Abby Honold is a sexual assault survivor, and is on her way to making changes to how victims are interviewed about their attack.
Victim blaming is nothing new when it comes to rape and sexual assault crimes. Victims are asked a surge of questions and details that can often make it seem like they are more at fault rather than their attackers. In an interview with Teen Vogue, Abby explains how her memory was sporadic while being interviewed by law enforcement, different images and memories coming up at random times. She said her interviewers were becoming angry with her because she was unable to give a clear chronological list of events.
A forensic nurse was able to break through with her using FETI (Forensic Experimental Trauma Interview technique). With this technique interviewers ask the victim about sensory images that were happening during the attack. This makes it easier for clear memories to surface and the whole story to seem coherent.
With the help of Senator Amy Klobuchar, Honold hopes to pass a bill which will provide federal funding for the training of law enforcement and first responders on how to interview sexual assault victims. This bill could change the way sexual assault cases are handled and could even end up encouraging more victims to step forward with their attacks, knowing that they won’t be treated like criminals.