Statement from YWCA Greenwich on Cornell Rape Case
The Board and staff of YWCA Greenwich stand with survivors of sexual violence and with all those who have had the courage to seek justice, accountability, and healing.
We want to first acknowledge the courage of the survivor in coming forward. This is a burden that no survivor should have to carry alone. Reopening this investigation would be a step toward accountability.
This case has resonated far beyond Ithaca because the experience is one that far too many survivors recognize. Every day, our advocates at YWCA Greenwich’s Harmony Project work with survivors who were disbelieved, discouraged from reporting, or left without answers after a report went nowhere. Many survivors never come forward because they fear that same outcome.
Sexual violence thrives on silence—the silence of survivors who fear they will not be believed, of bystanders who look away, and of institutions that fail to act. Every time that silence goes unchallenged, it sends a message to survivors that speaking up carries more risk than staying quiet.
It also sends a message to those who perpetrate sexual violence that there will be no consequences.
Taking a stand is how that message begins to change. YWCA Greenwich stands in solidarity with Jane Doe and with every survivor seeking to be heard, believed, and supported.
Founded in 1919, YWCA Greenwich is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. YWCA Greenwich provides programs for people of all ages with initiatives that include preschool and after school programs, aquatics programs, youth athletics, health and fitness programs and seminars focusing on racial justice and women’s empowerment. Additionally, YWCA Greenwich is the only provider of both domestic and sexual violence services in Greenwich, with staff who are licensed to provide crisis intervention, counseling, shelter, and victim advocacy.
These services are free.
For immediate crisis support related to domestic or sexual violence, call YWCA Greenwich’s 24/7 crisis hotline at (203) 622-0003.