HOUSTON - The testimonies of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh have been especially difficult for many survivors of sexual assault.
One local hotline says they got nearly double the numbers of calls they’d normally get on a typical day. Across the U.S., the number of people helped by the National Sexual Assault Hotline jumped 201 percent above average on Thursday, with “unprecedented wait times” for their online chat.
For many survivors, like Raquel Fatiuk of Houston, watching the hearings brought back personal trauma from her assault.
“When (Dr. Ford) was describing his hands and what they were doing, yeah, for sure, (I was) transported back to my own experience,” Fatiuk said.
She’s not alone.
“Yesterday we saw a big spike in our calls,” said Emilee Dawn Whitehurst, President and CEO of the Houston Area Women’s Center. “Over half of the calls were related to the hearings."
Whitehurst says those callers included not just women, but also men and people calling on behalf of children.
“It’s not uncommon for us to be on the phone with people who have waited decades and decades to tell their story,” Whitehurst said.
Whitehurst says it’s easy for survivors’ trauma to be re-triggered by news stories.
“It does hopefully let them know about resources that are available to them and to let them know that people are here to listen to them,” she said.
Long-term, Whitehurst hopes more people realize the scope of sexual assault, and that anyone can be a perpetrator or a victim. She also wants survivors to understand what happened to them is not their fault and that there are advocates and services to help them heal.
“I understand why people don’t report, and I think this is going to encourage people to do so,” Fatiuk said. “It took me 7 years to tell my dad the story because it’s painful.”
Fatiuk, who has served as a victim’s advocate for two years, is encouraging other survivors to stay strong.
“Hang in there,” she said. “I know it’s hard, and it’s just something that you’re going to deal with for your entire life, and it’s really hard to speak out, but I think the more of us that do and share our stories, I think we can put an end to sexual assault.”
The number for the HAWC sexual assault hotline is 713-528-RAPE (7273). Hotlines are staffed 24/7, 365 days per year.