Have big ears and a big heart
I think you need to have big ears and a big heart. Its about listening, like, active listening, not just listening - letting that person tell their story the way that they want to. Um, but also, like, being able to, like, empathise and sympathise with that person. They just want someone to care. ‘Cause after someone’s been sexually assaulted, their entire, like, bodily autonomy has, been destroyed. Um, so like, just someone being able to listen and [being someone] that actually cares about making sure that they’re safe, I think, is a really important thing if someone is gonna disclose to somebody.
Recommendations
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Create an inter-university and college roster of peer supporters and educators that includes international and domestic student leaders across genders.
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Sign on with a service such as KeepMe.Safe, which connects students with mental health professionals from cultures around the world and promote this service as part of university SV/SA service provision.
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Present learning materials in a way that is helpful to a friend supporting a victim/survivor.