A teenage girl named Crystal has turned to Youtube to share her story of being raped. According to CNN, Crystal is among dozens of young people who are turning to social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace to talk about sexual assault.

Sadly, the comments which appear below the Youtube video are disgusting. Many think the girl is putting on an act, while others support the attacker. Everything about this makes me sick: the fact that a girl who claims she was raped has no where to turn but to the internet, that people commenting on the video think rape is funny, and that rape even happens at all. I’m really not sure what to make of all of this.

For an online generation, the Web offers what traditional counseling does not. It’s a chance to communicate without having to face someone or fear their judgment. Some people are seeking legal advice and medical information, and many younger victims believe that they can warn others about their accused attacker, counselors say.

There also are people like Crystal, whose case was dropped by the Orange County, Florida, state attorney’s office, who feel slighted by the justice system.

“Young victims, particularly girls, turn inward. They are going to reach out and try to connect in the isolation of their dorm room or their bedrooms,” said Jennifer Dritt, the director of the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence. “Most young women feel like they want somebody to know that someone did this to them.”

Advocates worry that victims are divulging too much information. CNN found several Facebook and MySpace profiles on which young people say they have been raped. The postings include their names, photographs and hometowns. But Crystal is probably one of the few who have gone so far as to post a plea for help on YouTube.Because anything posted on the Web is available forever through an Internet search, a rape survivor must consider how they would feel if that information were dredged up in the future, counselors said. By making themselves — or their IP address — available, victims open themselves to unreliable and unprofessional advice and the harsh judgment of their peers.Perhaps worst of all, they could give their perpetrator a chance to find them again or gain more satisfaction. [CNN.com]

According to the nation’s largest rape crisis counseling organization, RAINN, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network-one in four American women under the age of 25 report that they have been sexually assaulted. And those are just the incidents that are reported, many more go unreported. and visit rainn.org for ways to help stop rape and support rape victims.

Related links:

CNN full story 

RAINN 

Crystal’s Youtube Video