Personal violations: Lee County not immune to effects of sexual assault

Nov. 01--Editor's note: This is the first in a two-part story entitled "Personal Violations," exploring sexual assault in Lee County. The second part will appear in Thursday's Herald.

Activist Tarana Burke's #metoo campaign, designed to raise awareness of sexual assault and harassment, was restarted last month by actress Alyssa Milano on Twitter, and tweets poured in with the hashtag.

Within 24 hours, according to a Twitter spokesperson, the phrase was tweeted nearly half a million times as people wrote about their experiences being harassed or sexually assaulted. The number continues to grow.

Sexual violence has vaulted into the nation's consciousness as a result. Lee County isn't immune from the effects.

For example, a South Carolina man was arrested in July by the Lee County Sheriff's Office for raping a 12-year-old child in 2014. The rape was first reported in April of this year, with the accused extradited to Lee County and charged with the crime. Last year, a Sanford man was charged with raping a young girl over a six-year period. In September, another Sanford man was charged with felony statutory rape of a 12-year-old child.

It's not just a Hollywood issue.

Laying out the basics

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, there are 321,500 victims aged 12 or older of sexual assault and rape each year. The majority of those victims, 69 percent, are 34 years old or younger. One out of every six American women has been the victim of attempted or completed rape in her lifetime, and 90 percent of rape victims are female.

According to Sanford-based therapist Cecelia Patterson, sexual violence has a deeper impact on survivors due to the nature of the abuse.

"Sexual abuse is an incredibly personal violation of something one expects to be able to control and have a say-so over," Patterson said. "I have seen people who've experienced a home break-in feel unsafe for years after the event. Even behind locked doors and multiple safety features including alarms, they still do not feel safe in their own home. Imagine how this would be intensified having suffered a violation sexually. It becomes difficult to trust the intentions of everyone around you."

One of the respondents to a Herald survey that allowed survivors to address the subject anonymously wrote that she was sexually harassed and assaulted during a period of time in school. Later in life, when she entered a romantic relationship with a man, she feared physical contact like hugs would be "an invitation to assault." She said she later learned to trust her significant other, but was afraid sharing her past would drive him away.

"Instead, he held me as I cried, wiped away my tears, and assured me that he loved and respected me, and that none of this was my fault," she wrote, adding that she would go on to marry him.

Individuals that share their story of being raped or assaulted are often left embarrassed, ashamed or worse. Sherry Overton Shudra is the executive director of HAVEN in Lee County, a nonprofit that helps victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, and often helps victims as a court advocate. She said the process by which criminal complaints are prosecuted can be "so invasive."

"If they proceed with trying to prosecute that person, they are so shamed and criticized," Shudra said. "It's so horrific for the victim to go through. At every point they are made to feel guilty and shamed."

Of utmost importance to both HAVEN's work and law enforcement is keeping the survivor's identity confidential, for many reasons.

When the Lee County Sheriff's Office reports an arrest of a person for rape, sexual assault or another sexual crime, they withhold the name of the victim by law and for the victim's protection.

"Part of them doesn't want the community to know what's happened to them," said Chief Deputy Randall Butler. "They're afraid they'll be marked as a certain type of individual."

This leads to some incidents getting reported years after the event or not at all. In some cases, it's a child who may not know what's happening or their abuser tells them not to say anything. In others, the story just isn't told because of embarrassment.

"It happens more times than not," said Capt. Jeff Johnson with the sheriff's office. "Really, truly, very rarely do you get a rape victim that goes straight to the hospital. Once they talk to friends or family or somebody and tell somebody about it, a lot of times then they'll call law enforcement."

Johnson, Butler and Sheriff Tracy Carter said they couldn't put a guess on how many cases go unreported. According to best estimates from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, just 34.4 percent of sexual assaults are reported to police.

Horror tales

The stories can be hard to hear. Sitting in the boardroom at HAVEN's offices, Shudra told the story of one of her first cases.

It was two weeks after she had joined the organization as executive director in the summer of 2015. Shudra comes from a corporate background and joined HAVEN -- which stands for "Helping Abuse & Violence End Now" -- to help straighten out its finances after a couple of rough years. She expected to stay a year, nothing more, to help the nonprofit get on its feet again. But that changed.

"We had a 4-year-old little boy that was a victim of sexual assault and sexual abuse for years," she said, holding in a bit of emotion. "Four years old. I will never ever forget this child, as long as I live. And in that moment, this just became something different for me. It wasn't just about fixing HAVEN's finances. It was, 'Oh my goodness, there are broken children and families and people that really need (help).'"

HAVEN focuses on victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse. In the fiscal year 2016-2017, staff members and other advocates took 44 sexual assault crisis calls -- the organization has a 24/7 crisis hotline -- and assisted 25 clients, including two children, dealing with sexual assault. Along with court advocacy, HAVEN offers a temporary shelter, counseling referrals and hospital accompaniment, among others.

The shelter is able to hold nearly 30 people and provides dorm-style living for women and children looking to escape abusive situations. Kym Weathers Smith is HAVEN's volunteer coordinator and volunteers at the shelter often herself. She said part of their mission is to help empower women in abusive situations.

"It's their decision what they do -- whether they go back to their situation, whether they break free from their situation, they have to do what's best for them in their mind," Smith said. "And sometimes on your inside, you're saying, 'No, please don't go back,' but on the outside it's judgement-free zone. We're here if you need us, you know where to find us."

Reach Staff Writer Zachary Horner at 919-718-1217 and on Twitter at @Zachary_Horner.

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