Christina Ricci Shines Light on Sexual Violence in Huffington Post

By: Edecio Martinez
Topics: Daily Blotter

(DREAMWORKS)

NEW YORK (CBS) Actress Christina Ricci is speaking out to shine a light on sexual violence.

The Addams Family star has joined forces with the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) and was scheduled to meet with members of Congress yesterday.

She also penned an article in the Huffington Post which talks about the deep impact victims of sexual violence have had on her.

"They tell me of the struggles they face every day dealing with feelings, fear and shame, being alone, and the hurdles they've had to overcome in healing from the physical, emotional and psychological injuries."

The numbers according to RAINN and Ricci's blog post are shocking:

One in six women and one in 33 men will become victims of sexual violence, she wrote.

According to the RAINN website, there were 248,300 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault in 2007, which calculates to 1 sexual assault every 2 minutes.

And the effects can leave life-long scars.

Ricci cited a World Health Organization Report when she wrote, "Victims of sexual violence are more likely to suffer from grave mental health issues than non-victims; the report says the victims are:

- 3 times more likely to suffer from depression.
- 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide.
- 6 times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- 13 times more likely to abuse alcohol.
- 26 times more likely to abuse drugs."

And according to her post, the coalition to support sexual assault victims is financially stressed. "Rape crisis centers nationwide are financially struggling to meet the growing number of people who need support," Ricci wrote.

Ricci joined the RAINN group as the national spokesperson on April 25, 2007.

The actress has starred in popular films such as Mermaids; The Addams Family; The Opposite of Sex, a role that earned her a Golden Globe nomination; Sleepy Hollow; Monster; Black Snake Moan; Penelope; and Speed Racer. She also received an Emmy nomination for her role on "Grey's Anatomy."