OH
OH WELCOME BACK. EVERY SEVENTY THREE SECONDS AN AMERICAN IS SEXUALLY ASSAULTED AND EVERY
NINE MINUTES THAT VICTIM IS A
CHILD. WE CAN'T WASTE TIME WHEN
IT COMES TO SEXUAL ASSAULT
PREVENTION AND THAT'S WHY CEO
AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
OF CENTER FOR COMMUNITY
SOLUTIONS VERNA GRIFFIN TAVOR
JOINS US THIS MORNING. GOOD
MORNING. GOOD MORNING, GARY. SO
OBVIOUSLY PERFECT APRIL IS
SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH
THAT TALK ABOUT THE VIRTUAL
PREVENTION WORKSHOPS YOU HAVE
AND HOW PEOPLE CAN GET
INVOLVED. ABSOLUTELY. SO A
CENTER FOR COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS
IS THE ONLY RAPE CRISIS CENTER
IN THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO AND A
LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE COUNTY
AND THIS MONTH AS YOU SAID,
THERE IS SEXUAL ASSAULT
AWARENESS MONTH AND DURING THIS
MONTH EVERY WEDNESDAY AT FOUR
O'CLOCK WE'RE OFFERING VIRTUAL
CLASSES TODAY AT 4:00 WE'LL BE
OFFERING CLASSES ON HEALTHY
COMMUNICATION AND CONSENT ON
FOUR TWENTY ONE ON THE
FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY WE'LL BE
HAVING A CONVERSATION ABOUT
HEALTHY BOUNDARIES AND AT THE
LAST WEDNESDAY ON FOUR TWENTY
EIGHT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT
HOW TO SUPPORT SURVIVORS
BECAUSE OF A FRIEND OR FAMILY
MEMBER HAPPENS TO COME FORWARD.
MANY PEOPLE ARE AT A LOSS
OF WHAT TO DO DURING SEXUAL
ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH ONE
LAST THING IS APRIL TWENTY
EIGHT THE SAME DAY AS WE'RE
HAVING OUR LAST VIRTUAL CLASS.
IT'S DENIM DAY AND THAT IS
ABOUT RAISING AWARENESS AND
CONSCIOUSNESS AROUND SEXUAL
ASSAULT AND PREVENTING IT FROM
HAPPENING IN THE FIRST PLACE.
NOW YOU'VE OBVIOUSLY WORKED
WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS.
TALK ABOUT THE TIME IT TAKES TO
HEAL FROM THE TRAUMA, WHAT
OTHER PEOPLE SHOULD LOOK FOR AS
FAR AS SIGNS FROM SOMEBODY ELSE
.YES. SO THERE IS PEOPLE
RESPOND VERY DIFFERENTLY TO
TRAUMA. SOME PEOPLE HAVE
FLASHBACKS. SOME PEOPLE ARE
INCREDIBLY ANXIOUS. SOME PEOPLE
ARE COMPLETELY NUMB AND MANY
TIMES QUESTIONS THAT PEOPLE ARE
ASKING OF US WHEN SOMEONE
DISCLOSES THEY'VE BEEN SEXUALLY
ASSAULTED. WHAT WERE YOU DOING
THERE? WHAT WERE YOU DRINKING?
WHAT WERE YOU WEARING THAT ENDS
UP PUTTING A VEIL OF SILENCE
OVER SURVIVORS BECAUSE IN
ESSENCE IT'S BLAMING THE
SURVIVOR FOR THE HARM THAT THEY
ENDURED SO FAR FOR ANYONE
LISTENING OR HEARING THAT
SOMEBODY BEEN HARMED. FIRST
THING FIRST BELIEVE THE
SURVIVOR SUPPORT THEM, LET THEM
KNOW THAT IT WASN'T THEIR FAULT
AND LET THEM KNOW THAT HELP IS
AVAILABLE AND HELP VERY
DIFFERENT FOR ALL OF US IF
WE'VE BEEN HARMED. ONE THING I
WANT YOUR LISTENERS TO KNOW IS
THAT WE HAVE A HOTLINE AND
COUNSELING AND LEGAL SERVICES
AND A FULL ARRAY OF SUPPORTS TO
HELP SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS
OR FAMILY MEMBERS OR FRIENDS
WHO MAY NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO BUT
WANT TO GET THEIR HELP. SO OUR
HOTLINE IS EIGHT EIGHT EIGHT
THREE EIGHT FIVE FOUR SIX FIVE
SEVEN AND WE WILL OBVIOUSLY
HAVE THAT INFORMATION ON OUR
WEBSITE A LITTLE BIT LATER THIS
MORNING. WE HAVE ABOUT A MINUTE
LEFT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT JUST
KIND OF CREATING THAT
CONVERSATION AS FAR AS
AWARENESS AND PREVENTION, WHAT
AGE SHOULD WE START TALKING TO
OUR CHILDREN ABOUT THIS? YOU
KNOW, IF YOU WANT TO HAVE
CONVERSATIONS OBVIOUSLY THAT
ARE AGE APPROPRIATE BUT YOU
KNOW, OFTENTIMES PARENTS ARE
CONCERNED OR SCARED TO HAVE
THESE CONVERSATIONS START YOUNG
WITH THEIR LITTLE ONES AND
TELLING THEM NO ONE HAS THE
RIGHT TO TOUCH THEIR BODY. YOU
DON'T HAVE TO ALLOW ANYBODY TO
TOUCH YOUR BODY AND THEN ASK
FOLKS GET OLDER. YOU TALK ABOUT
CONSENT HEALTHY BOUNDARIES,
HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS AND IT'S
JUST REALLY IMPORTANT TO START
HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS
EARLY ON WE HEAR FROM COLLEGE
KIDS WHEN WE GO ON COLLEGE
CAMPUSES TO TRAIN WHY DIDN'T I
GET THIS YOUNGER? WHY DIDN'T I
HEAR ABOUT CONSENT AND WHAT
REALLY MEAN? SO IT'S IMPORTANT
THAT PARENTS TALK TO THEIR KIDS
ABOUT NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO
TOUCH THEIR BODIES. SOMETHING
ELSE WE OFTEN HEAR FROM
SURVIVORS ARE YOU KNOW, I GOT
THIS FEELING AND I KNEW I WAS
IN HARM'S WAY BUT IT WAS MY
ROOMMATE'S BROTHER WAS MY DAD'S
FRIEND AND I DIDN'T LISTEN AND
WE WANT TO HAVE WE WANT TO
TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS. THEY'RE
NOT GOING TO STEER YOU WELL IF
YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE IN A
DIFFICULT SITUATION, IT IS
REALLY OK TO REMOVE YOURSELF
GREAT INFORMATION. THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR THAT, VIRNA. AGAIN, WE
WILL HAVE A LINK ON OUR WEBSITE
CBSA DOT COM IF YOU WANT THAT
HOTLINE HOTLINE NUMBER OR THE
INFORMATION ON THOSE VIRTUAL
TRAINING. THANK YOU.