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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 1988)
Center provides moral support for rape, spouse abuse victims By Claris AHerheiligen Staff Reporter Every 18 seconds, a woman is assaulted somewhere in the United States. One in four women are assaulted by the time they are 18. The numbers of sexually assaulted increase to one in three women after age 18, Karen Harker said, a client advo cate/crisis counselor from the Rape/Spouse Abuse Crisis Cen ter. Men are not excluded from these statistics. One in seven men are assaulted by the age of 18, one in five after they are 18, Harker said. The Rape/Spouse Abuse Cri sis Center was established to identify the needs and to give rape and spouse abuse victims a place to turn to, Harker said. First established in October 1974 as the Lincoln Coalition Against Rape, the rape crisis center grew into an established center. In 1978, the problem of spouse abuse was added to the center’s cause, thus creating the Rape/Spouse Abuse Cerier. The program is listed under Family Services Harker said there are four main aspects to the Kapc/Spouse Abuse Cepter: counseling, advo cacy, volunteers and community education. * The center offers many differ ent counseling methods There are groups for those who may have been involved with domes tic violence, incest, or sexual assault. Individual counseling also is available. The center offers counseling to others as well, Harker said Partners, family members and friends also can seek counseling. The center has a 24-hour Crisis Line for those in need of help dealing with a rape, sexual as sault anchor domestic violence, The center works with the victim by listing all the options available to him or her. Staff members at the center explain what will happen with each proc ess in order to prepare the victim Harker said. “Each person needs to deter mine for themselves what needs to be done. (We’re) giving the victim back the power of them selves," she said. What we want to emphasize the most is that no victim is to blame - and there is no typi cal victim.’ — Marker The center provides advocacy for victims. A volunteer or staff member may accompany them to the hospital for the rape exami nation and offer help when the victim is working with the police, county attorney and court ap pearances, Harker said. An important part of the Rape/ Spouse Abuse Center is volun teers, Harker said ‘They're ahvays needed,*’ she said. The volunteers must go through 30 hours of training. Volunteers work with the crisis line, counseling and community education. Volunteers also can work with clerical duties and public speaking Some of the volunteers are themselves survivors of sexual assault and/or domestic vio lence, Harker said Community education is an other aspect of the Rape/Spouse Abuse Center. The center works to educate the public on problems and myths of sexual assault and spouse abuse. Harker said spokesmen from the center have given talks at schools, commu nity fu notions, hospitals, fraterni ties, sororities, dorms, and classes. “We’ll talk to anyone who requests us to speak,* she said. Tackling the myths about sexual assault and domestic vio lence is one of the biggest chal lenges to be faced, Harker said Untruths such as’he asked for it,* “she really wanted it" or “she should have never been in that situation in the first place" are very damaging to the victim, Harker said. Often the victim blames him/herself for what has happened. “What we want to emphasize the most is that no victim is to blame — and there is no typicai victim," Harker said. The victims often have been taught that certain actions associ ated with sexual violence are normal, she said. “Victims have been socially told that they Ve done the wrong thing." Anotner Dig prooun. people have about sexual assault and domestic violence is the attitude, ‘it’ll never happen to me," Harker said. Yet the statistics show that sexual assault and domestic vio lence do exist and are rising, she said. In 1967, the center received approximately 800 contacts, Marker said, but between Janu ary and August 1988, there have been approximately 900 con tacts. National statistics are gener ally accurate lor Lincoln, Harker said. Between June 1986 and Juiy 1987 there were 1,159 reports erf domestic violence to the Lincoln Police Department. However, one in ten women don’t report instances of domestic violence, Harker said. AH of the services of the center are confidential and free, Harker said. ' 106 cases diagnosed Chlamydia: most common sexual disease on campus BIRTH CONTROL from Page 8 vagina for six hours after the last intercourse.The diaphragm also requires medical supervision to have it properly fitted. • The contraceptive sponge is much like the diaphragm, but is disposable and has a spermicide in it. This is an over-the-counter prod uct and does not require medical supervision. • Contraceptive films, jellies, suppositories and foam are all forms of spermicides. Ihese prod ucts are inserted into the vagina by die woman prior to intercourse in order to kill sperm and preventing contraception None of these items require medical supervision and are bought over-the-counter. Birth control pills are the most effective form of contraception excluding voluntary sterilization. Spermicides work best when used with a condom • Currently the cervical cap is being tested for possible future use. The cervical cap is a small rubber cap that is placed over the cervix by a medical professional and can be left in place. The is a one-way door that allows menses to flow out, but prevents sperm from entering the uterus. • Condoms are now bdng mar keted to the pu blic because of AIDS and sexually transmitted disease awareness. Some condom compa nies are marketing