Sexual Assault Hotline Calls Surge by 20 Percent Following 'Surviving R. Kelly'
Lifetime's "Surviving R. Kelly" docuseries reportedly led to a surge in calls to one of the nation's top sexual-assault hotlines.
The doc, executive produced by dream hampton, chronicles R. Kelly's life and career, exploring decades of sexual abuse, physical abuse, and statutory rape allegations.
Compared to the prior week, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network reportedly saw a 27 percent increase on Thursday (Jan. 3rd), the night the first part of the docu-series aired.
READ: R. Kelly Claims to Not Know Half of the Women Who Spoke Out in Lifetime Docu-Series
"We often see the types of callers we get" follow a news cycle, the hotline network's president, Scott Berkowitz told NBC News. With the R. Kelly show, more people called "about childhood abuse."
When Christine Blasey Ford testified before a Senate committee that she was allegedly sexually assaulted by Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network reported calls to its hotline rose 201 percent.
"We heard from older women during the Kavanaugh hearings, and fewer men and kids than a normal day," Berkowitz said.
He also stated that before "Surviving R. Kelly" aired, it reached out to RAINN in advance in the event that it'd received an influx of hotline calls, saying, "We try and staff up as much as possible if we know something is coming up, and over the last year we added over 50 hotline staff because the demand has just kept growing and growing."
R. Kelly has consistently denied all allegations.
Source: NBC News