In response to accusations against Harvey Weinstein, women across the country and many in Iowa have expressed that they have been victims of harassment and assault through the "#me too" posts on social media. We begin this River to River program with Katryn Duarte, who is Assistant Director of Sexual Assault Services at the University of Iowa's Rape Victim Advocacy Program. She says it is good that it is shedding light on the subject, and it is giving victims a chance to tell their stories. But she says it's important to be careful, since hearing others' stories can affect the way a victim heals from a traumatic event like an assault.
"Your healing journey in how you deal with trauma is very different for every person. For example, individuals that are being triggered — because you can't escape it on social media and so you might have to tune out, but you feel guilty by tuning out, because you want to support," Duarte says.
She adds, "Give yourself permission to tune out if you need to."
The RVAP hotline and other information can be found here.
In this News Buzz edition of River to River, we also explore taking a knee during national anthem, the latest agricultural news, a look at news in Ottumwa, and a highlight of one of the participants in the University of Iowa's International Writing Program.
