Sexual assault is any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual activities such as, forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and attempted rape. 1

Note, The Department of Justice in 2012, formally expanded the definition of rape to include men as victims. 2

According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), Every 98 seconds, another person experiences sexual assault. 3
What Should You Do If Sexually Assaulted?  
(Notes from RAINN)

·         Find a safe environment-anywhere away from the attacker.  Ask a friend to stay with you for moral support.
·         Preserve evidence of the attack, don't bathe or brush your teeth.  Write down all the details you can recall about the attack and attacker.
·         Get medical attention.  Even with no physical injuries, it is important to determine the risk of STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) and/or pregnancy.
·         To preserve forensic evidence, ask the hospital to conduct a forensic exam (sometimes known as a “rape kit”- https://www.rainn.org/articles/rape-kit).
·         If you suspect that you may have been drugged, ask for the collection of a urine sample.  The sample will need to be analyzed later in a forensic lab.
·         Report the sexual assault to law enforcement authorities.      A counselor can provide information that you will need to understand the process.
·         Know or remember that it was not your fault.  Recognize that healing from sexual assault takes time. 
·         Give yourself the time required, and know that it is never too late to call for help, even if the attack happened years ago.  Many victims do not realize they need help until months or years later.   

Resources:

National Sexual Assault Hotline-operated by RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)
1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)
1-877-739-3895

YWCA 24-Hour Sexual Assault Crisis Line (Greater Los Angeles Calif.)
1-877-Y-HELPS-U (877-943-5778)

References:

1 The United State Department of Justice
https://www.justice.gov/ovw/sexual-assault

 2 https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/blog/updated-definition-rape

3 RAINN https://www.rainn.org

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Non-Profit Cry Heard Support Incorporation
​
Come join Cry Heard Support Inc., Board members, volunteers, and many others as we lace up our running shoes to participate in the Cry Heard Support Inc., “Walk Towards the Cry 5K Run/Walk”.

The event is scheduled for June 24, 2017, and is an effort to raise funds to increase awareness and prevention of Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking, or "modern-day slavery."


 Walk Towards The Cry 5K Run/Walk

8:00 a.m.

El Dorado Park East Regional Park
7550 E. Spring Street
Long Beach, CA  90815


Register Now

http://www.active.com/long-beach-ca/running/distance-running-races/walk-towards-the-cry-5k-run-walk-2017

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Robert Hendricks


 The 26.2 miles runs grew on me as I looked forward to training for them throughout the year. That meant getting up at crazy hours of the morning to get training runs in.    

 Rain or shine, I was out on the street or beach running while normal people were sleeping. I had made changes to my diet to get “mean and lean.”    I remember my sister-in-law, who had not seen me for a while, saying to me, “You look like you have AIDS,” because I had lost so much weight in training.      

 Besides the endorphins high and the desire to feel fit, why had I taken up running marathons? I was a sprinter in my early years, why did I turn to distance running?           
                                                        
I ran because I could run; yes, I could run long and hard to escape, even for a moment, life's tensions. It was linked to accomplishments and running out the unfinished business of my childhood trauma.

I could not run then, but now I had enough endurance to run my personal best, to see the trees, to see the sky, to see the ocean, to remind myself that building endurance was a process.    

I recalled when I first started training I could not run a half a block without being out of breath. I kept at it with determination, and before long it got easier and easier–half a mile turned into a mile, a mile turned into two.

Praise God for using my participation in marathons as a   reminder of the miles I had already completed in my life journey: the experience of an alcoholic father, the death of my oldest brother, the shame of being sexually molested, the two near death encounters…”1                                                                                

Child Sexual Abuse Statistics

Studies by David Finkelhor, Director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center, show that


·  1 in 5 girls and 1 in 20 boys is a victim of child sexual abuse;

·   Self-report studies show that 20% of adult females and 5-10% of adult males recall a
    childhood sexual assault or sexual abuse incident;

·   During a one-year period in the U.S., 16% of youth ages 14 to 17 had been sexually  
     victimized;

·   Over the course of their lifetime, 28% of U.S. youth ages 14 to 17 had been sexually
    victimized;
·   Children are most vulnerable to CSA between the ages of 7 and 13.


