National Sexual Assault Hotline spiked 201 percent during Christine Blasey Ford's testimony
Christine Blasey Ford testifies before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill September 27, 2018 in Washington, DC. Blasey Ford. (Photo by Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh vehemently denied all charges of sexual assault before the Senate of Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
His accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, a Palo Alto professor, shared her recollections of the alleged incident that occurred in 1982 when the two were in high school. Millions of men and women listened to a nervous-but-composed Ford as she said she was “100 percent sure" Kavanaugh was her attacker.
While the Senate, as well as women across the country, remain divided, the events on Thursday generated at least one common reaction. The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network reports the National Sexual Assault Hotline saw a 201 percent above average increase in calls on Thursday.
“We are experiencing unprecedented wait times for our online chat,” RAINN wrote in tweet, which advised those seeking help to call the hotline.
The nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization originally reported a 147 percent surge in the amount of calls to the hotline. A new report the following day showed the figure grew to a staggering 201 percent.
“Hearing about sexual violence in the media and online can be very difficult for survivors and their loved ones,” RAINN wrote in tweet Sept. 23, and then re-tweeted following the hearings Thursday. “Remember to take care of yourself during these times.”
Anyone searching for resources to talk about sexual assault can visit RAINN's online hotline or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.