Millions of people heard Christine Blasey Ford tell the Senate Judiciary Committee about a long-ago gathering where she said Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, pushed his body against hers, tried to remove her clothes and held his hand over her mouth as she tried to scream for help.

The story was difficult to take in, and that’s especially true for victims of sexual assault.

If Ford’s testimony stirred up painful or traumatic memories, there are places you can turn for help, including:

• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) staffs a National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline that connects callers with trained specialists in their area. The toll-free number is 800-656-HOPE (4673). Live chats are also available.


• Loveisrespect, formerly the National Dating Abuse Helpline, fields phone calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 866-331-9474. Help is also offered via text messages (text LOVEIS to 22522) and through online chats.

• The National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence offers links to a variety of hotlines for victims of domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, members of the LGBTQ community and more.

• The National Child Traumatic Stress Network also has a list of hotlines for victims of child sexual abuse, dating abuse, domestic violence and other kinds of crime victims.

karen.kaplan@latimes.com


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