Youth at Reid Bring Awareness to Sexual Assault

Apr. 26, 2013 / By

Every ninety seconds, someone is sexually assaulted in the United States, according to U.S. Department of Justice and in last year Long Beach, there were 115 documented rapes.

Many of those victims are young people: 1 in 4 girls will be sexually assaulted by the age of 18 and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually assaulted by the age of 18.

Women aged 12-34 are at the highest risk for being sexually assaulted. Risk peaks in the late teens: girls 16-19 are four times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape and sexual assault, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey.

Because April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, VoiceWaves has asked some local young people at Reid Continuation High School to define sexual assault and to share some ideas about how to prevent it. Listen to their voices in the video above.

For more Long Beach information about how to provide help for survivors of sexual assault, contact local Sexual Assault Response Team at Community Hospital Long Beach at (562) 497-0147.

Also, here are some tips from the Crisis Support Network:

If you are sexually assaulted:

  • Go to a safe place.
  • Do not bathe.
  • Do not change your clothes.
  • Physical appearance.
  • Save clothing and items involved.*
  • Call 911 or go to the nearest medical facility as soon as possible; even if you feel your injuries are not that serious, you may have unseen injuries that need medical attention.  You may want to rule out pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases.

*Whether or not you wish to report the assault immediately, it is still important to collect medical evidence, in the event you wish to report at a later time.

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Alyson Bryant

Alyson Bryant was raised in Long Beach and is a graduate of Long Beach Poly High. Alyson has learned and seen a lot since high school, witnessing first-hand gang violence and the effects it had on her friends and fellow classmates– from going to jail to being killed. As a result, she has a strong passion for at-risk youth and her community. She is a youth mentor for at the California Conference for Equality and Justice and focuses her work on Long Beach youth in schools and detention centers. Since high school, she has obtained a A.S. degree in criminal justice and is now working on her B.A. With the opportunity she has be given by VoiceWaves, she is able to tell story about Long Beach and the issues it faces and speak for the communities whose voices are often marginalized.