Perspectives on responses to sexual assault

Some victims want to protect their anonymity. They are afraid of going to the police or confessing to anyone; because it would expose shame, or self-hate, or self-loathe; because it would be hurt their value,…

If it’s someone you care about, someone you know, you should approach them the same way: from the heart. You should just care about them and try to be there for them, because that’s all…

Protecting anonymity and privacy is very important. Keeping privacy protects the victim from the emotional pressure that he/she could experience.

I think that the best quality that a friend could have is to listen to what the person [who has experienced sexual assault] has to say. I think listening is a big part of it,…

I believe that you have to have compassion in a situation like this, where it’s not about enforcement of what you think is right, or what you think should be done. It’s just understanding the…

Another quality I would say would be reliability. It could help if you went through a struggle of your own. It may not be the exact struggle – you don’t have to be abused yourself;…

My advice would be, coming from the Middle East, I would suggest that things over there, when it comes to gender or dignity, it’s very sensitive, and we are not, very comfortable [unclear]. So, they…

There’s a story that my friend told me, when we were still back in Vietnam. He told me about how he got involved in sexual assault when he was in the bathroom with other men.…

Participant 1: If they are physically okay, I would obviously reassure them that I am there for them. I would let them know that there are other people who have gone through the same thing,…

I think they should provide more information about how to contact the office, and in case you don’t want to face-to-face talk to them. Can I get an email address to send them an email…