Blog

I Have The Right To is thrilled to announce that Sophie Scott, Associate Producer, Anderson Cooper 360°, was appointed to the organization’s Board of Directors with a term starting June 1, 2023.

By Elizabeth Zeigler
2 min read

Every school can begin to make changes to ensure the safety of all students. Here are five actions schools can take now.

Brylie Turk
3.5 min read

Delayed disclosure of child sexual abuse is an incredibly common phenomenon due to many barriers child victims face which prevent them from reporting their abuse. Regardless of age, the United States Department of Justice suggests that eighty-six percent of child sexual abuse goes completely unreported. When child victims do decide to report their abuse, a high percentage of them will not do so until adulthood. This delay can occur for a variety of reasons, “among other barriers, children lack the knowledge needed to recognize sexual abuse, lack the ability to articulate that they’ve been abused, don’t have an adult they can disclose the abuse to, don’t have opportunities to disclose abuse, and aren’t believed when they try to disclose” (Child USA 2020). 

by Brylie Turk
4 minute read

Reading Chessy’s book had a massive impact on me as the survivor of a middle school sexual assault. While I have been told time and time again “You’re not alone,” this did not truly resonate with me until learning about Chessy’s journey. I have spoken with and been encouraged by countless survivors throughout my healing, but none of them had shared my experiences of betrayal by my peers and school system, and none had been so close to my age. 

by Elizabeth Zeigler
3 minute read

Dear Senators,

I am Elizabeth Zeigler, Executive Director of I Have The Right To, a registered 501 (c)(3) founded by Chessy Prout and her parents after Chessy came forward publicly to claim her name and story rather than be intimidated into silence by Michael Delaney and the motion he filed on behalf of St. Paul’s School.

We Need Your Action and Voices!

TO:  Advocates for  Sexual Assault Survivors and Children

RE: FOLLOWING THE 2/15 SENATE HEARING, PLEASE  SHOW  YOUR SUPPORT FOR SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AND THEIR  RIGHT TO PRIVACY.  HAVE YOUR VOICE  COUNTED IN THE JUDICIAL COMMITTEE RECORD BY ASKING THEM TO VOTE “NO” TO MICHAEL DELANEY’S NOMINATION.  

TO:  Advocates for  Sexual Assault Survivors and Children

RE:  Michael Delaney’s nomination for Federal Judge for Boston-based 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals 

Dear Advocate, 

This is a call to action for all advocates and allies of sexual assault survivors. The White House nomination of Michael A. Delaney to a Federal Judgeship in the US Court of Appeals in Boston will be reviewed in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, February 15, at 10:00 am in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC.  

By: Brylie Turk, Student Outreach Intern
3 minute read

Thursday February 26th, Steve Peacock, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and member of I Have The Right To’s Board of Directors, joined Evan Dawson for an interview for WXXI’s Connections segment (see the link below). In the interview, Steve openly shares his experience of being targeted, groomed, and then sexually abused for years in his own home by his neighbor, starting at when he was only 10 years old, and how he spoke up years later, at the age of 52 years.  

I Have The Right To interviewed Christina Graziano who is Partner at Ketterer Browne & Associates (KBA).  Christina’s practice focuses on complex civil litigation in state and federal courts, including cases of sexual assault.

I Have The Right recently spoke with Inanna Balkin, a student in 8th grade at Amherst Middle School in Amherst, Massachusetts. Inanna led a campaign to get her peers, teachers, and school leaders to sign the I Have The Right To Pledge. She is a model for students across the country who are standing up and speaking out to advocate for an education free from sexual assault. Hear in her own words why Inanna chose to be an advocate and what she hopes for in the future.

By: Elizabeth Zeigler, Executive Director, I Have The Right To
3 minute read

When you remove the to-do lists, the last-minute gifting, and the hustle and bustle of the season, the holidays are about being together. 

Yet “being” together can sometimes be fraught: there is the unwanted kiss from Uncle George, the grandparent who overshares their grandchild’s news and photos, or the newcomer to the annual holiday dinner.

By: Elizabeth Zeigler, Executive Director, I Have The Right To

4 minute read

Consent is a word that is most often associated with romantic relationships and yet the concept is vastly broad and purely fundamental: the right that every human is entitled to exercise when deciding what happens to their body.  Including – and perhaps especially – young humans. Consider this story about my young daughter, Christmas, and consent.