Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems. ~Rainer Maria Rilke

Monday, November 25, 2013

A very serious guest post from a dear friend.

When  a good friend wrote to me and asked if I would please do a post on an organization called RAINN,  I said "Yes." because not only is this an important issue in our society  (and the world) but making people more aware of the horrific assaults against woman is just the right thing to do. 
This is what my friend sent me and will show you some scary statistics.
This is personal for her. She wrote...

"I just saw a little bleep about today being the "International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women."
If you have the time and energy, I'd love for you to write something on your blog."
and then...
"I would really like to see the day come when women don't accept blame, or even partial blame, for being raped; whether it's by a stranger, friend or relative.  No one has the right.  Ever.  For any reason.  I want women to start talking about it OUT LOUD."

So here it is, my dear friend: For all the men, woman and children who face or have faced terrible assaults in their lives. This is the day that will, hopefully, bring awareness to this problem and maybe, someday, this horrible behavior will cease to be.

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 WHITE RIBBON DAY
THANKS!!  I've been there.
   HERE ARE A FEW ASTONISHING FACTS PRESENTED BY "RAINN".  JUST AMERICAN STATISTICS, NOT INTERNATIONAL.
1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime PERSONALLY, I THINK IT'S MORE THAN THAT. (14.8% completed rape; 2.8% attempted rape).
15% of sexual assault and rape victims are under age 12.

  • 29% are age 12-17.
  • 44% are under age 18.3
  • 80% are under age 30.3
  • 12-34 are the highest risk years.
  • Girls ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.
7% of girls in grades 5-8 and 12% of girls in grades 9-12 said they had been sexually abused.

  • 3% of boys grades 5-8 and 5% of boys in grades 9-12 said they had been sexually abused.
In 1995, local child protection service agencies identified 126,000 children who were victims of either substantiated or indicated sexual abuse.5

  • Of these, 75% were girls.
  • Nearly 30% of child victims were between the age of 4 and 7.
93% of juvenile sexual assault victims know their attacker.

  • 34.2% of attackers were family members.
  • 58.7% were acquaintances.
  • Only 7% of the perpetrators were strangers to the victim.   

    Effects of Rape

    Victims of sexual assault are:

    3 times more likely to suffer from depression.
  • 6 times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
    13 times more likely to abuse alcohol.
    26 times more likely to abuse drugs.
    4 times more likely to contemplate suicide.
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The 25th of November is also the INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMAN and you can find more statistics about the world wide issues here.https://www.un.org/en/events/endviolenceday/

I usually write about dogs, chickens, nature and photography... and I have had the good fortune to have safety and kindness in my life...but today is for all the victims of violence and abuse that are suffering at someone else's hands. This must stop. There are no excuses. 
 

8 comments:

  1. frightening at the thought of how prevalent this type of abuse is. It makes me so very sad, I've been so blessed in my life to be surrounded by loving arms, I can't imagine. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Oh my, I had no idea you would present it this way. I feel like I want to express some thoughts, but I'm sort of overwhelmed with emotion. When I wrote you about this I was mostly focused on sexual assaults, that being a very personal issue for me. But I want to be sure to also mention female victims of domestic violence. For some reason we women tend to take responsibility for the shame.

    Hear this well-----the shame is NOT OURS. That means it is not mine and it is NOT YOURS. Both the blame and the shame lie squarely with the perpetrator alone. Because that is the truth. I choose to sign my name with the hope that this may encourage at least one other woman to break her silence and release herself from the shackles of fear, guilt & shame. I am Dawn Evadne Splan nee Hanson
    Thank you Connie for providing me with a "soap box". I love you.

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  3. I've only done what was right. I do have a platform here and I was glad to have you say what needed to be said. Thank you for this.
    Love you too.

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  4. have heard the 1 in 6 statistic before...its still quite alarming when you make it personal and think of 6 women that you know...ugh

    thanks for the awareness...for doing something...and farmlady for providing the platform...

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  5. Thanks for sharing this information with us. Whether it be rape, or abuse of any kind is not right. Have a blessed day. Madeline

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  6. As a grandma to three wonderful teen girls (one almost a teen) I thank you for bringing this to my attention. It is very scary to read. Tina

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  7. It's deplorable that we call ourselves a civilized society and we tolerate this type of violence against our women and children. If I may step up on my soapbox for a moment...I once heard Oprah say that on television every few seconds a female is being abused, raped, stalked, killed etc. It seems to make for good movies. But it also makes for a bad society. It sends a vile message to our young boys and men. STOP WATCHING THIS GARBAGE, FRIENDS...send a message to Hollywood!
    Rant over.
    Thanks for addressing this subject, dear Farmlady!

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  8. Yes some of us are truly blessed! I feel so grateful never having been in any kind of abused situation and good for those who are brave enough to talk about it out loud indeed.

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