➤ This is a survey by a survivor for survivors
➤ The purpose of this survey is to gain a deeper understanding about the experiences of sharing sexual assault and sexual violence stories
➤ You are eligible to take this survey if you are a survivor of sexual assault and have shared your story publicly. This means on social media, in the press, to human resources, campus security, in court, to a medical professional, a therapist, with an advocacy organization, on a podcast, etc.
➤ This survey can be anonymous and confidential. Answers will be anonymized, confidential, and are maintained by a program with a password and additional security measures.
➤ This survey should take approximately 30-35 minutes
➤ This survey is open to all survivors, no matter where you live or reside.
➤ This survey will ask questions about your experience with sexual assault, which may be triggering for some people. If you need support, call 1-800-656-4673 to reach the National Sexual Assault Hotline or text 741741 to speak to a counselor at Crisis Text Line.
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In early October 2017 we saw the resurgence of Tarana Burke’s #MeToo movement elevating the voices of people who’ve experienced sexual violence. In a new way, thanks to social media, we saw victims and survivors understanding their collective power, joining together to once again tell one another, and the world, we are not alone.

After publicly sharing my sexual assault story in May 2018 I found immense comfort in other survivors' stories, a sense of camaraderie. As I’ve connected with survivors and supported them as they’ve shared their stories, I’ve realized how little, if any support, there is for victims and survivors of sexual violence who speak publicly.
 
I hope for this survey to change that. I am looking to hear directly from survivors and victims about their experiences, and from that think about how we can better establish support systems for storytelling. There is a sexual violence epidemic in this country and around the world. To highlight this, many institutions turn to victims and survivors to share their experiences but do not adequately prepare us for what’s on the other side of a public disclosure. If the elected officials, national and local non-profits, and the media want to continuously ask sexual assault survivors and victims to share our stories there must be better support systems in place so as not to re-traumatize us. I believe we must hear directly from the sexual violence survivors in order to fix, adapt, and be truly survivor-centric.

The outcome of this survey will be a report and recommendations that will be publicly shared. This is not a scientific survey. This survey is by a survivor, for survivors. My hope is to create a series of recommendations from us—survivors—for other survivors and those who support us. These recommendations can be used to ensure opportunities for public disclosure adequately address survivors unique needs and are not exploitative or isolating.

This survey should take approximately 30-35 minutes.

This survey can be anonymous and confidential. Answers will be anonymized, confidential, and are maintained by a program with a password and additional security measures.

I will be conducting some more in depth follow up interviews and conversations. If you wish to share your name and email you’ll have the opportunity at the end of the survey. Or, if you’re interested in digitally connecting with other survivors who have shared their stories, to support one another, you can share your email. Again, this is not required and the entire survey is anonymous.

If you have any questions you can contact me, Alison Turkos, directly at turkos@alisonturkos.com

Please note: I am not receiving funding for this effort, this is all volunteer. Unfortunately, survey participants will not be compensated for completing the survey. I do hope survey participants, as well as the general public, will benefit from the eventual public good that comes from the report.