Blog

Written by Deborah Pembrook, Human Trafficking Outreach Manager

Monterey County Rape Crisis Center has partnered with Hartnell College to show Trafficked in America, a landmark documentary on trafficking in Agriculture. The film will be followed by a panel including the filmmaker, Andrés Cediel, and local experts exploring the links between what was exposed in the documentary and what we see in our community.

The film tell the inside story of Guatemalan teens who were forced to work against their will on an Ohio egg farm in 2014. The film exposes a criminal network that....

Below is the 12th submission to the Community Forum for Survivors submitted anonymously on 10/7/2018. We appreciate the trust this survivor, and all survivors, place in us by sharing their stories. Note: MCRCC does not allow comments on blog posts.

Survivor’s gender identity: Female

The survivor’s age at the time sexual violence was perpetrated against them: 14

The survivor's age now: 60

The survivor’s description of sexual violence perpetrated against them:

"A month before my 15th birthday, my mom was out of town and my stepdad let my sister sleep over at a friend’s. He would....

Written by Deborah Pembrook, Outreach Advocate

MCRCC serves all survivors, including the survivors among the over 8,000 men incarcerated in Monterey County. We offer support through visits, confidential phone calls and letter correspondence to survivors incarcerated at the California Correctional Training Facility and Salinas Valley State Prison, both located in Soledad, CA

Incarcerated survivors experience the same trauma and have the same emotional needs as any survivor. We hear from survivors who are grappling with feelings of shame, fear, and grief. While survivors on the outside....

Below is the 11th submission to the Community Forum for Survivors submitted anonymously on 10/5/2018. We appreciate the trust this survivor, and all survivors, place in us by sharing their stories. Note: MCRCC does not allow comments on blog posts.

Submitted by Victoria T.

Survivor’s gender identity: Female

The survivor’s age at the time sexual violence was perpetrated against them: 4

                                                       The survivor's age now: 25

The survivor’s description of sexual violence perpetrated against them:

"Child Sexual Abuse starting at age 4....

Below is the 10th submission to the Community Forum for Survivors submitted anonymously on 10/8/2018.We appreciate the trust this survivor, and all survivors, place in us by sharing their stories. Note: MCRCC does not allow comments on blog posts.

Survivor’s gender identity: Female

The survivor’s age at the time sexual violence was perpetrated against them: 18 (plus other ages, other instances)

The survivor's age now: 73

The survivor’s description of sexual violence perpetrated against them:

"I was spending a few months with my aunt and her family. My uncle (by marriage) sneaked....

Below is the ninth submission to the Community Forum for Survivors submitted anonymously on 10/6/2018.We appreciate the trust this survivor, and all survivors, place in us by sharing their stories. Note: MCRCC does not allow comments on blog posts.

Survivor’s gender identity: Female

The survivor’s age at the time sexual violence was perpetrated against them: 16

The survivor's age now: 43

The survivor’s description of sexual violence perpetrated against them:

"I was raped by a stranger, a man a friend of mine had just met. I didn't report because I was ashamed that I had not....

Written by Deborah Pembrook, Outreach Advocate

One in three women and one in six men experience a sexual assault in their lifetime. Based on current population figures, approximately 82 million^[1] people in the United States have been sexually abused. By comparison, 82 million is more than the number of votes cast for either President Trump or Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election^[2]. Survivors united have incredible political power.

There are more survivors of sexual assault in the US than the population of Colorado,  Minnesota, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Kentucky, Oregon....

Below is the eighth submission to the Community Forum for Survivors submitted anonymously on 10/6/2018.We appreciate the trust this survivor, and all survivors, place in us by sharing their stories. Note: MCRCC does not allow comments on blog posts.

Survivor’s gender identity: Female

The survivor’s age at the time sexual violence was perpetrated against them: 19

The survivor's age now: 59

The survivor’s description of sexual violence perpetrated against them:

"When I was 19, I was attending a house party as a partner of the bass player in the band that was performing. I was....

Below is the seventh submission to the Community Forum for Survivors submitted anonymously on 10/6/2018.We appreciate the trust this survivor, and all survivors, place in us by sharing their stories. Note: MCRCC does not allow comments on blog posts.

Survivor’s gender identity: Female

The survivor’s age at the time sexual violence was perpetrated against them: 3, 7, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 33

The survivor's age now: 41

The survivor’s description of sexual violence perpetrated against them:

"Since I was a child I have been exposed to sexual abuse from both men and women. The....

Derek Owens is new to the Prevention Education team at MCRCC and started facilitating MyStrength clubs at Marina, Seaside, Salinas, and Gonzales High Schools at the beginning of September.

As the new MyStrength facilitator at the Monterey County Rape Crisis Center, the majority of my time is spent facilitating sexual violence prevention curricula to groups of young men throughout Monterey County. Since July, when I took the position, I’ve been spending time reflecting on the experiences that inspired my passion for this work. Having grown up in a home where my feminist mother directed....