Supporting Survivors: Reflections on My Work in GBV Prevention & Response

By Julie Wheeler, WI-HER Associate, Operations & HR

While I was in the military serving as an Independent Duty Corpsman, I encountered many victims of sexual assault. Some disclosed this directly to me, some didn’t realize they were victims, and some, I just knew something terrible had happened to them. This was the case with one particular patient, a young female Sailor, which still stands out to me.

While I was conducting an annual exam on her, she trembled and cried the entire time. I immediately stopped and let her get dressed while I discussed what happened with the doctor I was working with. We were able to comfort and calm her down and found out that she was routinely being assaulted by one of her supervisors late at night during her working shifts.

The pain and fear in her eyes is something I will never forget. It taught me to be less clinical in my interactions with my patients and more empathetic in my approach during sensitive exams.

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This reflection is part of WI-HER’s 2023 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) campaign. UN Women created the 16 Days campaign to bring awareness to issues related to responding to, preventing, addressing, and ending GBV.