RAINN - the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network is a wonderful organization started by singer/songwriter/pianist Tori Amos, with a confidential, 24-hour, toll-free hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE you can call anywhere within the United States, and a web site listing rape crisis centers in every State. Tori, being one of the few celebrities to talk about being a rape survivor, and having written several songs about it, is also the inspiration behind a number of other sites created by and for survivors of rape.
Faces of Rape and Sexual Abuse Survivors by photographer, Nuboko who published a book of photographs of survivors' faces, has some photos online and information about her work on this interesting project to create awareness about the reality of sexual violence
Welcome to Barbados is a Tori-inspired site for survivors named for one of her songs. It has survivors' stories, lists of resources and helpful ideas, a message board, a mailing list, a chat room, poetry and more.
The Rape Blog has frequently updated archives of news stories on sexual assaults, showing the prevalence of sexual violence in our society. "News and commentary on all forms of sexual violence portrayed in the media".
Survive - a U.K. site - has a crisis email system for people needing help, a chat room, and lists several different kinds of email list support groups for survivors, along with the story of the site's creator, information on PTSD, date rape, how to support someone who was sexually assaulted, and the stories and comments of other rape survivors.
Rape Support is a Yahoo club, with message board and chat room for survivors and their families.
Transformations is a site that has an e-zine, message board area and chat rooms for survivors of abuse or sexual assault
Emergence is a survivors' site with some unique features, such as, bloody gardenias -a section on finding love and romance after rape and sexual abuse, and unmailed sagas - letters women have written to their attackers.
Sarah's Sexual Assault Survivors' Site opens with a poem called, "I Won My Court Case" where she speaks her mind in with some refreshing, empowering words. Sarah Gardner (her full name is on this site which is rare to find on survivors' sites) quite simply kicks ass with her poetry, and I liked this one a lot, "The Rapist" She also tells her story on this site, about being raped on her 17th birthday, but someone she thought was a friend. Personally I am a big fan of honesty and in people, particularly women who have been victimized, knowing they have the right to express anger and being unapologetic about it. That's what I love most about this website. So many survivors' sites seem to be created by people who feel a duty to provide as much uplifting and hopeful information to other women as possible, but lack, I think, the very legitimate ANGER and RAGE that women who have been violated do feel, and should feel, toward the bastards who attacked them, and have every damn right to express in any language they please.
And also to mention the the ways their lives have been horribly affected without feeling the need to sum it up by saying everything is going to be okay now, or is okay now, or will be okay soon, because I think often people do this online so they can sound encouraging to other women, so they can say, if you get therapy and call the crisis line it will help, don't worry; or they do it to feel stronger in themselves by saying they are not hurt anymore. This has struck me at times as very phony and most likely a by product of our misogynistic society that still expects women to not sound too angry or too loud or too depressed, unless they're willing to be labeled with a few mental illnesses to explain their very natural emotions.
Rock on, Sarah. I hope more people make sites like this one. And I hope hers stays online (
Hope for Healing: The Rape Recovery Help and Information Site is a very comprehensive site with information on many aspects of rape and related issues. It includes a list of rape crisis centers across the United States and also a list of some centers with web sites. Update, 2003: among useful information on many forms of sexual violence and issues related to abuse and rape, this site now also has several chat rooms you can use. (link updated)
You Are Not Alone: a support and information site for survivors of sexual abuse and rape, created by a survivor
The Rape Crisis Pathfinder is a unique site specifically providing resources, online and offline for survivors of sexual assault, and their loved ones who are seeking information on recovery from rape. There are articles, government documents, and other forms of information here, with a search engine.
Anti-Rape offers anonymous email addresses for survivors of rape to post their stories online anonymously, on this website. There is also an ICQ chat here.
Daughters of Demeter is a support group online for Pagan women who are survivors of sexual abuse, assault, or incest. They have an email list.
The Rape Scrapbook is a survivor's scrapbook put online, in 160 pages of writing and pictures, detailing how rape has impacted her life. A very unique idea for a website.
