Just weeks after RAINN turned 28 years old in 2022, it hit a bittersweet milestone: its victim service programs helped the four-millionth person.
“Helping so many survivors and their loved ones is a great testament to all those who staff the 40 hotlines that RAINN now operates,” according to Scott Berkowitz, RAINN’s founder and president. “From the staff and volunteers and local partners who keep the National Sexual Assault Hotline running 24/7, to the staff on the DoD Safe Helpline, and staff who work on the many hotlines we operate for clients, we are so lucky to have such phenomenal, caring people ready to help survivors.”
RAINN’s victim service programs now help more than 800 people each day, up from less than 100 people a day when RAINN launched the National Sexual Assault Hotline in 1994. “We are thrilled that RAINN’s services have become so well-known and so trusted,” said Berkowitz. “At the same time, it’s tragic that so many people continue to be victimized by sexual violence, and that demand for our services continues to grow.”
Reaching out for help is never easy for survivors. “We recognize, and thank, the millions of survivors who are so brave and courageous in reaching out to RAINN,” said Amy Andrades, director of the National Sexual Assault Hotline. “Helping survivors of sexual violence has a very personal importance to me. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to support visitors on the hotline and hear their stories first-hand. With each visitor that comes through, we have the opportunity to make a difference in their lives, and that should never be taken for granted, observed one staffer on the National Sexual Assault Hotline.
RAINN launched the National Sexual Assault Hotline in 1994, partnering with 347 local sexual assault service providers to offer help by phone 24/7 (the number of local partners has grown to 1,050 today). In 2006, it expanded services by creating the Online Hotline, the web’s first confidential hotline service.
Since 2011, RAINN has also operated hotline services for other organizations. It operates the DoD Safe Helpline, designed for members of the Department of Defense community affected by sexual assault, through a contract with DoD. In total, RAINN’s victim services team now operate 40 hotlines, including services for the Peace Corps and Uber.
RAINN’s Communications team works hard to make sure that everyone who needs help learns about the hotline. “The hotline is included in thousands of news stories every year,” said Erinn Robinson, RAINN’s head of media relations. “RAINN has also partnered with nearly every major television and streaming network, and our programs have been the beneficiary of hundreds of millions of dollars of donated public service ads,” noted Berkowitz.
RAINN continues to innovate with new ways to help survivors. Most recently, it launched Redefining Resilience, a learning series for child sexual abuse survivors and Lean on Me, a five-episode video series for parents and caregivers.
Hotline staffers shared what it has been like working on the National Sexual Assault Hotline and what it means to serve four million survivors. "It has been amazing to be a part of the hotline's growth. I admire everyone I work with and feel so grateful to show up to work every day with them by my side. What an amazing thing to have helped four million survivors," said one staffer. Kafka, an online hotline volunteer since 2012, added, “In serving over four million survivors, RAINN has likely impacted countless more in the fight to prevent and respond to violence that harms all communities. I am honored to be a part of an organization that embodies compassionate care while advocating for systemic change. "