LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Sexual assault is an expansive issue not just in Kentucky but across the country.
More than 50% of American women have experienced some form of physical sexual violence in their lives, the same being said for nearly 1 in 3 men in the U.S.
To say the life of a sexual assault survivor is difficult is the ultimate understatement.
A path Amelia Zachry has walked for years.
“I was sexually assaulted when I was 19 years old. I was too young to understand what had happened but old enough to understand the consequences of something like that happening,” Zachry said.
“When I say understand the consequences, it was more complying to the stigma around the rape culture that surrounded us.”
It took Zachry a long time to seek help.
Years to realize she even needed help, stuck in a victim’s mindset.
Therapy ultimately opened her eyes to what she had been through.
What was classified as rape.
“It changed my perspective altogether and moved me towards healing and looking for healing. Only 20 years later would I finally accept that incident as a violation,” Zachry said.
Zachry is now a vocal survivor, willing to share her story with the world through her book Enough: A memoir of mistakes, mania and motherhood.
She hopes to use her voice as a way to help other survivors seek out help, through resources such as Ampersand in Lexington which serves domestic violence and sexual assault survivors in 17 counties throughout Central Kentucky.
“When you think of sexual violence, it always has that stigma that’s always been attached to it. Often times it’s hard for survivors to seek assistance because of the shame or isolation,” Ampersand executive director Latisha Jackson said.
Ampersand is a proud partner with KASAP, also known as the Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs.
According to KASAP, nearly 40% of women and 20% of men in Kentucky have experienced contact sexual violence in their lives.
Almost half of those incidents happen before the age of 18.
The organization has set out to shed light on the consistent problem sexual violence poses to our community, our state and our entire country.
Awareness being brought through a documentary, Believe Me: Help and Hope for Sexual Assault Survivors.
The film brings together 12 survivors from across the state to share their stories and messages of support for anyone that has gone through the same trauma.
Zachry is one of the women featured in this documentary, an experience that she’s proud to be a part of to help her brothers and sisters sitting silently in pain.
"I felt like I was empowered and I will continue to empower others,” Zachry said.
Ultimately, KASAP leaders and community advocates hope this documentary can be as helpful for the general public as it is for the survivor community.
Serving as a way to inform people of how big an issue this is and what they can do to help.
"Just educate yourself about what sexual violence is and what it looks like because a lot of times we're not fully educated and we don't know exactly so then we don't know how to intervene or what we can do to support these survivors,” Jackson said.
Believe Me: Help and Hope for Sexual Assault Survivors airs Tuesday, April 25 at 9 p.m. and Wednesday, April 26 at 1:30 p.m. on KET (Kentucky Channel 3) as well as Sunday, April 30 at 2 p.m. on KET.
If you or someone you know needs help, you can learn more about Ampersand’s resources by clicking here.
To learn more about KASAP, click here.
