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WASHINGTON -- In 2012 — aboard his last ship — Navy Culinary Specialist 1st Class Antonio T. Granderson saw first hand the impact sexual assault can have on a person.
A chief petty officer began to have an inappropriate relationship with a female Sailor. He made unwanted gestures toward her and ultimately attempted to have sex with her. His actions caused an extreme change in her behavior.
“She went from being bubbly and outgoing to always being down, looking tired and drained … like she was fighting a fight she knew she couldn’t win,” he recalled. “Seeing her let me know the extreme effect [sexual assault] has on you. It was a very depressing and eye opening situation to me.”
Seeing the struggle people face first hand, he decided he wanted to help others in their time of need, so he became a victim advocate.
“A lot of times people feel like there is nobody to talk to in those situations,” he said. “I just wanted to put that badge on me and say ‘Hey, if you need someone to talk to you can come talk to me.’”
As a victim advocate, Granderson’s job is to give people support and let them know they have options. If someone is involved in a situation and are unsure of what to do, he says the first step should be to call for help, using either the DoD hotline at 1-877-995-5247 or JBAB victim advocate line at 202-258-6717. The DoD hotline number is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Victims don’t have to give their names. They can ask questions freely to gather information and determine what kind of treatment they need (medical or psychiatric) and what course of action they can take (knowing the pros and cons of their reporting options). Victim advocates are there to help them make the best decision possible.
“The one thing we don’t want to do is re-victimize the victim,” he said. “As victim advocates we want to give the control back to [them].”
Since becoming a victim advocate in 2014, Granderson has not had a military case, something he says is a good sign people are learning. For sexual assault to get stamped out completely, he says we all have to do our part.
“It’s hard but sometimes the right thing to do is step in. We have to protect each other because nobody deserves to be a victim of sexual assault.”
| Date Taken: | 04.22.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.25.2016 09:19 |
| Story ID: | 196391 |
| Location: | DC, US |
| Web Views: | 128 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Helping sexual assault victims start the healing process, by Christopher Hurd, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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