Returning the Power - Giving a Voice to Victims
October 25, 2011
By Alyssa Mathiu

No; a two letter word that can tell someone to back off. But what happens when it doesn't stop there? On Monday, October 17, the Feminist Student Union conducted the event called, "It Didn't Stop With No," a panel discussion on sexual abuse and assault, which is in honor of Healthy Relationships week. The purpose of the event was to inform those in attendance of the steps to be taken if you are a victim of assault.

The panel included five different speakers all from different roles in the community. Despite these differences, their message was universal. Officer Jennifer Wilson, Investigator for the Special Victims Unit of Mishawaka, discussed her role in the community and the benefits provided by the Family Justice Center (FJC). Wilson described the Justice Center as a "one-stop shop, so that victims don't have to run all over town" looking for the services that they need.

Laura S., Special Populations Outreach Coordinator and S.O.S advocate, also spoke of the services provided by the FJC. Some of the services offered include medical and legal information, counseling and many more valuable services that are provided free of charge to victims. The FJC makes sure that their services aim toward the people who matter most in a sexual assault case.
"It's about the victim, it's about empowering them," said Laura S.

The hardest steps for a victim to take are the initial examination and questioning processes. Elizabeth Berger, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) coordinator at the St. Joseph Medical Center discussed the responsibilities of the 14 specially trained nurses.

"Our role is not only to medically examine the patient but to collect evidence," said Berger of her nursing staff.

When the victim initially comes to the medical center, it must be within the first 96 hours after the assault, otherwise vital DNA evidence could be lost. Another job that these nurses have is to explain to the jury as to why there is no physical injury visible, because often in assault cases there isn't any. Just because no injury is visible doesn't mean that nothing happened. After the examination process, which takes about two to three hours, victims are given the option on whether they want to move forward and press charges.

Detective Carl Conway of the Elkhart Police Department talked about the questioning process and how even though the questions he must ask may be uncomfortable, they are crucial to knowing exactly what happened during the assault.

"Imagine taking your last sexual encounter, turning to the person to your left and telling them about it" said Conway, in describing how victims often feel when talking about their assault.

During questioning, the perpetrator often times can cooperate in accordance to what the victim said, which is why it's important that when a victim talks about what happened, they give as much detailed and accurate information as possible. Most often this is enough to initiate the arrest, according to Conway.

As daunting as the process may seem, using lifelines such as SANE and the FJC can help victims to feel protected and supported as they go through what may be the most difficult time in their lives. Wounds from a sexual assault don't heal overnight but knowing that people are there to help and not judge, may be all the victim needs in order to move forward through the process.

As Laura S. stated "[it's about] turning victims into survivors."