Framing the rape victim

This year I was placed at G.A. family services for my social work field practicum. I mainly work with troubled youth between the ages of 13 and 18 and it was shocking for me to realize how many of these kids have experienced sexual assualt throughout their lifetime. Up until this point, "rape" was just a word i would hear occasionally on the news but i had never been confronted with any personal experiences; i had a false sense of invisibility and the misconception that i would never have to deal with rape or sexual abuse. I feel lucky because taking this gender studies class and working at G.A. has opened my eyes to important issues regarding sexual assault and has motivated me to pursue activism for rape awareness. It's extremely important for me to fully understand the impact of sexual abuse on people and understand all of the challenges people face when they are labeled as a victim. Becoming more knowledgable on these topics will help me when working with the youth at G.A.because i will have a clearer understanding of their circumstances.
One aspect of Mardorossian's book, "Framing The Rape Victim: Gender and Agency Reconsidered" i appreciated was that it showed the different layers of sexual assault. I think when people are confronted with issues of rape and sexual abuse they tend to have a one-dimensional view; people only think of the "typical" rape scenario that the media portrays and avoid thinking of the long-term aftermath of the assault. In the book she discusses different forms of rape that i have never even considered. Birth rape refers to the violating experiences women face while in the hospital giving birth. I have never heard of birth rape but completely understand the issues and violations women experience while in labor, however, i'm struggling to determine whether or not i agree with labeling these labor experiences as rape. I understand the significance of the trauma women face while in the hospital and the violation of their bodies, but i also believe that labeling it as rape might minimize the experiences of other women who have been sexually assaulted. There is a common ground between birth rape and other forms of sexual assault but i feel like there is also a significant number of differences. I'm glad i was introduced to the idea of birth rape because it showed me that there are so many forms of sexual assault that i am not aware and that i have to always keep researching and learning about these issues if i ever want to competently counsel individuals.