After the Dust Settled: The Aftermath of Rape this site is maintained by a survivor who was raped by a stranger at a party in 1999. Just reading that alone is sad to me, since I first put this site up before that date, and seeing new websites of new rape survivors, created since they have been raped after the period of time when I thought I saw every rape survivor site I could ever handle looking at - it's just a said testimony about our society, and how things are not changing.
These survivors' stories matter, are important for the survivors themselves, often, to tell, and also important for people to hear and pay attention to, and not just other rape and abuse survivors but women and MEN who have not been raped or abused, and do not know what the experience is like. If you fit into the latter category, particularly, please visit these sites, not just one or two of them, but many of them, and learn about the prevalence of horrible aftereffects women deal with every day from sexual assault and other forms of violence.
There are many of these stories online - way too many. For survivors, the reason I list them is primarily so you know you are not alone, and because many women who create these sites also put up useful information on them in an effort to help other survivors. I think it is rather sad that I've seen more websites like this, on this topic, in my life than probably on any other topic of any kind, and I'm getting a little tired of waiting for the day when we have a goddamn revolution of some kind to stop men's violence once and for all as that is what it is apparently going to take. Talking about it is better than not talking, but obviously talking about it has done little to STOP IT from happening because the people who need to be listening are still not paying attention.
Integrity is a site devoted to the prevention of violence against women and children, created by another survivor. There is information on rape, domestic violence, and child abuse here, as well as a message board you can use for support.
Journey to Myself is a site for survivors of sexual abuse and rape, created by Laney, who is a survivor of child sexual abuse and rape. This site includes an entire section for secondary survivors (the family, significant others, and friends of survivors), with information helpful to them. She also maintains an online journal here.
Me in the Corner is the site of a survivor who was raped at her college, in her sophomore year. She tells her story on this page, though there are many mentions to God in this story which might be bothersome to some of us who do not feel God was helpful when we were raped - but for those who find comfort in God, you might particularly like her site.
Psychiatric Rape: Betraying Women is a site created by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights because "Statistically women are more likely to get raped on a psychiatrist's couch than jogging at night through Central Park". I think this is a unique, important site on a subject that is a pathetically sad commentary on our society.
Turning Anger Into Change - the web site of the Washington D.C. Rape Crisis Center has some important information - 24 Hour Hotline: 202-333-RAPE
*Please see the main Violence page for more sexual assault coalitions, and sex offender registries; because they also pertain to the Daisy Pages on the sexual abuse of children they are not listed on this page
Understanding Survivors of Acquaintance and Stranger Rape is a good site for anyone who wants to understand rape from the perspective of the survivor, including how it affects her relationships, emotions, sexuality, and perception of herself, and other effects. It is a thought-provoking, helpful source of information.
Women Organized Against Rape does great work in their local community and provides educational information and support resources online also
The Network La Red works to stop all forms of abuse in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community
Speak Out for Stephanie tells the story of Stephanie, a college student raped and murdered by a co-worker who had served 10 years in prison for rape (of which she was unaware), and The Stephanie Schmidt Foundation, started by her family. Their programs and speaking engagements are aimed at preventing rape by changing laws and educating the public.
Men Against Sexual Assault is a group of men, started at the University of Rochester, who give speaking engagements around the country to educate people about rape and prevent it. I think it is encouraging that such men actually exist.
Men Can Stop Rape is an excellent organization based in Washington D.C. where male mentors train young men about violence and sexism, in an effort to prevent violence against women. They also hold workshops with feminist groups and at conferences, doing outreach and education in the local community. This website links to similar groups that are valuable resources in a world where too few men take responsibility for men's violence against women.
Stop Prisoner Rape is a unique organization that works to stop sexual violence in prisons , a common problem that is not addressed nearly as often as it should be
Victim Advocacy Online lists some rape crisis centers in a few different countries, and articles and a few websites, on sexual assault.
Male Survivor is an organization dedicated to ending all forms of sexual violence against men and boys.
