When I was in first grade, I was repeatedly molested by one of my teachers. This continued until the middle of fourth grade. I didn’t turn him in because, as a 6 year old, I didn’t really understand what was going on. As I got older, I knew it was wrong, but I was scared and I thought it was my fault. I want to teach people about these things and tell them that if anything like this has ever happened to them that they need to tell somebody. I want to tell them that it’s not their fault.

I was in lunch at school sitting with my friends and this guy that sits next to us starts telling me that I should eat more fries so that my butt and thighs can get bigger. He made me feel so uncomfortable that I told his girlfriend so that she could see what kind of guy he was. So she goes and asks him if it was true and he denies everything. She believed him instead of me.

I was raped by my uncle when I was 12. I couldn’t tell my parents. I was too embarrassed. The abuse stopped when we moved away, but that’s when the nightmares began. I was angry all the time. Finally, I told some friends and eventually got into counseling. It’s so important to talk about rape. My name is Vik. I’m a survivor of rape. I’m not embarrassed by it. It’s part of who I am. It doesn’t define who I am.

My sister was raped by her boyfriend in a hotel room at an after-prom party. I was at a different party in the same hotel, just two doors away. I didn’t know what happened until a couple of years later. I constantly deal with the guilt of being so close and not knowing what was happening, or being able to stop it, somehow! As time has passed, my sister has had to deal with depression, anxiety and panic attacks. Always, in the back of my head, is the question, "What if I had somehow prevented the rape, what would my sister’s life be like know?" I know that I can’t change the past, and that there is nothing I could have done to prevent my sister’s boyfriend from raping her. I do know that I can do something about sexual violence know... I can help make sure that someone else’s sister isn’t raped.

Sexual Assault is often a silent crime. Survivors of this crime often choose not to talk to anyone about what was done to them, fearing that they won’t be believed, or that people will blame them for the crime. TAASA applauds the courage of those who find their voice and tell their story, whether it be to their friends, their counselors, or their communities.

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