Rape and Sexual Assault

by Marianne Cook, LICSW, Clinician, Harvard University Mental Health Service

Please note that this article contains some graphic content due to the nature of the topic.

One of out every six women and one out of every 33 men in the United States is a victim of rape or sexual assault during his or her lifetime. College women are particularly likely to be victims; one in four is raped or sexually assaulted by the time she graduates. Although the specific legal definitions of rape and sexual assault vary by state, rape is generally defined as forced sexual intercourse, including anal, oral, and vaginal penetration. Penetration may be by a body part or by an object. Sexual assault is typically defined as unwanted sexual contact, such as groping or fondling, that stops short of rape. Both acts are criminal and perpetrators can be prosecuted in court. Anyone can be a victim of rape or sexual assault: men, women, and children; people of any age, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. About 73 percent of rape and sexual assault victims know their attacker; among teenagers, this rate is approximately 93 percent.

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Resource Organizations » Rape and Sexual Assault

13 listing(s), including 3 with hotlines and 3 offering support groups

In Massachusetts

Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition

berkshirestonewall.org/
P.O. Box 4921
Pittsfield, MA  01202
Main Line: 413-822-7268
MH Hotline: (800) 252-0227
LGBT Hotline: (888) 340-4528
The aim of the Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition is to promote the well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people from the Berkshire County area through communication, networking, support, education, political action, and fun. BSCC activities include discussion panels, speakers, infosocials, support groups, community action, social events and the publication of a bi-monthly calendar.

Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC)

www.barcc.org
Offers support group(s)
99 Bishop Allen Drive
Cambridge, MA  02139
Hotline: 800-841-8371
Office: 617-492-8306
Espanol: 800-223-5001
As the second oldest rape crisis center in the United States, the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) has been highly visible locally and nationally in the fight against violence against women. First initiated as a grassroots, activist endeavor, the organization continues to be supported by over 135 BARCC volunteers annually. Volunteers provide hotline crisis counseling, adolescent and family services, support groups, medical advocacy and legal advocacy. BARCC also provides violence prevention education workshops for schools, community groups, teen centers and businesses throughout the greater Boston area.
BARCC provides free services to survivors of rape and sexual assault, their friends and family, regardless of sex, race, physical/developmental disabilities, income, ethnicity, class, age, religion, or sexual orientation. We are able to provide services in English, Spanish, Haitian/Creole and French.

Center for Hope and Healing

www.centerforhopehealing.org/
Offers support group(s)
144 Merrimack Street, Suite 304
Lowell, MA  01852
Hotline: 1-800-542-5212
Rape Crisis Services of Greater Lowell (RCSGL) is dedicated to the healing and empowerment of survivors of rape and sexual assault through counseling, advocacy and education.
RCSGL offers individual counseling sessions for victims of rape and/or sexual assault ages 13 and up.
Individual Counseling Sessions can be provided in English, Khmer, Portuguese and Spanish. Interpreters for other languages available upon on request.
Rape Crisis Services of Greater Lowell also offers support groups focusing on different topics for survivors of rape and/or sexual assault and for families and friends of survivors.

Family Justice Center of Boston

www.cityofboston.gov/fjc
989 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA  02215
617-779-2100
The Family Justice Center (FJC) of Boston provides a safe and welcoming environment where you can talk about your experiences and explore your options. You may need help finding your way through the legal system and understanding your rights as a victim. You may want to know if and how your child has been harmed, and by whom. You may be looking for the support that you need to stay safe and start over. At the FJC, individuals and families have access to a wide range of free services offered by a diverse group of partner organizations. FJC Partners are here to serve all victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse - including non-English speakers, immigrants (regardless of your status) and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals. Childcare is provided during your visit. All services are offered free of charge.

Fenway Community Health Center, Violence Recovery Program

www.fenwayhealth.org
Offers support group(s)
1340 Boylston Street
Boston, MA  02215
800-834-3242
The Violence Recovery Program (VRP) at Fenway Community Health was founded in 1986. The VRP provides counseling, support groups, advocacy, and referral services to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) victims of bias crime, domestic violence, sexual assault and police misconduct. Other services include a support group for LGBT domestic violence survivors, the region's only support group for male survivors of rape and sexual assault, advocacy with the courts and police, and assistance with victim compensation.
Click for a direct link to the Violence Recovery Program.

