A p ril 20, 2011
■Portiani» OObserürr
Page 17
Fight Back Against Sexual Assault
There are m ore than 300,000 rape-
related phy sical a ssau lts ag ain st
w om en each y ear in the U.S. N early
one in six w om en wi 11 be the target o f
an attem pted o r com p leted rape in
their lifetim e. Y et despite its prev a­
lence, rape rem ains the least re ­
ported and punished violent crim e
in the US.
Sexual violence— including rape,
date rape, incest, sexual e x p lo ita­
tion; sexual harassm ent, exposure,
and voyeurism — is a term that d e ­
scribes unw anted, non-consensual
sexual activity that is forced on one
person by another. C rim es o f sexual
violence are m ost often com m itted
by a person that the victim know s
and are m otivated by the desire to
control, hum iliate or harm the vic­
tim , not by passion o r sexual desire.
T he physical and m ental effects
o f sexual violence on victim s can be
profound and lifelong. W om en w ho
have been sexually assaulted are at
high risk o f contracting sexually
transm itted diseases (S T D s) such
as H IV , gonorrhea, chlam ydia, and
HPV.
R ape also leads to an estim ated
32,000 pregnancies each year. The
risk o f pregnancy am ong sexually-
ab u sed ad o lescen ts is esp ecially
high because teens generally have
WWaMWMail m i w ill iW W li l l u m il ■
low rates o f co n sisten t co n tracep ­
tive use and are often assaulted
repeatedly in incestuous relatio n ­
sh ip s.
F o llo w in g an a s s a u lt, m a n y
w om en experience hum iliation, em ­
barrassm ent, self-blam e, eating and
sleep d istu rb a n ce s, g en eral pain
th ro u g h o u t the body, and m ood
sw ings. M onths and y ears later,
som e co n tin u e to have p sy ch o lo g i­
cal and physical reactio n s.su ch as
p o s t-tra u m a tic stre ss sy n d ro m e ,
p h o b ias, flash b ack s, n ig h tm ares,
substance abuse, and gynecologic
problem s.
If you have been sexually a s­
saulted, rem em b er that you are not
at fault. N o m atter w hat a person
w ears o r how they behave, no one
“ask s” or d eserv es to be sexually
a b u se d .
M ake it a priority to see a m edical
p rofessional, such as y o u r p h y si­
cian o r an em erg en cy room doctor,
right aw ay. Y ou should be exam ined
im m ediately and treated for p h y si­
cal injuries, exp o su re to ST D s, and
unintended pregnancy. D uring your
exam ination, physical evidence may
be g ath ered for use by police or
legal parties should you decide to
rep o rt the crim e. D o not bathe,
douche, use the bathroom , w ash
out y o u r m outh, clean y o u r fin g er­
nails, eat, drink, o r sm oke before
yo u rex am .
*
A s you begin the healing p ro ­
cess, it’s im portant to take good
care o f y o u rse lf and tend to your
g en eral w ell-b e in g . E at h ealth y
fo o d s , e x e r c is e , m e d ita te , g et
enough sleep, and surround y o u r­
self w ith supportive friends and fam ­
ily. Y ou m ay also w ant to speak with
a co u n selo r o r m ental health profes­
sional to help you through this d if­
ficult time.
T o find a rape co u n selo r or crisis
cen ter n ear you, call the N ational
Sexual A ssault H otline, 800-656-
H O PE o r use the online hotline at
o h l.rain n .o rg /o n lin e.
Dr. Richard N. Waldman is presi­
dent o f the American Congress o f
Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
.fasten fksftop 3i. ¿L fleet J!ady Lattean 3 .Jtodqe
Fasten/Jeachen /3Íeeioatist
Sundays: Worship Service 12:00 — 2:00 P.M.
Mission Studies: Wednesdays
6:00 — 7:00 P.M.
Bible Study: Wednesdays
7:00 — 8:30 P.M.
“School O f The Prophets” (Training)
Location:
Concordia University Campus
2800 NE Liberty (The GRW Library, room 303)
Portland, OR. 97211
I t ’s» R e v iv a l T i m e A g a in a i IVW VC M in istr ie s»
Sunday, M ay 15, 2 0 1 1 ® 3 :3 0 P.M .
Bishop Jarnos Bailey Revivalist
2811 NE Holman in Luther Hall [comer of 27 th s Holman)
To inquire about our Church please call: (503) 863-6545 or
hodgehspks@msn.com
www.nwvoiceforchrist.com
WH" I l ili l i lilbW« WHliWmMiaWmWOlij
Support for Alzheimer’s Caregivers
M ultnom ah C ounty is offering a
supportive program to A lzheim er’s
caregivers.
The program called ST A R -C is
designed to help caregivers w ho are
caring for som eone with A lzheim er’s
disease or a related dem entia.
C onsultants provide eight w eekly
in-hom e visits w ith the caregiver to
decrease challenging behaviors that
are endangering their ability to keep
their loved one at home.
Som e o f the challenging behav­
iors addressed include sadness and
depression; anxiousness and w orry;
sleep issues; resistance to care; wan-
dering; verbal and physical aggres­
sion; and social isolation.
O nce the sessions are com pleted,
consultants provide four follow-up
phone calls.
For program inform ation or eligi­
bility , call Bethany Chamberlin at 503-
988-3620, extension22020.
Take Action Get Tested
Multnomah County Health Department's
HIV Community Test Site offers
confidential HIV testing
with or w ithout your name
at these locations:
Downtown Community Test Site
Call 503.988.3775 for an appt.
Mon I Thurs | Fri
426 SW Stark St., 6th Floor,
Portland, 97204
Northeast Health Center
ju st walk in
Tuesdays | 5:30 - 7:15 pm
5329 NE MLK Jr. Blvd, 2nd Floor,
Portland, 97211
¡¡¡Fee w ith th is co u p o n ”
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Se habla español: other interpretation by appointment.
“ WHEN PRAISES GO UP BLESSINGS
COMEDOWN”
THE GOSPAL EXPLOSION
IS HERE!
PRAISE THE LORD
APRIL 23, 2011 @ 3:30PM
ST. JAMES PENTECOSTAL CHURCH
75 NE WYGANT STREET
PORTLAND, OR 97211
HOSTED BY: RAINEOW OUTREACH MINISTRY
PASTOR:
CHARLES E. MCCLEOUD SR.
WHEN:
WHERE:
Come one come all: Let's praise the Lord
and Reunite our community in the name o f Jesus!