Charisse Kelley Urges Fellow Rape Survivors to Speak Out
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Rape survivor Charisse Kelley has spoken out about her ordeal to help inspire other women in her position to seek help, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Kelley, 31, was attacked in June of last year while visiting a bar in Cleveland. After drinking a soda laced with drugs, she awoke in an alley and felt a man choking her from behind. She passed out again, eventually regaining consciousness at 5 a.m.
Once she had extricated herself from the chair to which she had been tied, Kelley called police and sought treatment at a nearby hospital. Testing with a rape kit uncovered DNA samples from two different men.
As she continues to work through the aftermath of her assault, Kelley is now urging other survivors of rape to seek help.
"It's the hardest thing you'll ever do," she said. "But don't let your attacker make you a victim again. Go to the police, tell your story, put the rapist behind bars."
"By speaking out, this survivor is bravely taking some of the stigma and shame away from this crime," Megan O'Bryan, president and CEO of the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, told the source. "Rape is never the victim's fault."
The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) estimates that 248,300 people in the United States were victims of sexual assault in 2007 and that one in every six women will be subjected to sexual assaut at some point during their lifetime.
People who have survived rape or sexual assault can contact RAINN for information, resources and support.
Kelley, 31, was attacked in June of last year while visiting a bar in Cleveland. After drinking a soda laced with drugs, she awoke in an alley and felt a man choking her from behind. She passed out again, eventually regaining consciousness at 5 a.m.
Once she had extricated herself from the chair to which she had been tied, Kelley called police and sought treatment at a nearby hospital. Testing with a rape kit uncovered DNA samples from two different men.
As she continues to work through the aftermath of her assault, Kelley is now urging other survivors of rape to seek help.
"It's the hardest thing you'll ever do," she said. "But don't let your attacker make you a victim again. Go to the police, tell your story, put the rapist behind bars."
"By speaking out, this survivor is bravely taking some of the stigma and shame away from this crime," Megan O'Bryan, president and CEO of the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, told the source. "Rape is never the victim's fault."
The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) estimates that 248,300 people in the United States were victims of sexual assault in 2007 and that one in every six women will be subjected to sexual assaut at some point during their lifetime.
People who have survived rape or sexual assault can contact RAINN for information, resources and support.
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