WHY A BLOG ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULT?

In my line of work, which includes helping victims of sexual assault and abuse, I’ve learned that life can be brutal, but the process of seeking legal remedy need not be.

I figure, who better to debunk all the myths and all the fear about coming forward about sexual abuse than a husband/wife attorney team with years and years of experience helping hundreds of families and individuals find their way to a new start?

Being a guy who still values old-fashioned, face-to-face client service, but who still tries to keep up with modern technology, I decided a blog would be just one more way to get our message out to the people who need to hear it. I want the sexual abuse portion of our blog to reach folks who know they need to speak out about what happened to them or to someone they love. They need to know that victims may be entitled to financial compensation, which can help them rebuild their lives. They need to know that at Ramey & Hailey, they can find someone to listen to them without judgment, someone whom they can trust.

The irony is, we’ve found over the years, sexual molestation so often comes about not at the hands of a stranger, but through an adult in a position of trust in a child’s or young person’s life – a minister, a teacher, a mentor, coach or advisor, or – a relative.

What, exactly, is the definition of sexual abuse? According to the Encyclopedia of Psychology, It is unwanted sexual activity, with perpetrators using force, making threats or taking advantage of victims not able to give consent. Immediate reactions to sexual abuse, psychologists explain, include shock, fear or disbelief, with long-term symptoms including anxiety, fear or post-traumatic stress disorder.

With this blog, we’re hoping to reach people whose lives were so rudely and brutally pushed off track by sexual abuse and who need to find an answer to the questions “So what can I do about it?” “If I don’t speak up, will this happen again to someone else’s child or wife or sister or brother?”

I’m hoping that a blog is an informal, very personal way for us to deliver information to parents and school superintendants and church board members, to the people responsible for conducting – and reviewing – background checks, and to anyone who has been noticing a big negative behavior change in a family member or friend.

I’m hoping that through our blog, we’ll be able to reach out to anyone who needs a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen, plus the experience and legal knowhow to help stop sexual abuse in its tracks!