News
Press Release: Boston Area Rape Crisis Center to Host Legislative Briefing on Sexual Assault June 12
Breakfast cosponsored by Sen. Cynthia Stone Creem will address impact of sexual assault, supporting survivors, and healing from sexual violence
As the #MeToo movement continues to spur heightened awareness and attention to the problem of sexual harassment and assault, the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) and Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Stone Creem (D-Newton) will host a briefing on the issue for legislators, their staff, and State House reporters on Tuesday, June 12, 10:00–11:30 a.m. in Room 428 of the Massachusetts State House. Light refreshments will be provided.
“This legislative briefing will provide important information about the services the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center offers to survivors to help them heal and seek justice,” said Senator Creem, who has long led legislative efforts to stem sexual assault and harassment and is currently sponsoring legislation aimed at curbing sexual assault in the workplace. “As the #MeToo movement raises awareness around sexual violence, BARCC continues to be a vital resource.”
The briefing will offer lawmakers the opportunity to hear about how sexual violence affects their constituents, the free services BARCC provides in 29 cities and towns in Greater Boston, and how to support survivors of sexual assault and harassment, including assisting those seeking information about forensic evidence kits collected after an assault. The event will also feature a survivor speaker who will discuss the realities of healing from sexual violence.
“Everyone has a role to play in ending sexual violence, especially legislators and other public policy makers,” said BARCC Executive Director Gina Scaramella. “We look forward to discussing this issue with them, helping them learn to support survivors in their districts, and how they can work together on solutions to ending the scourge of sexual assault and harassment.”
For more information or to RSVP, e-mail Katia Santiago-Taylor at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
A few statistics about sexual violence:
- About one in three women and one in six men in the United States have experienced some form of contact sexual violence during their lifetime. Nearly 23 million women and 1.7 million men in the United States have been raped at some time in their lives. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey)
- Almost one in two transgender people (47%) surveyed have been sexually assaulted at some point in their lifetime. (U.S. Transgender Survey)
- One in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18 years old. (National Sexual Violence Resource Center)
- People with a disability of any kind have an age-adjusted rate of rape or sexual assault that is more than twice the rate for people without disabilities. (The National Crime Victimization Survey and the 2010 Massachusetts Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System)
- One in five women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college. (National Sexual Violence Resource Center)
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About the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center
Since 1973, the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) has been a leader in the movement to end sexual violence. BARCC empowers survivors of sexual violence to heal and provides education and advocacy for the social change needed to prevent sexual violence. BARCC provides free, confidential support to survivors of sexual violence and their families and friends. It also works with high schools, colleges, police, organizations, and communities to advocate for change by providing training in how to respond to survivors and create cultures that prevent sexual violence in the first place. For more information, please visit barcc.org. Follow BARCC on social media: Twitter @barcc; Instagram @barccofficial; Facebook /barcc.org.