Growing up in the village (&I'm sure it's all or most), we were taught to keep silent of our problems (family). "Don't tell. Just keep it to ourselves". Sad, but true. We can't just keep on the silence. That silence is causing more pain & suffering on more victims. More trauma. More dependency on hurtful means. I can't speak for molestation or rape, but only from what I heard after the fact. I can't imagine the anxiety it causes. It hurts me to hear such evil tasks taken from others. I am a parent. As a parent I ask, "aren't they worried of other parents' children?" If this happened to my kid(s) I couldn't help but point my finger to a victim that could have stopped it! I deeply apologize for that last sentence, but I admit, it is true.
ReplyDeleteI've seen this silence kill the victims. Fighting with alcohol dependencies, extreme attitude problems, allowing their minor children to witness this behavior, in some cases, offering a cup of homebrew and/or the "pipe " to them. In pain, promiscuity starts up; sometimes even going to the same person that raped/molested him/her. Then, showing the public that it is "okay". That is just plain disgusting! As in these cases I have heard, none of the victims have gotten "help", either was offered & refused, but didn't seek the proper help. It can also be in a case the parent(s) thought they can handle it. That's not the case. In any traumatic event, one that can effect someone the rest of their lives, shouldn't be shrugged off as dust. Victims, parents, etc, needs to get active & push for counselling. Because taking care of the problem at home obviously did work. It caused more problems & more victims. Don't only think of yourself, think of the innocent potential victims. Speak up & make it aware to the public of the predator.
Dear Anonymous,
DeleteLove the response! We share the same point of view. It is up to us to show other's that what is happening IS NOT ACCEPTABLE! Also to show the victims that IT IS OK to speak up. The community should also respect the victims choice to speak up and not shun them or label them, offer support in any way you can. I would like to go more in depth about how hard it can be to speak up and how the reaction of the community effects ones choice to do so. Hopefully we can help people in the future.
~TheModerNative
Are there no advocacy groups or even women elder's who could support women?
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that prevents a person from reporting is confiding into someone the victim feels they can trust and then having that person not believe in the victim. It does happen. Also, some authorities at times won't do anything about the situation. I know one person who went through reporting to police about a rape and they didn't do anything for the victim or anything towards the perpetrator. It is unbelievable, yet it does occur.
ReplyDeleteAlso when I had over heard a few years ago a few people were talking about this one young female in my town that got taken advantage of as she was asleep and under the influence of alcohol. The comments I heard disgusted me such as "yeah right! you know she wanted it"...
Alcohol is another key factor in rapes up here in Rural Alaska making it easier for the perpetrator to attack his victim.
Dear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteSadly I find this to be true as well.