Evan Rachel Wood Emotionally Speaks On Rape And Torture She Endured During Capitol Hill Testimony
Actress Evan Rachel Wood joined other fearless women to speak on the Sexual Assault Survivors Bill in Washington D.C. which was created in 2016.
The actress took the opportunity to speak on her two separate experiences with sexual assault and abuse and urged Congress members to pass the bill.
Wood's Traumatic Journey
I am already crying. #EvanInDC #SurvivorBillOfRights A post shared by Evan Rachel Wood (@evanrachelwood) on Feb 27, 2018 at 7:52am PST
During an emotional speech, Wood bravely spoke on the tragic incidents that took place in her life. The actress stated in her five-minute speech that she carried around so much guilt after being sexually abused and that she felt that she was the only person to deal with the abuse.
The actress then elaborated on the sexual assault she suffered on two separate occasions.
"While I was tied up and being beaten and told unspeakable things, I truly felt like I could die. Not just because my abuser said to me, 'I could kill you right now,' but because in that moment I felt like I left my body and I was too afraid to run," Wood stated.
The Thirteen actress continued that the experiences left her with severe post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts.
"I struggled with self-harm to the point of two suicide attempts, which landed me in a psychiatric hospital for a short period of time. This was, however, a turning point in my life when I started seeking professional help to deal with my trauma and mental stress," Wood continued.
The 30-year-old starlet passionately asked the lawmakers to pass the bill as she considered it a "safety net" for all victims of sexual asasault, rape, or harassment.
The Across the Universe actress came forward in an article for Rolling Stone in 2016 where she stated that she was raped twice. Wood never named her attackers but did mention in 2017 that they were "powerful men" with a lot of money. She decided not to reveal their names because of "money and time."
#MeToo, Time's Up, What's Next?
Wood is the not the only actress to come forward with allegations of sexual assault or abuse. Beginning in September 2017, over 80 women have accused, Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, rape, and misconduct, which led to the "Weinstein epidemic."
After Weinstein's alleged sexual crimes made headlines, more men in Hollywood and mainstream media were outed and named as sexual predators.
Among those men who were exposed were Kevin Spacey, Ed Westwick, Dustin Hoffman, Matt Lauer, and Russell Simmons.
