One woman tells her story of strength and recovery
MARQUETTE -- One in four women are sexually assaulted by the time they're 18 years old. For men, it's one in six.
That, according to the Harbor House Women's Shelter in Marquette, is why they're holding community events, like at the Marquette Commons Thursday night, to make people aware of the violence in order to prevent it. Victims told their stories, like Diane Betts, who spoke with Upper Michigan's Source.
Coffee cup in hand, Diane Betts recalls a traumatic event from her past. She was raped at age 17 while on a blind date with a friend's cousin.
"Even though I said no, he was bigger than me," said Betts. "He was more powerful than me and took advantage of me and raped me."
Betts says she blamed herself for the the rape which left her with feelings of shame and worthlessness. So, she didn't tell her family until twenty years later. And that's when the healing started. That's also when she ended her abusive marriage and sought support from the Marquette County Women's Shelter and Harbor House.
"It doesn't matter what I'm doing or where I'm at or what condition I'm in," Betts said. "No one has the right to hurt or touch me. The Women's Shelter Harbor House helped me find my voice."
Sexual assault victim advocate, Kelly Laasko, says sexual violence has a profound impact on the victim's life, and if she doesn't talk about it, she's at risk of being victimized again.
"It's imperative to be able to get to a place where you can grieve about this and find closure and move forward and keep it from returning in your present and future," said Laasko.
Diane agrees and says she didn't know what healthy boundaries were until a few years ago.
Still, she doesn't have regrets about her past. Betts went back to college and got a degree in social work and looks now to her future with her two kids.
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