Staten Islanders rally against rape, DV, CSA

'I was worthless, I was ugly, I was disgusting'
Victims of sexual attacks, including by family members, speak at rape crisis forum
Friday, August 01, 2008
By KIAWANA RICH
ADVANCE STAFF WRITER
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Victims of sexual assault have many faces.
There's Sharon Alston, who was 14 when she was raped by two men.
There's Denise, raped by her uncle and several of her mother's boyfriends from the time she was 5 years old.
There's 19-year-old Amanda North, also raped at 14.
The list can and does go on.

Not every woman has the strength to speak out about the devastating, heartbreaking and sometimes tragic consequences of sexual assault. But when victims do step forward, it becomes a soothing, healing balm for women everywhere.
Last night, Staten Island was no exception.

"I thought I was living life, (but) I was just surviving," Ms. Alston, now 52, of Brooklyn, told her audience in respect of the devastating sexual abuse to which she was subjected. "But now I am a living survivor, I have taken back the power. No more am I ashamed. I am worthy of love."

Victims of rape, sexual assault and domestic violence shared their stories last night during the first-ever Safe Horizon Staten Island Rape Crisis Program & The NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault SAY SO! (Sexual Assault Yearly Speak Out!) event, held in Cromwell Center, Tompkinsville.

Safe Horizon's Rape Crisis Program Coordinator Amy Edelstein, 27, of Manhattan, spoke to the need for an Island-based program.

There's a general feeling that 'This doesn't happen on Staten Island.' Sexual assault happens a lot here on Staten Island -- more than people think," said Ms. Edelstein. "A lot of people are afraid to speak out here because it's a close-knit community and people feel people will find out about it, and they will be ashamed and blamed for it -- and/or not believed."

But last night was about true believers. More than 150 people showed up to listen and support, with everyone sharing a singular message: "You No Longer Have to Be a Victim."