Sexual assault: women’s voices on the health impacts of not being believed by police

McQueen, Karen; Murphy-Oikonen, Jodie; Miller, Ainsley; Chambers, Lori

doi:10.1186/s12905-021-01358-6

Cited by 22 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 45 publications

(49 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Furthermore, our study documents striking disparities in ED staff behavior towards SA survivors according to survivor identity. Given that post-assault ED interactions are critical turning points in survivors’ future medical care, disparities in ED care may be linked to larger disparities in healing from trauma (Campbell, 2013; Campbell & Raja, 1999, 2005; Maier, 2008, 2012; McQueen et al, 2020). The high rates of ED staff empathy for SA patients documented in this study suggests that negative survivor-ED staff interactions are more linked to low provider self-efficacy than unmodifiable beliefs and attitudes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Sexual Assault Survivor Identity on Patient Care in the Emergency Department

Chalmers

Parameswaran

Dussault

et al. 2022

J Interpers Violence

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Interactions between emergency department (ED) staff and sexual assault (SA) survivors can be a source of retraumatization for survivors, increasing their risk of posttraumatic stress and decreasing utilization of longitudinal medical care. Little is known about nationwide trends in ED staff attitudes and behaviors toward survivors, including the impact of survivor identity. We conducted a survey to determine if survivor identity influenced ED staff behaviors. A nationwide survey of SA patient advocates was conducted between June and August 2021. Advocates are volunteers or staff dispatched from rape crisis centers to support survivors during ED care. Advocates participated in an online survey to determine the frequency of observing six potentially retraumatizing provider attitudes and behaviors. Adaptive questioning was used to explore the impact of survivor identity on each attitude or behavior and which identity groups were more likely to be affected. Three hundred fifteen advocates responded to the survey. Less than 10% indicated that ED staff often or always convey disbelief or blame to survivors. Almost 75% of advocates indicated that they often or always observe ED staff showing empathy to survivors. Disparities were found in provider attitudes. Over 75% of advocates observed that survivors’ mental health status or substance use impacted conveyed belief from providers. Patients who were intoxicated when assaulted, had psychiatric disorders, were Black, Hispanic/LatinX, or indigenous, or were not cis-females were more likely to experience disbelief. Patients who were white and/or cis-gender females were more likely to be pressured by ED staff to complete the forensic exam and/or report to the police. Our study documents disparities in ED staff behavior towards SA survivors according to survivor identity. Given that post-assault ED interactions are critical turning points in survivors’ future medical processes, disparities in ED care may be linked to larger disparities in healing from trauma.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Sexual Assault Survivor Identity on Patient Care in the Emergency Department

Chalmers

Parameswaran

Dussault

et al. 2022

J Interpers Violence

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This culture extends to safety and security officers who are supposed to protect women. When women report sexual violation and are subjected to secondary victimisation by police, where their account is not believed, this causes more emotional harm and delayed healing and discourages women from reporting crimes [9]. The culture of victim blaming, stereotyping and secondary victimisation of victims of SGBV by police is rife globally [10][11][12].…”

Section: Underlying Factors To Sexual Violencementioning

confidence: 99%

A Case Study on Transdisciplinary Approach to Eradicating Sexual Violence: Thuthuzela Care Centres

Dlamini¹

2023

Sexual Violence - Issues in Prevention, Treatment, and Policy [Working Title]

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In 2010, South Africa had the highest rate of rape in the world at 132.4 incidents per 100,000 people; this decreased to 72.1 in 2019–2020. This could be an actual decline, or it could be due to other factors such as a sign of decrease in reporting and lack of trust in the criminal justice system. Executing its mandate to develop best practices and policies in the reduction of gender-based violence, the Sexual Offences and Community Unit (under the National Prosecuting Authority) introduced Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCCs) in 2006, one-stop facilities whose aim is to turn gender-based violence (GBV) victims to survivors through psychosocial, medical and legal support. A transdisciplinary approach is utilised in solving national challenges, including Departments of Justice, Health, Social Development, Treasury, and Non-Governmental Organisations who work with social workers to offer counselling. TCCs are the most cohesive intervention to date that seeks to prevent and eradicate GBVF. Accountability by each stakeholder from the opening of the case to its conclusion has improved conviction rates tenfold. The country requires more partnerships and transdisciplinary approaches to tackle national challenges, including SGBVF. It will take leadership and accountability by all parties to achieve success.