Bureau of Justice Statistics report

A child who is the victim of prolonged sexual abuse usually develops low self-esteem, a feeling of worthlessness and an abnormal or distorted view of sex. The child may become withdrawn and mistrustful of adults, and can become suicidal (page 1)
Children who do not live with both parents as well as children living in homes marked by parental discord, divorce, or domestic violence, have a higher risk of being sexually abused (page 171).

In the vast majority of cases where there is credible evidence that a child has been penetrated, only between 5 and 15% of those children will have genital injuries consistent with sexual abuse (page 2).

Child sexual abuse is not solely restricted to physical contact; such abuse could include noncontact abuse, such as exposure, voyeurism, and child pornography (page 1). 2


Robert Hendricks, former marathon runner, sexual assault survivor, and now Founder of Cry Heard Support Inc., Board members, volunteers,  will lace up their running shoes to participate with many others in  the Cry Heard Support Inc., Walk Towards the Cry 5K Run/Walk. The event is scheduled for June 24, 2017, and is an effort to raise funds to increase awareness and prevention of Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking, or "modern-day slavery."

 
Walk Towards The Cry 5K Run/Walk

8:00 a.m.
El Dorado Park East Regional Park
7550 E. Spring Street
Long Beach, CA  90815


Register Now
http://www.active.com/long-beach-ca/running/distance-running-races/walk-towards-the-cry-5k-run-walk-2017


Reference
 
1.   Pastor Hendricks, Robert.  From a Cry to a Shout.  Tarentum, Pennsylvania: Word Association Publisher, 2006
2.   http://victimsofcrime.org/media/reporting-on-child-sexual-abuse/child-sexual-abuse-statistics


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​                                                     Sexual Assault Awareness Month 
 
 
 While Human Trafficking is not a clone of sexual assault, they link in many ways, as victims are subjected to sexual exploitation or forced prostitution.    
 
 Excerpts from the book, From a Cry to a Shout, by Pastor Robert Hendricks
                                     
        
                                                                                         (Mexicali)
 
  
… My father and other campers, along with Ramón, during most fishing trips traveled together to what they identified as “going to town.” I was never allowed
to make these excursions. Some of the campers would return to the campsite drunk, while my father would return sober, although he seemed very happy…I thought about the time a group of campers returned from “town” with a young Mexican lady (could have been underage) they had brought back to the campsite. My father had not made the trip with them this time. I was in our trailer relaxing, and my father was stirring around the campsite when they arrived. I heard one of the campers call out to my dad, "Willie, don't you want to get in on this?" He would further make my father aware that one of the campers was having his way with this young lady as they spoke. I assumed she was a prostitute. By now I was hearing the chatter very well, and young Mr. Inquisitive decided he would look out the window to see what all the fuss was about. Just as I peeped out of the window of the trailer, this young lady emerged in the camper door topless, baring her breasts. To the best of my knowledge, my father did not participate, but he was certainly hanging around with the wrong company. 1  
While boys are not exempted, girls ranging from the age of 12-14, face the highest risk of being forced into sexual trafficking. Once in this modern-day slavery most of these children endure additional trauma as they have already been victims of physical or sexual abuse, and homelessness (sometimes because of being a runaway). And we now know that some children being bought and sold for sex in our nation are foster care children.  These circumstances make these children ripe for traffickers as they prey on children that hold the greatest vulnerability.
 
 
  Walk Towards The Cry 5K Run/Walk
·        Saturday, June 24, 2017
·        El Dorado Park East Regional Park • 7550 E. Spring Street Long Beach, CA  90815
·        8:00 a.m.
 
Cry Heard Inc. is a non-profit organization which helps through:"Breaking the silence of sexual assault, human trafficking, and pornography addiction, through publishing, and public awareness campaigns."
This event is a fundraiser to increase awareness and prevention of Human Trafficking or “Modern-Day-Slavery” and Sexual Assault. 
​
Please register and walk or run in support of this cause.  
 
Register Now
https://endurancecui.active.com/event-reg/select-race?e=42895953&regnow=awe-regnow
 
     Reference
1.   Pastor Hendricks, Robert.  From a Cry to a Shout.  Tarentum, Pennsylvania: Word Association Publisher, 2006