5084.0
Silence, secrets and survival: Sexual assault and intimate partner violence
Silence, secrets and survival: Sexual assault and intimate partner violence
Wednesday, November 19, 2014: 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Oral
In a single year (2008), 561,590 women were raped/sexually assaulted in the United States with 19% of women reported having been raped during her lifetime. However, the experiences of women in the military deserve special attention for 39% of these rape victims (6.4% of women soldiers) report multiple sexual assault attacks. Historically, access to health care after a rape has been problematic while serving in the military and victims have had difficulties receiving support through the Veterans Health Administration. This can be further compounded for some veterans by an accompanying sense of shame impacting her ability to explore social support options. There are protective factors for both deployed soldiers and non-commissioned officers suggesting viable options to reduce women soldier’s exposure to sexual assault.
Community victim support services and prevention education can be enhanced through incorporating recent research findings. Examples include the unique barriers black women and women with HIV face. Twenty-two percent of black women report experiencing a completed or attempted rape during their lifetime. These victims have the additional burden of being stigmatized through unique shaming/blaming attributes in the areas of social support, responsibility, and trauma. Sexual coercion is an understood risk factor for HIV. However, other forms of intimate partner violence (IPV) also expose women to the risk of HIV and vice versa. HIV-infected women experienced higher levels IPV than women in community population studies. Inclusion of strategies to address the unique needs of these groups can address gaps in current treatment and prevention programs.
Session Objectives: Describe ways to enhance sexual assault prevention, policy, and support strategies for black women and women serving in the military;
Identify issues limiting access to victim services for women sexually assaulted while serving in the military;
Discuss opportunities to strengthen victim support services and prevention education in the areas of HIV, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence
Moderator:
Olufunke Akiyode, MHSA, MBA
9:10am
9:30am
See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement and author's information.
Organized by: Women's Caucus
Endorsed by: Injury Control and Emergency Health Services, Population, Reproductive and Sexual Health, Public Health Nursing, Socialist Caucus, Family Violence Prevention Caucus, Caucus on Homelessness, APHA-Committee on Women's Rights
CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)
See more of: Women's Caucus