Trigger warning: discussions of sexual assault, rape, domestic violence
April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. North Carolina has multiple state-wide and county-based sexual assault resources.
The North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault is “an inclusive, statewide alliance working to end sexual violence through education, advocacy and legislation.” They also do work in ending human trafficking and work to influence legislation on sexual violence. The North Carolina Council for Women & Youth Involvement (NC CWYI) is another state-funded program in North Carolina.
The NC CWYI provides funding “to sexual assault programs which provide counseling, twenty-four-hour crisis line services, transportation, court and advocacy services and assistance to children who witnessed violence.” The NC CWYI provides funding to two programs in the Wake County area, including Choosing to Change and the Family Violence Prevention Center at InterAct.
Choosing to Change is a state-funded program that provides “intervention services to domestic violence offenders in Wake, Franklin and Vance Counties.” InterAct is a Raleigh-based nonprofit focused on domestic and sexual health and safety.
InterAct provides “individual counseling, case management and support to victims and survivors of rape and sexual assault.” They also have North Carolina’s first “community-based sexual assault forensic examination center” called the Solace Center where victims can go to receive “comprehensive, expert, compassionate nursing and forensic care, along with advocacy and support services for survivors of rape and sexual assault.”
If you have been a victim of sexual assault, call the 24-hour National Sexual Assault Helpline at 1-800-656-4673 or 1-800-656-HOPE. For local help from InterAct, call their 24-hour crisis line at 919-828-7740.
On-campus resources are available for victims as well. In a crisis, contact the counselor on-call by calling Campus Police at 919-760-8888 or the College’s Critical Response Team at 919-612-6350. To make a counseling appointment, contact the Counseling Center at counseling@meredith.edu or call 919-760-8427.
By Freya Dahlgren, Opinion Editor
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