to women. Oehm said the breakdown erf people who purchase condoms is 60 percent men and 40 percent women. Dr. Gerald Fleischli, Medical Director at the University Health Center, said that the most common sexually transmitted disease or. campus is chlamydia Fleischli said that this year there have been 106 cases at the health center. Chlamydia is a virus that is sexu ally transmitted. The virus will scar the women's fallopian tubes and can eventually cause sterilization if not treated. Chlamydia can be treated simply with oral antibiotic. The danger with chlamydia is that over 80 percent of the women who have chlamydia do not have symptoms. Another common sexually trans mitted disease is gonorrhea. This is a bacterial disease that is easily treated. Venereal warts are cauliflower like growths found in the genital area. These are sexually transmitted and must be treated by a medical professional. Contrary to popular belief, Compound W will not re move venereal warts. Herpes Simplex II is an untreat able but controllable sexually trans mitted disease. Herpes is caused by a virus and produces blisters much like cold sores. There are now pre scription medicines for the control of herpes. Pubic lice are also sexually trans mitted. Often called “crabs," these parasites embed themselves in the pubic region causing itching and discomfort. These also must be treated by a medical professional. Fleischli said that the most un common sexually transmitted dis ease that has been treated at the health center is syphilis. Syphilis is a viral sexually transmitted disease that can be treated if caught in the early stages. The most publicized sexually transmitted disease is Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS can also be transferred by shared needles and Mood transfu sions AIDS is a virus that attacks and destroys the body’s immune system thus making the body vul nerable to disease and infection. There is not yet a cute for AIDS.** Fleischli said that the health center can test people for AIDS but could not disclosed whether or not there has been a positive test or not. Visit to adult theater exposes one to sexual environment By Bryan Peterson Staff Reporter "As a consenting adult, I affix my signature to this document to affirm that l am not offended by UMal sexual frankness as portrayed in film entertainment nor shall I be of/bnded by any film sequence shown here at this theater. ” — from ticket stub at a local adult theater OK, OK. I’ll admit, I have won dered, just once or twice, what's inside one. Just once or twice, rid ing my bike down O Street, I’ve tried to sneak a auick glance into a window or a swutly-closing door. • Yeah, 1 want to know what goes on in-an adult theater. There is something about a place that flaunts its own forbidden state that makes me want to go in and check things out. It is almost like a dare to the world: "Here we are, with every forbidden pleasure, every repressed thought, every cheap thrill and expensive fantasy, right before your eyes." But the same flaunting keeps me away. It seems too easy, too cneap. When the mystery is taken away, it just isn't as meaningful. There is no "thrill of the chase*— one simply walks in and is bombarded with nearly every sexual fantasy' imagin able. Still, I just can not help but wonder what goes on in adult thea ters and what kind of people visit them. Using a newspaper article as an excuse, I visited one of Lincoln's w*wo adult theaters. An employee at the theater said a wide variety of people come in. Businessmen in three-piece suits may be standing next to Harley riders in the lobby. Couples visit, but usually rent X-rated videotapes to watch in their own homes, rather than viewing films in the theaters. The lobby of each adult theater is filled with all manner of sexual material. The selection of X-rated videos is enormous. It would probably take a person a month of back-to-back viewing to watdi all of the tapes. ‘Yeah, I want to know what goes on in an adult theatre.' Personalty, I would rather read the titles of the tapes than actually view them With titles like “Oral Majority #5," “Ftat Brats" and “I Cream of Genie," one can have hours of amusement. If these don't produce a chuckle or two, try “When a Stranger Comes," “Dy namic Vices," or "The Last Con dom.” In addition to offering video tapes for rent, each theater also has an amazing variety of adult maga zines. Of course, there are shelves full of such hard-to-find adult gems as "Blast Off" and "Jug Therapy." There were even a few magazines titles I did recognize. I quickly got bored with the books and magazines and started looking at various marital en hancers and cnticers. Condoms in every imaginable shape, color and texture were available. 1 can under stand a little variety but have no idea why people would want little rubber tarantulas and monsters on the ends of their rondoms Edible undergarments, body paints and "Body Cocktails" were available, if such delights are too lame, there are other choices like a “Peter Gun" and “Sex-Rated Cha rades." And in a shelf all by them selves were several “John Holmes Super Sauna" pumps for enlarging one’s organ. I saw the film that was showing on a monitor in the lobby. The film showed . . . sex. Close-up shots, distant shots, bizarre camera angles, and all of it accompanied by grunts and groans in stereo. I think there were only three pe&ble in volved, but I’m not sure because there weren’t too many facial shots. I left the theater, took a final glance around the lobby and headed out onto Q£treet, hoping no one recognized me as I left. All in all, it was not a bad experience. I don't plan to go back, but in case I change my mind, I'll plan on buying some popcorn and other refresh ments in the lobby before watching the movie. «*