Cacophonic Choir: An Interactive Art Installation Embodying the Voices of Sexual Assault Survivors

This paper describes the conceptual background, design and implementation of an interactive art installation, Cacophonic Choir, that aims to bring attention to the firsthand stories of sexual assault survivors. Cacophonic Choir addresses the ways in which their experiences are distorted by digital and mass media, and how these distortions may affect survivors. The installation comprises multiple agents, distributed in space, that are heard from afar as an incoherent cloud of murmurs. Each agent responds to a visitor's proximity by becoming more visually bright, semantically coherent and sonically clear, revealing a different personal account of a sexual assault survivor.

“Every in the morning when I wake up it’s the first thing that comes to my mind’’ Sexual Assault Survivor women’s experience in Hosanna, Ethiopia.

Background: sexual assault is physically forced or otherwise coerced penetration even if slight of the vulva or anus, using a penis, other body parts or an object. Global prevalence figure indicates that 1 in 3 (35 %) of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. There are limited researches conducted on the area of lived experiences of women with sexual violence. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of sexual assault survivor women in Hosanna, Ethiopia. Method: Phenomenological study design was carried out among purposively selected six sexual assault survivor women’s and three key informants. In-depth interviews were conducted using local language, Amharic by using a semi structured interview guide. The interviews were transcribed and translated into English, and the data were analyzed thematically by qualitative data management software (Atlas ti version 7.0.15). Result: Not only the community who victimizes the survivors; the survivors themselves isolate from the community. All the survivors’ quest for revenge besides seeking justice. Coping of the survivors affected with a feeling of justice is done or not done, social reaction. They have also strong intention to disclose the issue for their close family and community member. The participants live with fear and distrust; afraid of being raped again, they don’t dare daring to trust people easily. Conclusion: The current study showed that sexual assault was a lifetime journey to recover. Some community members also blamed by the survivors for failing to help during their bad times. Therefore, community based awareness campaign should be implemented. In parallel, health policy makers and health professionals should give due emphasis on build post-rape care units or integrated service with other units.

Sexual Assault Survivors Who Exchange Sex: Identity, Stigma, and Informal Responses From Support Providers

It is well established in the literature that individuals who engage in sex work are more likely to experience sexual trauma/violence, but little research has examined experiences of sexual assault survivors who exchange sex from the survivor’s perspective. Sexual assault survivors and their informal support providers (SPs; e.g., family, friends, romantic partners) were interviewed separately about disclosure, social reactions, and help-seeking following assault. Sixteen survivors mentioned experiences exchanging sex, which comprise the sample for the current study as well as comments from twelve SPs. Qualitative analysis revealed several themes including violence experienced engaging in sex work, navigating stigma and the identity of both sexual assault survivor and sex worker, and how survivors’ social supports impact their recovery. Survivors endorsed their sex worker identities at varying levels, and others used their identity as a sexual assault survivor to explain why they engaged in sex work. Social work implications regarding service provision and advocacy work are discussed.

Sexual Assault Survivor Reports of Missed Bystander Opportunities: The Role of Alcohol, Sexual Objectification, and Relational Factors

Examination of situations in which bystanders missed intervention opportunities to prevent sexual assault can advance our understanding of how bystanders can prevent sexual assault. The present study utilized an incident-specific approach based on reports from 427 female sexual assault victims (ages 18-25 years) recruited via Mechanical Turk. Results indicate that bystanders had an opportunity to intervene before 23% of sexual assaults, alcohol use in settings with bystanders was widespread (by perpetrators, victims, and bystanders), and several factors were more common in situations involving missed intervention opportunity. Findings provide useful information for continued development of bystander training and new directions in bystander research.