Note: This episode discusses sexual assault and gender-based violence at length, including direct references to rape, courtroom testimony, and generational and religious abuse.
People often hold an idea of what a survivor looks like or how they should be. Samira Ghosh has spent sixteen years learning how untrue that is as Director of Advocacy and Client Services at Asian Family Support Services of Austin (AFSSA), and as a Texas state expert witness on trauma and survivor testimony.
We start with the actual mechanics of showing up for a survivor: how intake works, the difference between wanting justice, healing, or to just be heard, alongside exploring the complexities around abuse in higher education and what it means when the person accused is someone's academic advisor, mentor, and visa sponsor all at once,
Samira names the hardest-earned statistic I've heard on this show: healing from sexual violence takes, on average, twenty-three years. We talk about what community owes survivors, including believing without judgment, and not penalizing someone for changing their mind. With her work in a culturally responsive organization, we dive into how the phrase what will people say does so much quiet damage in South Asian communities, the impact of language, and other cultural norms that hinder healing and creating safer environments.
I share my experiences of healing not only my harm, but also ancestral pain connected to abuse with teachers and leaders.
Learn about Samira and AFSSA at www.afssaustin.org
AFSSA's 24H Crisis and Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-877-281-8371
Chapters
03:43 How AFSSA's Intake Actually Works
08:50 Justice, Healing, or Just Being Heard
12:22 When the Harasser Is Your Academic Guru
15:16 Why Survivors Stay With AFSSA for Years
17:33 What to Say When Someone Discloses to You
22:05 'You Are Not Co-Opting My Story'
27:54 Testifying as the State's Trauma Expert
35:53 Storytelling Over a Public Call-Out
43:15 Why Some Languages Have No Word for This
51:18 Feeling Her Ancestors in the Room
01:02:10 10 to 500 in 16 Years
Mentioned in this episode:
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Maharaj (Netflix, 2024)
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