Childhood Rape Survivor Fights to Raise Awareness, Find Perpetrator
New DNA techniques are giving law enforcement hope that the perpetrator who abducted, raped and slashed her throat can be finally brought to justice.
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September 28, 2009
Jennifer Schuett was raped and left for dead when she was just 8 years old in 1990, but her remarkable story of survival was brought back to national attention in recent days as the FBI decided to revisit the cold case.
New DNA techniques are giving law enforcement hope that the perpetrator who abducted, raped and slashed her throat can be finally brought to justice. Meanwhile Schuett is thriving as a role model for victims of childhood rape nationwide.
"It's not about me anymore," she told CNN, adding, "it's about all the little girls that go to sleep at night," a reference to how she was abducted from her own bed in the middle of the night.
"I know there are so many girls out there who have been raped and hurt. You have to fight back," she says.
With cases of child abduction and sexual crimes against minors featuring prominently in the media in recent years, it is important for parents to educate their children about dangers they may face and the ways to minimize the possibility of becoming a victim. It may be useful to instill in them the habit of being aware of one's surroundings and distrustful of strangers who approach them.
In addition to that, younger children should never spend time outdoors without adult supervision, while older ones should avoid walking alone and after dark, even in familiar places.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health have put together a website called Medline Plus where those coping with sexual abuse and their loved ones can find information and resources.
Advice on surviving the pain of rape can also be found on the website of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, while the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) accepts donations to support to cause of preventing such crimes.
RAINN estimates that there were 248,300 victims of sexual assault in 2007, and that 1 in 6 women will be a victim of sexual assault in their lifetime.
Jennifer Schuett was raped and left for dead when she was just 8 years old in 1990, but her remarkable story of survival was brought back to national attention in recent days as the FBI decided to revisit the cold case.
New DNA techniques are giving law enforcement hope that the perpetrator who abducted, raped and slashed her throat can be finally brought to justice. Meanwhile Schuett is thriving as a role model for victims of childhood rape nationwide.
"It's not about me anymore," she told CNN, adding, "it's about all the little girls that go to sleep at night," a reference to how she was abducted from her own bed in the middle of the night.
"I know there are so many girls out there who have been raped and hurt. You have to fight back," she says.
With cases of child abduction and sexual crimes against minors featuring prominently in the media in recent years, it is important for parents to educate their children about dangers they may face and the ways to minimize the possibility of becoming a victim. It may be useful to instill in them the habit of being aware of one's surroundings and distrustful of strangers who approach them.
In addition to that, younger children should never spend time outdoors without adult supervision, while older ones should avoid walking alone and after dark, even in familiar places.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health have put together a website called Medline Plus where those coping with sexual abuse and their loved ones can find information and resources.
Advice on surviving the pain of rape can also be found on the website of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, while the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) accepts donations to support to cause of preventing such crimes.
RAINN estimates that there were 248,300 victims of sexual assault in 2007, and that 1 in 6 women will be a victim of sexual assault in their lifetime.
