Senate hearing spurs reporting of sexual assault allegations

NEW YORK — The high-profile airing of sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has led victims around the country to flood support center lines with calls, come forward with reports of rapes and publicly share long-held stories of their own experiences of being attacked.

For many who had stifled painful memories for years, hearing Christine Blasey Ford share her accusation against Kavanaugh reopened old wounds. For others dealing with a recent experience of assault, it has spurred them to report the crimes or seek counseling or other help.

“Having this in the news all the time has flipped their lives upside down,” said Kristen Houlton Shaw, executive director of the Sexual Violence Center in Minnesota, where the number of first-time callers has increased in the past week. “So many different things can trigger people, and this time it’s the news.”

Kavanaugh has denied any wrongdoing and gave an impassioned defense of himself at a Senate hearing on Thursday.

“It’s a real mixed bag and a real mix of emotions about both the power of this moment and the pain,” said Jess Davidson, who leads the advocacy group End Rape on Campus and said she has heard from many survivors of sexual assault in recent days who are sharing their stories for the first time. “I don’t think there’s any way we walk away from the conversation that our country is having this week without seeing a shift.”

At the Our Voice rape crisis center in Asheville, North Carolina, executive director Angelica Wind estimated a 15 percent increase in calls from both survivors who were triggered by Ford’s testimony and loved ones seeking advice on how to best support victims they know.

Wind said if the national conversation in coming weeks is supportive of Ford, more people might come forward, encouraged by a case in which an accuser is believed. But if not, many won’t see the point in airing their stories.

“We’re at a crossroads. We can either move forward and do a cultural change where we send a message to survivors that we are here for you. We believe you. It wasn’t your fault and there are resources you can access,” she said. “Or we can move back to dismantle all the progress we have done.”