Christine Blasey Ford's claims that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her have stirred up a storm in politics, and in many people who've been touched by sexual assault.
Ford's allegations reach back more than 30 years to their high school years. Since the claims surfaced, new cases and renewed memories of old ones have led the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault (SACASA) to see a spike in calls to its crisis line -- up about fifty percent in the last week.
"We see a combination into our 24/7 crisis hotline of people who are calling in regards to an assault or rape that just happened, and people who are calling for support on something that happened maybe a little while ago, or maybe even many years ago as a child or young adult," SACASA's Kristine Welter said.
You can call SACASA's 24/7 Crisis Line at (520) 327-7273 or toll-free at (800) 400-1001.
News like the sexual assault sentence for actor Bill Cosby, and new allegations tied to the #MeToo movement may also be driving the calls.
"One of the really, really important things -- and this is helpful for everyone to know, because it's very likely that each of us know someone who has been raped or assault sexually assaulted -- so one of the very most important things is to believe the individual what they're telling you and let them decide what next steps they're going to have."
Because sexual assault is a crime the next step could be a call to police but SACASA puts the power with the victim to decide what to do next.
