Brittany’s boyfriend, who was usually happy, seemed agitated when he visited her. What started off as kissing led to him forcing himself on her, pinning her legs against the bed so she could not move and taking her virginity. After raping her, he stuck his fingers inside of her, told her that she was bleeding and needed to take a shower.
 “I did not report it because I thought nothing would be done since I was his girlfriend,†said the survivor, who asked to remain anonymous.
Rapists are almost never strangers wearing masks, stalking their prey in dark alleys. More than 80 percent of sexual assaults are perpetrated by a non-stranger, and 47 percent of rapists are a friend or acquaintance, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.
“I wanted to commit suicide because no one believed me. I went to the kitchen, looked at the knives and touched one. I put the knife down and cried so hard that night.†- Kaila Garrett
“Even with guys now I still have my guard up,†she said. “I have a hard time trusting them and their intentions.â€
It was a week before Kaila Garrett’s turned 17-years old when she was sexually assaulted by an acquaintance.
She was waiting for her mother to pick her up from school. He entered the classroom where she was waiting and turned off the lights. Garrett stood up, yelled for him to stop and they tussled before he forced her onto a table and put his hands down her clothing.
“I was crying and yelling stop,†Garrett said. “He kept [telling me to] relax.â€
Garrett reported the assault to her teacher and they told the principal, who Garrett said was defensive.
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“He told my mom something on the grounds of, ‘Do you believe you daughter? I can’t believe that he would do something like that,’†Garrett said.
Garrett said she received threats from the perpetrator’s sister saying that she was going to bash her skull in. Garrett developed post-traumatic stress disorder. She also needed counseling after contemplating suicide.
 “I wanted to commit suicide because no one believed me,†Garrett said. “I went to the kitchen, looked at the knives and touched one. I put the knife down and cried so hard that night.â€
Garrett said that those around her questioned if her outfit triggered the assault. While she knows now this isn’t the case, back then, she started to question what she wore before leaving her house.
“I started to ask myself, ‘Did I really cause this because of what I wore?’†Garrett said. “My mom actually started to believe it.â€
“When they get away with it by someone not reporting, it just lets them feel free to do it again... They are not going to stop.†-Anna Whalley, administrator of Shelby County Crime Victim Services Center
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The man who assaulted her was expelled from high school, given one year of probation and had to attend mandatory classes.
Sexual assault survivors are often blamed for the attack, said Anna Whalley, administrator of Shelby County Crime Victim Services Center.
Whalley said that men often think because a woman goes home with them, that it’s an invitation to have sex. It’s not.
“If you were in someone’s dorm room or if you were alone with someone, it does not give someone the right to rape you,†Whalley said.  Â
Whalley said victims are often asked questions about what they were doing during an attack, where they were and what were they wearing. These questions leave the victim feeling as if they are to blame, according to Whalley.
Some misconceptions are that men and prostitutes cannot be raped. About 3 percent of American men — or 1 in 33 — have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. Nearly 15 percent of sexual assault and rape victims are under age 12.
Prostitutes often come into the Rape Crisis Center badly beaten, Whalley said, and many offenders believe no one will do anything because they are prostitutes.Â
“We are finding that some of the untested rape kits were cases were raping prostitutes because they knew they were vulnerable,†Whalley said.
The Rape Crisis Center offers forensic medical exams, counseling for victims and advocates who will assist them through any legal process.
It does not matter if the rape took place 10 or 15 years ago, victims can still seek counseling, Whalley said.
It is important for victims to come forward and report their assault, Whalley said. If not, according to Whalley, the rapist will continue to harm other people.
“When they get away with it by someone not reporting, it just lets them feel free to do it again,†Whalley said. “They are not going to stop.â€
