Manisha Shah, Program Director for Hudson SPEAKS, spoke with Real Jersey City about the free services her organization provides, as well as the issue of campus sexual violence.

Hudson Speaks Against Sexual Violence (Hudson S.P.E.A.K.S) Program Director Manisha Shah – following a resolution by the Jersey City Council recognizing the organization’s work and proclaiming April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month – spoke with Real Jersey City about the free community services and programs her organization provides, as well as the issue of campus sexual violence.

“Hudson SPEAKS is the designated 24/7 rape crisis center for Hudson County” said Shah, who stressed that the services provided were available to all survivors of sexual violence – no matter when the victimization happened.

Shah also spoke about Hudson SPEAKS working relationship with law enforcement when sexual assaults are reported.

“Hudson SPEAKS being the designated rape crisis center, we are a part of the S.A.R.T. team – which is Sexual Assault Response Team.”

Following-up on law enforcement and reporting of sexual violence, Shah touched on reasons why victims may be reluctant to notify the police.

“That is something [victims] are not very sure, especially with young survivors. They don’t know how there family is going to react because of the police involvement. A lot of other older survivors don’t want to talk to the police because they may be re-victimized.”

Shah also added that voluntary alcohol consumption, and forgetting parts of a night, are reasons why survivors might not want to submit to police questioning.

In light of recent media exposure and public policy changes regarding the issue of sexual violence on campus, Shah said Jersey City’s two major universities – New Jersey City University and Saint Peters University – are now forced to take on the issue.

“The colleges have been asked to really look at this issue very seriously, rather than saying it’s not an issue on our campus.”

Shad added that “we’re re-looking at consent – what does consent mean?”

“Yesterday I was at Saint Peters, at a conference, where we ostensibly, normally spoke about prevention, we also spoke about role of alcohol.”

Shah also answered whether policy change could leave open the possibility of individuals – most likely men – being unfairly accused of sex crimes, and whether the recent retraction of a Rolling Stone article detailing a campus rape at the University of Virginia hurts victims from stepping forward.

“False reporting of sexual assault is a very, very low number, but again we are moving towards legislation which says affirmative consent.”

“We are moving away from a model that ‘no means no’, but to a model of ‘yes means yes’… Within consent, when we really break it down, and have the students really educated of what’s consent – I don’t think there’s any grey area which the law or [universities] should be leaving out.”

Following up on the “grey area” of the law – Shah answered whether an individual regretting a consensual sexual experience, participating in a painful sexual fetish as an example, is a victim.

“The experience part is completely different – it has to be affirmative, it has to be mutual, and it has to verbalized. As long as a person verbally agrees to it, is not intoxicated, is mentally/physically in a shape to consent – it lies within a positive consent.”

For more information about Hudson SPEAKS – visit their Facebook Page. If you are a victim of sexual assault and are in need of help, or know someone that is, contact 201-795-5757.

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