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i always have an intense response to sexual assault bc unfortunately it happened to me when i was 15, but also, when i was in the navy, i worked as a SAPR advocate (sexual assault prevention response), i saw a lot of really heinous fucking things.
when we had wkend duty as a SAPR we had to carry the "duty phone". i got 4 calls. one led to the most foul case id ever seen.
a young woman was raped &beaten by a seasoned officer while she on duty minding her business (not my ship). i was called bc the CDO of that ship called us
a young woman was raped &beaten by a seasoned officer while she on duty minding her business (not my ship). i was called bc the CDO of that ship called us
basically by the time i got to the hospital, they were taking all the samples for her rape kit. rape kit samples are in themselves TRAUMATIC AS FUCK. pubic hair samples, a whole vaginal exam, blood samples, you go on a cocktail of meds immediately to combat hiv, hep-c, etc
this is hours after her incident and my job is basically to file the initial SAPR paperwork and send it up her chain of command. bc this happened on duty and there were WITNESSES (someone found her on the floor while he was roving) she didnt get the option of not reporting
i talk a lot of shit abt deployment being hard, etc. no. that night was definitely the hardest night i ever had in the navy. she had several panic attacks, and grew extremely paranoid. i knew her from C-school and she begged me to stay with her the whole night. i stayed.
weeks and weeks later, court martial is coming up. the officer was charged and they are prepared to throw the book at him. the young lady was summoned and she requested the SAPR from her initial intake sheet to show up (me).
we get to the stairs of the building and before we get to the door, panic attack. she keeps screaming she cant go in there she cant see him again, etc. I went to the JAG and told him she couldnt go inside. He was being a dickhead and barked that it was my job to get her inside.
So here& #39;s the part abt bein an advocate they dont really go over during the training: i went to the admiral himself... which..ok V intimidating bc WTF breaking all types of protocol, but i felt like well shit this is fuckin different &u cant force someone into that, it& #39;s inhumane
the court proceeding have already started and they were at the part of calling her to be a witness. so i knocked on the door, and all i said was "sir, respectfully request to speak to you, there is a problem." so the admiral comes out the court room, and was like "?!!"
i took him outside where the young woman was &he says "look, you dont have to do anything you dont want to do." she keeps apologizing and saying she cant do it, and he says no that& #39;s fine, they already have all they need. he goes back inside. i wait w/her until her sister comes
babyyyy i could hear that man hollering at the defendant through several sets of closed doors.
that officer is in military prison as we speak.
that officer is in military prison as we speak.
but idt it was until that case that i could see something from beginning to end and how many gaps there are and see first hand what victims go through with shit like that.
usually in that type of case, u are given the option to PCS to a new command or get out. she transferred.
usually in that type of case, u are given the option to PCS to a new command or get out. she transferred.
and it would trip me out thinking abt it like jesus what if someone puts her on watch? she will never be the same and they& #39;ll put her on fucking 5 and dimes or 12&12 on deployment and ...???? wtf. she said she couldnt get out bc she had a family to support.
literally any time i hear "sexual assault" i think about her and wonder if she is ok and if she& #39;ll ever find a way to recover some of who she is after that. the CDOs/OODs are usually khakis and usually male. how is she supposed to trust them? where is the fucking safety net?
and for a primer on the types of environments some of us had to work in; here is a thread https://twitter.com/cerseisolipsism/status/1199925713148747776?s=21">https://twitter.com/cerseisol... https://twitter.com/cerseisolipsism/status/1199925713148747776">https://twitter.com/cerseisol...
