Wendy Donaldson

Perseverance: Understanding Sexual Violence Wendy Donaldson

Publisher Marketing: This book is designed to share preventative measures to help avoid sexual assault, guide victims to a better understanding of the chaos involved when it occurs, and to educate families & friends of victims in order to help them provide better support. Whether you're a victim of acquaintance rape, date rape, spousal rape, child sexual abuse, incest, drug facilitated sexual assault, male sexual assault, or any other variations of the offense, all victims of sexual violence are thrown into chaotic circumstances that they're poorly prepared for. Victims must try to sort through the madness and confusion, while also struggling with a mass of erratic emotions, sense of security, and even their sanity. The emotional pandemonium that follows can be quite baffling to a friend or loved one that has never experienced such an incident. This book was designed to help inform and educate the victim, spouse, family & friends. "Perseverance" will explain what to expect in the stages from reporting to prosecution, tips for a healthy healing process as well as for perseverance, self-empowerment, other sources of safety, and even explanations of the Crime Victim's Rights. Being that 1-in-6 women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, this book is equally as informative to those that haven't been affected by sexual violence. The best method of protection is prevention. By not putting yourself into defenseless positions, you've already greatly reduced your chances of being victimized. Inside you'll find extremely helpful information regarding preventative measures, safety tips, and even a section on what to do in case you are attacked. The information inside this book is also particularly beneficial for law enforcement, first responders, victim advocates, and anyone else that encounters working with victims of sexual violence. Smaller cities and communities have very limited resources for training in sexual assault response, especially for victims with certain disabilities. The better you understand what could be going on inside the minds of these victims, the better you will be able to serve them. Most importantly, when the victim feels that their concerns are being handled in the most professional manner possible, then you're able to build that much needed rapport and they're more likely to open up and be honest with a stranger.