If we subscribe to Oscar Wilde’s philosophy that the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about, then the recent retraction of Rolling Stone’s story, “A Rape on Campus,” will have people talking not only about the magazine’s journalistic failure, but also about sexual assault survivors.
The message we should send? Don’t be deterred. Don’t be afraid. We have experts here to support you.
Jessica Ladd-Webert, director of the Office of Victim Assistance (OVA) for the University of Colorado Boulder, agrees. Sexual assault is an ongoing epidemic, and not just on college campuses, one that deserves our attention no matter how it is garnered.
The article’s author, Sabrina Erdely, has apologized to victims who might fear that their own stories will be discredited as a result of Erdely’s largely false account of “Jackie’s” gang rape by members of a fraternity at the University of Virginia. Ladd-Webert, who was honored this month as Colorado’s recipient of the Visionary Voice Award for her work with sexual assault survivors, believes that the uproar over Rolling Stone’s editorial practices and “Jackie’s” unfounded accusations brings an important conversation about sexual assault to the forefront.
It’s a vital conversation. Ladd-Webert puts sexual assault among the top three traumas for which her office provides free and confidential assistance to CU Boulder students, staff, and faculty. Additionally, in Colorado, according to the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CCASA), statistics show that one in two women and one in four men have experienced sexual crimes in their lifetimes, crimes that also include unwanted sexual contact and other types of coercion. These numbers are on par with national percentages.
Sexual assault is already an underreported crime, and survivors are often unaware of their options and rights, such as access to medical care without making an immediate decision to participate in the criminal justice system. The Rolling Stone debacle and other high-profile cases, including those involving student athlete perpetrators who are sometimes shielded from consequences, can silence victims who already fear that they will be poorly treated, discredited, or shamed even by those from whom they seek help.
People such as Ladd-Webert, however, are giving some measure of control back to these survivors. For Ladd-Webert and the counselors and licensed social workers at OVA, empowering victims to make informed decisions is part of the healing process, whether it’s guidance for navigating the legal system, counseling and psychotherapy, or simply providing a safe place to be heard, to be believed, to be supported.
One of only 30 recipients nationwide of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s 2015 Visionary Voice Award, Ladd-Webert is recognized for her victim advocacy on both the state and federal levels. At U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill’s invitation, Ladd-Webert participated in roundtable discussions on campus sexual assault and the criminal justice system, and, after the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, Ladd-Webert brought her expertise to federal rulemaking sessions that developed recommendations for campus safety and security reporting requirements.
The question for me is not whether “Jackie’s” fabricated story and the ensuing fiasco at Rolling Stone will affect the decisions of future victims to come forward but, rather, how will it affect them? Without agencies such as CCASA, without organizations such as CU Boulder’s Office of Victim Assistance, without people such as Jessica Ladd-Webert, many sexual assault survivors would not know where to turn for help, would not even know who to trust.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and it’s time to bring the conversation out into the open — not about “Jackie” and Rolling Stone, but about the effects of sexual violence. It’s time to talk about strengthening our advocacy and response in support of victims. It’s time to talk about the courage and resilience of survivors. It’s time to talk about when and where and how to get help.
If you or someone you know may be a victim of sexual assault, you can find information about support and advocacy at Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and the CU Boulder Office of Victim Assistance at .
Andrea W. Doray is a communication consultant, writer and editor, and is an instructor in the Young Writers Program at Lighthouse Writers Workshop.
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