In October 2017, numerous sexual assault and harassment allegations against former Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein started a frenzy on social media. Actress Alyssa Milano urged her Twitter followers to respond with #MeToo to demonstrate the impact sexually related crimes have on survivors around the world. Within 24 hours, nearly 5 million people had engaged in the conversation.
More than a decade earlier, in 2006, Tarana Burke established the Me Too movement. The black female activist wanted to help low-income women of color find support after surviving sexual assault, abuse and exploitation.
“It wasn’t built to be a viral campaign or a hashtag that is here today and forgotten tomorrow,” Burke says in the article “#MeToo reaches 85 countries with 1.7M tweets” on CBSNews.com. “It was a catchphrase to be used from survivor to survivor to let folks know that they were not alone and that a movement for radical healing was happening and possible.”
Burke’s website, MeTooMVMT.org, includes an extensive list of resources for victims, and her Twitter account, @MeTooMVMT, has more than 28,000 followers.
In April 2018, her inspiring and powerful work landed her on the cover of Time as one of its 100 most influential people.
The Me Too movement has not only given a voice to survivors of sexual violence — it has also inspired more healthcare professionals to want to help them.
RN to SANE
The number of registered nurses (RNs) reaching out to the sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) program at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center in Appleton, WI, was up 75 percent in 2017 compared to 2016, according to the NBC26.com article, “Fox Valley sexual assault program sees increase after #MeToo movement.”
“Sexual assault is the most underreported crime,” Meghan Van Heertum, ThedaCare’s SANE program coordinator, says in the article. “Less than 20 percent of victims report their crime, so I don’t necessarily know the numbers mean that it’s happening more often. … I’d like to think more people are seeking services and treatment for it.”
With only about 2,600 SANE nurses in the United States who are registered with the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN), some rape victims have to travel to neighboring cities to obtain care from a properly trained nurse. In some cases, the added stress of making the trip may prevent a patient from seeking help.
Research shows “individuals that receive care from a SANE are more likely to have better evidence collected, their cases are more likely to be prosecuted, and their healthcare needs met,” according to Sally Laskey, CEO of the IAFN, in the article, “The health care shortage that impacts victims of sexual assault” on WHYY.org.
Coming Forward
Many law enforcement and healthcare professionals believe that the #MeToo movement has triggered survivors to disclose their sexual assaults for the first time.
In Lincoln, NE, nearly one-third of the 128 rapes reported between Jan. 1 and May 23, 2018, happened at least one year before police were notified, according to the article, “#MeToo movement leads to more rape reports” on JournalStar.com.
The Sexual Assault Resource Agency (SARA) in Charlottesville, VA, saw its client numbers jump from 212 in 2016 to 286 in 2017, according to “MeToo might be steering more local survivors to seek help” on DailyProgress.com.
The article also reports that between July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2017, SARA staff responded to 65 ER calls to help sexual assault survivors through the process of emergency services and forensic exams. As of March 2018, with four months remaining in its fiscal year, the agency had already received 60 ER calls.
The Cleveland Rape Crisis Center averaged about 3,000 calls on its hotline for nearly a decade, according to “Cleveland Rape Crisis Center credits #MeToo movement for increase in assault reports” on Fox8.com. This year, the center expects close to 7,000 calls.
The #MeToo movement has motivated so many survivors to come forward that Time named “The Silence Breakers” as its People of the Year in December 2017.
Not Alone
Every 98 seconds in America, someone is sexually assaulted, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN). Every eight minutes, the victim is a child.
While these statistics may be disturbing, they’re not shocking to SANEs.
Over just one year, SANE nurses at HealthOne’s The Medical Center of Aurora in Colorado treated more than 300 patients who were victims of sexual assault.
“The #MeToo movement has provided a valuable opportunity for a nationwide conversation about sexual assault, and for us as caregivers to talk about the type of medical programs that are available to victims,” says Colleen Kampa, an RN and one of seven SANE nurses at The Medical Center of Aurora, in the article “#MeToo movement brings sexual assault nurse examiners to forefront” on HCATodayBlog.com.
“I hope, if nothing else, the #MeToo movement has shown survivors that they don’t have to live in fear or shame and that they are not alone.”
Duquesne University’s Online Master of Science in Nursing
Duquesne University’s online MSN in forensic nursing program teaches students how to apply the principles of law and forensic science to nursing practice. Graduates of the university’s master’s in nursing education online may go on to pursue a variety of clinical and leadership roles as sexual violence nurses. Those roles may include advanced practice sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs), forensic nurse practitioners and advanced forensic nurse specialists.
The School of Nursing also offers an online post-master’s certificate in forensic nursing. For more information about all of its online nursing programs, contact Duquesne University today.
Sources
- #MeToo reaches 85 countries with 1.7M
- Fox Valley sexual assault program sees increase after #MeToo movement
- “The health care shortage that impacts victims of sexual assault”
- #MeToo movement leads to more rape reports
- #MeToo might be steering more local survivors to seek help
- Cleveland Rape Crisis Center credits #MeToo movement for increase in assault reports
- Statistics
- #MeToo movement brings sexual assault nurse examiners to forefront