Orlando Sexual Abuse & Marriage Counselor Dana West, LCSW answers questions about Sexual Assault Victims and gives Tips to Survive Abuse | Cocoa Beach Jermaine Smith | Mentally Disabled Woman Video. Our Total Life Counseling Center Therapists provide expert therapy in our 5 offices in Lake Mary, East Orlando, MetroWest, Clermont and Winter Park Florida FL.
Cocoa police admitted on November 8, 2013 that a breakdown in the department allowed a man accused of raping a mentally disabled woman to freely walk the streets for a year before he was finally arrested. Jermaine Smith is behind bars for being accused of breaking into the Cocoa home of a mentally disabled woman more than a year ago and sexually assaulting her. The Cocoa Beach police department did not realize the rape kit lab results were not sent in until months after the rape. As soon as they got the results they charged the accused rapist and brought him into custody.
It is heartbreaking for me as a sexual abuse recovery expert to hear this sad story to this innocent woman in Cocoa Beach, FL. It was reported that she was burglarized and assaulted in her own home by a stranger. She immediately went to the police and submitted DNA evidence after the sexual assault. What she was most likely looking for was safety and security provided by the police department but she did not receive this fully until a year later. Fear, shock, sadness, anger, confusion, shame and desolation, these are the common reactions individuals can experience after being sexual abused or assaulted. One’s life is forever change after one day or incident of sexual abuse and assault. A lot of survivors’ of sexual abuse report feeling like damaged goods and most of the time feel isolated from their loved ones, peers, and society. According to the National Institute of Health, 1 out of 3 women will experience some form of sexual abuse or assault. Over half of these women will never report the incident to anyone, let alone the authorities. Majority of sexual abuse survivors blame themselves for the assault when clearly the perpetrator is 100% responsible. It is essential for sexual abuse and rape survivors to get support from loved ones, friends, and authorities to recover from the trauma. Most of the time these support systems do not know how to support survivors and at times their responses or lack there of can re-traumatize the victims without them even realizing it.
Read 4 Tips for supporting loved ones who were sexually abused or assaulted here