Member-only story
The Complexities of Advocating for Survivors of Assault
Over and over again, I witness our system’s failures
A few weeks ago, on a Friday morning shortly after 6 a.m., I received a call telling me a young woman had just arrived at the emergency department of a nearby hospital. I had never met this woman — I didn’t even know her name — but just minutes later I was in a cab on my way, ready to spend the next several hours by her side.
For the past few months, I have been volunteering as an advocate for sexual assault and domestic violence survivors. Twice a month I go on shift for 12 hours, waiting for a call alerting me to a survivor’s arrival at the hospital. Sometimes, my phone doesn’t ring; when it does, I’m told little more than the age and gender of a survivor in need of support, and the hospital I should head to. Once I hang up, I grab my advocate bag — which contains my hospital volunteer ID, some snacks, a phone charger, and my trusty advocate manual — hail a car, and prepare myself for several hours of tending to the needs of someone who’s experienced a severe trauma.
People come to this work for a variety of reasons. In many cases, it’s a personal experience with sexual abuse. Maybe they were abused themselves, or they provided support to a friend who experienced abuse. In other cases, they want to get involved…
