Barriers to Disclosure

As we embark on Sexual Assault Awareness Month (2017), you will hear many important facts and information about sexual assault, its impact, its prevalence, and how we can begin working toward prevention. This year, at HEART, we would like to raise awareness on why victims don’t tell. Disclosing sexual assault is a complicated and personal decision. Often, victims tell and are not believed or are blamed. Other times, they don’t tell because of the numerous emotions they may be feeling. We hope that you find this video informative, and that you will share this video with your family and friends. Most of all, we hope that it challenges you to think about the role you can play in supporting sexual assault survivors moving forward. It is important to think about the role we play as bystanders in making our communities safer for our victims. The next time you wonder why victims don’t tell or why many years passed before they did tell, remember the grim reality that only 2% of those who offend actually make it to jail. And remember that often times, the answer to “why don’t victims tell” is actually that they did. It’s just that they weren’t heard.