The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network was inundated with requests for help following Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony before a Senate committee about an alleged incident of sexual assault that transpired between herself and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, according to the organization that oversees the support site.
The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, known as RAINN, posted a tweet during Kavanaugh’s testimony Thursday evening that its chat specialists were overwhelmed with requests from the public. The volume of calls to the National Sexual Assault Hotline, which the organization coordinates, was up 147 percent compared with a normal weekday, according to one report.
“We are experiencing unprecedented wait times for our online chat. If you are able, we encourage you to call 800.656.HOPE (4673) or reach out via chat tomorrow. If you are in immediate danger, call 911,” wrote RAINN, the country’s largest nonprofit that works with victims of sex crimes.
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We are experiencing unprecedented wait times for our online chat. If you are able, we encourage you to call 800.656.HOPE (4673) or reach out via chat tomorrow. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
— RAINN (@RAINN) September 27, 2018
The number of requests RAINN gets usually spikes when sexual assault issues are in the news, per the report. However, Thursday’s numbers were even higher than past days when the topic has been in a leading story.
Today’s figures were higher than when the “Access Hollywood” recording that contained President Trump, then a candidate, saying how he could seduce women and even “grab ’em by the pussy” was released. That incident reportedly drove up calls to the hotline by 33 percent.
The organization has seen a 46 percent increase in the number of requests for help in a little over a week since Ford came forward. That number only grew — to 57 percent — after another woman, Deborah Ramirez, accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct over the weekend, according to the report.
Speaking before the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday afternoon, Kavanaugh adamantly denied all sexual harassment or assault allegations against him.