Jane Doe Inc.

www.janedoe.org
14 Beacon Street, Suite 507
Boston, MA  02108
617-248-0922
617-263-2200 x TTY
Jane Doe Inc., The Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence brings together organizations and people committed to ending domestic violence and sexual assault. JDI creates social change by addressing the root causes of this violence, and promotes justice, safety and healing for survivors. JDI advocates for responsive public policy, promotes collaboration, raises public awareness, and supports its member organizations to provide comprehensive prevention and intervention services. The website includes listings of sexual assault crisis centers in Massachusetts as well as information on sexual violence and guides for safety planning, getting help, and finding resources for specific populations (e.g. LGBTQ).

Maria Talks

www.mariatalks.com
877-627-3933
Maria Talks is a statewide sexual health hotline and website designed specifically for Massachusetts teens covering topics such as pregnancy, sexual violence and GLBTQ. AIDS Action Committee (AAC) developed this website with funding from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH).

Newton-Wellesley Hospital Domestic and Sexual Violence Services

www.nwh.org/community-health-resources/domestic-and-sexual-violence-services/
2014 Washington Street
Newton Lower Falls, MA  02462
617-243-6521
Newton-Wellesley Hospital provides free and confidential domestic and sexual violence services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. The Hospital program works to provide comprehensive, culturally-competent care specific to the needs of the individual survivor.

Outside Massachusetts

Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN)

www.rainn.org
Hotline: 800-656-4673 x 1
Office: 800-656-4673 x 3
The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network is the nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization. RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline and carries out programs to prevent sexual assault, help victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice.

After Silence

www.aftersilence.org
New York, NY  10001
After Silence is designed to help victims become survivors and communicate in the recovery of sexual violence. Its mission is to support, empower, validate, and educate survivors, as well as their families and supporters. The core of the organization is an online message board where survivors come together in a mutually supportive and safe environment. There is also a resource library with information related to sexual violence and its aftermath.

National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence

www.ncdsv.org
4612 Shoal Creek Boulevard
Austin, Texas 78756
512-407-9020
The National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence provides training and consultation, influences policy, and promotes collaboration with the goal of ending domestic and sexual violence. The website provides links to extensive resources related to relationship violence within specific communities. There is a special section on the organization's efforts to stop relationship violence in military families: www.ncdsv.org/ncd_militaryresponse.html.

National Child Traumatic Stress Network

www.nctsnet.org
National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative (SAMHSA)
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD  20857
Established by Congress in 2000, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) is a unique collaboration of academic and community-based service centers whose mission is to raise the standard of care and increase access to services for traumatized children and their families across the United States. Combining knowledge of child development, expertise in the full range of child traumatic experiences, and attention to cultural perspectives, the NCTSN serves as a national resource for developing and disseminating evidence-based interventions, trauma-informed services, and public and professional education. The website includes information on the types of traumatic stress and resources for parents and caregivers whose children are experiencing traumatic stress.

National Sexual Violence Resource Center

www.nsvrc.org
123 North Enola Drive
Enola, PA  17025
877-739-3895
TTY: 717-909-0715
The NSVRC coordinates a range of special projects that address building collaborative and culturally specific approaches to preventing and responding to sexual violence. Through innovation, resource sharing and partnership development the NSVRC seeks to create positive social change. The website includes listings for every state of resource organizations related to sexual violence.

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Additional Sources of Information

  • New York Times Health Guides: Overview — Rape
  • Fostering Healthy Norms to Prevent Violence and Abuse: The Social Norms Approach. An overview of research and theory underlying the social norms approach including recent studies on the role of misperceived norms in fostering violence, and a discussion of the applicability of the social norms approach to child abuse and sexual assault prevention. Forthcoming in Keith Kaufman, Ed (2010): The Prevention of Sexual Violence: A Practitioner’s Sourcebook, NEARI Press.
  • Acquaintance Rape : A Matter of Consent by Dr. Amy Menna. Excerpt: “Rape. It is a powerful word for a power hungry act. It breeds fear and in many cases, it breeds silence. It is important that this silence be broken, and survivors be heard. By doing so, we break the grasp that rape has upon so many. The aftermath can be immense. The journey to heal may be terrifying; the steps, long and tedious. By building a bridge of awareness and empowerment, woman and men who have experienced rape can be healed and heard.”
  • Forensic Nursing. “Forensic nursing combines science and medicine, law and criminology. At its root, forensic nurses are advocates for patients and resource people, managing the care and efforts of all disciplines involved in the response to incidences of assault or abuse.”

Disclaimer: Material on the Project INTERFACE web site is intended as general information. It is not a recommendation for treatment, nor should it be considered medical or mental health advice. Project INTERFACE urges families to discuss all information and questions related to medical or mental health care with a health care professional.