Women in black, powerful presence for TIME Magazine 2018
Sexual trauma happens to girls and boys, women and men, in every sector of our society. We have a reasonable expectation that we are safe in all of these places. Shameful acts of violence occur in all these sectors, to shame a few.
Homes – families, neighbors, childcare
Religious institutions – synagogues, mosques, temples
Schools – universities, high schools, grammar schools
Military service – all the branches
Sexual assault against women and men is so prevalent in the military that there are official government initials for military sexual trauma.
MST was defined as a military-related traumatic stress event through the Deborah Sampson Act, Public Law 116-315 on July 14, 2010. Deborah Sampson was an American Revolutionary War hero who disguised herself as a man to serve in the Continental Army.
From 2010-2017, I was booked for 4-6 MST cases a month, about 1 case each week.
In 2017, women were bravely speaking out about being assaulted in ways that had not been done in the past. In October 2017, actress Alyssa Milano encouraged assault survivors to share their stories of assault on Twitter using #metoo. That year, Time magazine’s Person of the Year was The Silence Breakers.
In January 2018, I began having 4-6 MST appointments every WEEK. Because it takes months to file a claim and be scheduled for a compensation and pension examination, I quickly knew that it wasn’t the #metoo movement that caused this dramatic increase. Instead, the movement of being a silence breaker was happening in many sectors, including veterans who experienced the betrayal and harm of sexual assault while serving our country. It was clear to me that the increased flow of MST claims was another river in that flood of SILENCE BREAKERS.
TBH – #fthem would probably resonate more with survivors of MST. Accountability is our primary shield for guarding against sexual violence in spaces that we reasonably expect to be safe. Perpetrators will not act in situations where accountability is strong. Those in positions of power have to be attentive and brave, will to be silence breakers.
It was remarkable to watch this happen. These Silence Breakers have inspired me. I’m still having 3-5 MST appointments each week.