Believing Victims Starts With You

About 1 in 10 children in the United States will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday and 73% of the victims don’t tell anyone for at least a year. Many never tell.

When someone comes to you, what will your response be? All too often, survivors who gather the courage to tell someone their story are blamed for bringing the incident on themselves.

Start by Believing is a public awareness campaign designed by End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI) to change the way people respond to rape and sexual assault in communities.

Start by Believing is gravely effecting Highland students. Freshman Kylie Kosti is the Highland High representative for the increasingly influential organization. Currently, Highland is the only high school in the Salt Lake Valley involved with the organization. In this way, Highland is different, Highland is reaching out.

Start by Believing is a fairly new organization. The recent establishment doesn’t seem to faze the association, however, as they are reaching incredible heights. Recently, Governor Gary Herbert signed a proclamation declaring the first Wednesday of every April, “Start by Believing day.”

“The organization is all about how to respond,” Kosti said.

How an individual responds to a victim’s story has a profound effect. When a victim is given a negative response, he or she is more than likely to never reach out again. The victim feels as though they can’t tell their story and more importantly, won’t be believed if they try. Shamefully, the victim feels they have to cope with the trauma alone.

Start by Believing focuses on phrases such as, “I believe you” and “how can I support you?”

“Response can really change a person and their healing process,” Kosti said. “Individuals who have been sexually assaulted go through so much and I believe our society doesn’t know how to handle it. If such situations become more public, the awareness will start to help solve the problem.”

Kosti is working tirelessly to bring awareness and further the organization here at Highland. It is expected that next year, Highland students will hold a more pivotal role and thus, Start By Believing will be more prevalent.

A great example can be found in the case of Phil Saviano. Saviano held a pivotal role in exposing the child sex abuse scandal within the Catholic Church showcased in the Oscar winning film, Spotlight. Saviano is a child sex abuse survivor who refused to be silenced.

When Saviano tried to tell his father of his traumatic experience, his father was angry with him. His father told him, “you’re bringing a scandal to the neighborhood.”

“I didn’t feel like I had an option to go to my parents,” Saviano said.

After his traumatic experience, Saviano was diagnosed with AIDS and was given not long to live. Living so close to the edge of death gave Saviano the courage to finally speak out, at the age of 40.

Saviano was then given a miracle. He was introduced to new medicine and began to recover. Over the next several years, Saviano met with other survivors and began to compile information as well as statistics on abuse. He unearthed evidence of a larger cover-up scandal at the highest levels. Saviano then turned to the press for help, The Boston Globe. The process of exposing the pedophile priests and the Catholic Church, is so eloquently illustrated in Spotlight.

Despite grave efforts, “priests are still molesting children. Not to the degree that it once was. The movie has had a profound effect around the world,” Saviano said.

After The Boston Globe release of the profound article in 2002, Saviano’s father finally came around. Saviano remembers his father telling him, “I’m proud of you. Give them hell.”

Saviano was finally understood and so he fought and continues to fight to help others feel the same. People are coming forward more than ever. Kids are being believed. Here is where Start by Believing comes into great effect. The organization is determined to help people respond in a positive and uplifting way.

“If victims finally work up the courage and don’t get a positive or supportive response, it’s a setback,” Saviano said. “The campaign [Start by Believing] makes a lot of sense.”

Ninety three percent of victimized children are abused by someone they know and trust and 50% of those children suffer trauma that follows them into adulthood. Victims are three times more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol as well as two times more likely to drop out of school. Those assaulted in their younger years have a seven fold chance of being assaulted again.

The statistics are astounding:

1 in 4 females are sexually assaulted while 1 in 6 males are sexually assaulted. Sexual abuse and sexual assault are found all over the world.

Start by Believing believes if awareness is brought to the way people respond, the statistics will dramatically decrease.

“There are countless abuse survivors in society,” Saviano said. “Believe the person.”

Saviano is a child sex abuse survivor who refused to be silenced by the Catholic Church. Those who have been abused or assaulted must not feel as though they ever have to be silenced. Speak up.