show abstract

“…( 16 – 18 ) Subsequently, sexual solicitation within the work environment has forced many licensed massage therapists to defend their education, professionalism, and treatment approaches in the face of socially accepted stigma. ( 8 , 9 , 19 , 20 ) Individuals asking massage therapists for sexual services will continue to search until services are provided, often by trafficking victims. Perpetrators will not stop because a single, isolated massage professional turned them down or a business posted a sign.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some states include behaviors deemed obscene, lewd, or lascivious in general harassment laws and may be an avenue for massage therapists to leverage for reporting while waiting for top-down regulations by states and professional organizations to protect them consistently. ( 53 ) However, directly reporting solicitation and assault (culturally taboo, illegal, and notorious for victim-blaming ( 18 , 20 , 54 ) ) to the criminal justice system can increase shame and embarrassment, fear of retaliation, as well as complicate complex subjective and contextual variables inherent to the incidents. ( 9 ) A defined, systemic, and organized reporting process, supported by professional massage therapy organizations and corporations, to reduce reporting barriers and support debriefing, may allow individual harassment incident documentation of predatory behavior patterns within and across states.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perpetuating Victimization with Efforts to Reduce Human Trafficking: A Call to Action for Massage Therapist Protection

Rosenow

Munk

2023

IJTMB

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Human trafficking guised as massage therapy businesses is a highly successful business model that creates independent but related victims beyond the women and girls forced into sex work. Massage clinicians and the massage therapy profession are also negatively impacted by the trafficking massage business model with over 9,000 established illicit massage businesses marketing services alongside professional therapeutic massage businesses. Credential regulation efforts advocated for by various massage-related professional organizations and regulat-ing agencies have fallen short in their purported intentions to protect massage therapists and trafficking victims. Massage industry advocates continue endorsing massage therapy as a branch of health care although healthcare workers are not generally considered or treated as sex workers. Sexual harassment research in direct patient care disciplines, such as physical therapy and nursing, points to a high patient initiated incident rate and transdisciplinary, detrimental mental health outcomes for clinicians. Reporting and debriefing instances of sexual harassment inside of healthcare organizations, covered by The Civil Rights Act of 1964, promotes a victim-centered perspective to support the well-being of past, current, and pending victims. The massage therapy workforce is comprised of mainly female sole proprietors, creating a double vulnerability in their potential to experience sexual harassment. This threat is compounded by little-to-no protective or supporting systems or networks for massage clinicians. The priorities of professional massage organizations to depend on credentialing and licensing as their primary efforts to fight human trafficking, seems more to perpetuate the current system/expectations, leaving individual massage therapists responsible for fighting or reeducation deviant sexualized behaviors. This critical commentary closes with a call to action aimed at professional massage organizations, regulators, and corporations to protect massage therapists through a unified position, supported in word, policy, and action, against sexual harassment, and unequivocally condemns professional massage devaluation and sexualization in all forms.

show abstract

Sexual assault: women’s voices on the health impacts of not being believed by police

Cited by 22 publications

References 45 publications

Impact of Sexual Assault Survivor Identity on Patient Care in the Emergency Department

Impact of Sexual Assault Survivor Identity on Patient Care in the Emergency Department

A Case Study on Transdisciplinary Approach to Eradicating Sexual Violence: Thuthuzela Care Centres

Perpetuating Victimization with Efforts to Reduce Human Trafficking: A Call to Action for Massage Therapist Protection

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About