Ithaca’s Advocacy Center helps those who have been hurt

Advocacy Center
Rachel Stokes

Ithaca’s Advocacy Center
Rachel Stokes

Healing is often thought to take place a fancy hospital with machines and armies of doctors rushing from floor to floor and patient to patient. However, there is a place in Ithaca where of the most powerful healing in the world takes place. It is a special space reserved for the sensitive, unspeakable tragedies that scar people for life emotionally and physically.

The Advocacy Center works to aid victims of sexual abuse, rape, and domestic violence from the Ithaca area, while also providing preventative education. Victims of sexual assault and rape are constantly in need of a place to go to help heal their wounds.
“We want to provide a safe place for these people to go,” said Patty Tvaroha, an educator from the Advocacy Center.

According to the National Institute of Justice & Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, 1 in 6 women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. Statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice also show that 15% of sexual assault and rape victims are under age 12.

Victims are often left feeling powerless and hopeless after their experiences. “Those who have been attacked are 26 times more likely to abuse drugs, 13 times more likely to abuse alcohol and three times more likely to suffer from depression,” according to the World Health Organization.

Often, victims cannot escape their feelings. According to the Advocacy Center, two-thirds of all sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the victim. It is extremely difficult for victims of this type of abuse to heal from their trauma, as they are repeatedly forced to come in contact with their attacker.

The Advocacy Center provides many crucial services to try to ease the pain associated with abuse. They offer a wide variety of services, from emotional support to shelter at a safe house.

“We have advocates who work one on one with people with short term and long term counseling, they accompany people to appointments, so if they have to go to the hospital or police station, they aren’t alone” Tvaroha said. “They can help people with safety planning, which is really important.”

The Center is aware of the fear that many sexual assault and domestic violence victims live with. In order to help ease their anxiety, the clinic offers an escape button to quickly exit their website. If a person looking at the page feels as though they may be caught reading the site and put into a dangerous situation, she can click an escape button and will be redirected to Google’s site immediately.

“We do everything in our power to make this a safe place,” Tvaroha said. “So, having a semi-confidential location is part of that.” She says that the Center wants victims to feel safe leaving a meeting, without having to worry that their abuser may be waiting outside.

The Center also has a shelter, which has a completely confidential location, separate from the location of the office. “Our board members don’t even know where our shelter is,” said Tvaroha.

The Advocacy Center also helps to erase the stigma that is associated with victims of sexual abuse. Many victims feel embarrassed or think that what happened is their own fault. The advocates also work with those close to the victim. Family members, friends and even roommates are educated on how to help someone dealing with sexual or domestic abuse.

“Even people who are very well-meaning can say things sometimes that can be really hurtful and can come off as victim blaming,” said Tvaroha. “So we help people to understand that things they say can be really damaging.”

Due to these issues, sexual assault and rape are extremely under-reported. “60% of rapes/sexual assaults are not reported to the police, according to a statistical average of the past 5 years,” says Bureau of Justice Statistics. The same statistics show that 15 out of 16 rapists will walk free without ever spending time in jail.

“By not filing a report, the victim feels able to shrink back and avoid the attacker at all costs,” said Bonnie Prunty, director of Residential Life and Judicial Affairs at Ithaca College.

“The most important thing is that people feel that they are heard and believed,” said Tvaroha.

Preventative education is also essential to help prevent future assaults. The Advocacy Center holds many programs throughout the area, including Take Back The Night. This year is Tompkins County’s 31st rally. Take Back The Night will be held Thursday, April 29. Marches will meet in downtown Ithaca, at Cornell University and Ithaca College at 7 PM, with the rally beginning in the Commons at 7:30 PM.