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About Sonia Pressman Fuentes
Expertise
I am an author, public speaker, feminist leader and lawyer. I was the first woman attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) and a founder of WEAL (Women`s Equity Action League) and FEW (Federally Employed Women). I am an expert in the field of women`s rights to be free of employment discrimination based on sex.

Experience
I spent eight years as an attorney with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and worked for one year as a volunteer attorney with the Montgomery County, MD, Human Relations Commission. I have lectured all over the world and the U.S. on women's rights to be free of employment discrimination based on sex and had articles on the subject published in newspapers, magazines, and journals and on the Internet. I also spent 11 years with multinational corporations in the field of EEO and labor law.

Organizations
I belong to NOW and the Veteran Feminists of America nationally and the Brandeis University National Women's Committee in Sarasota, FL. I am a member of the board of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State in Sarasota, FL.

Publications
See my Web site at http://www.erraticimpact.com/fuentes for articles written by me, information on my memoir, "Eat First--You Don't Know What They'll Give You, The Adventures of an Immigrant Family and Their Feminist Daughter," and interviews of me.

Education/Credentials
I have an LLB from the University of Miami School of Law in Florida.

Awards and Honors
I received a superior performance award at the EEOC and was inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame, among other awards and honors.

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Women`s Issues - Can you help?

Expert: Sonia Pressman Fuentes - 11/4/2009

Question
Hi Sonia. I am writing to bring something to your attention that I found very disturbing and troubling. I was browsing this site, and came across a question from a young girl (just fifteen years old!) who asked an "expert" on this site who CLAIMS to be a doctor who has years of experience in counseling children and women who have been victims of sexual abuse and rape(I hope that is not true, because if it is I am deeply concerned for the wellbeing of his clients) whether or not she had been raped and if it was her fault. She describes the circumstances leading up to her being raped (she was playing a "drinking game" with her twenty one year old step brother and his friend). Dr Sunu Sundar clearly tells her that it was indeed her fault, and that she should not have been drinking. Never mind that this girl was in the seventh grade and that this was her step-brother (who I might add is an adult!). He never encouraged her to tell somewhat what had happened to her or to seek counseling. He told another young woman who had been raped that she can avoid being victimized again in the future by making sure that she is never alone with a boy/man and avoiding nightclubs. Oh, and he tells her to pray for an hour each day and read the bible and that will help her to heal and will also protect her.

When I read that I felt sick to my stomach. He is basically telling these girls that what happened to them is their fault! His "advice" is absurd! He places all of the responsibility on the woman's shoulders, and doesn't seem to think that the man has ANY responsibility for his actions. Avoid men? Seriously? Unbelievable. Anyway, I know that other experts can also chime in and give advice. And I wondered if perhaps you could try and help this young woman? Apparently other users are also allowed to do this, but I wasn't sure what to say to this girl. I am no expert, and of course this individual comes across as being very credible because he is a "DR". Isn't this type of thing unethical? Aren't there certain guidelines/rules that mental health professionals must follow? I am very afraid for this girls safety. After all, this wasn't some stranger. It was her step-brother, and from what I understand he is still living in the house with her. And I am also concerned for her mental health and emotional well-being. I am providing you with the links to both of these questions and the answers that followed. Please let me know if you can/will do something? It is so infuriating (and sad!) that in this day and age women and girls are STILL being made to feel as though they did something to deserve being violated. I thought that we as a society had moved away from those outdated attitudes about women and rape. What do you think about this? Thank you.

Sincerely,

Beverly

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Rape-Counseling-1570/2009/11/rape-fault.htm

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Rape-Counseling-1570/2009/11/think-raped-3-years.htm

Answer
Dear Beverly:

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I went to the website you gave me and it doesn't say exactly what you wrote about he incident although the gravamen of it is as you wrote. I found nothing in the write-up you directed me to that says she was with her stepbrother and his friend or that she was playing a drinking game.

But I totally agree with you about the advice Dr. Sundar gave her. As an expert on allexperts.com, I do not, however, think it is my place to write to this young woman who did not solicit my advice. A problem with allexperts.com that I have found is that there is no way to communicate with the organization. I looked again now in connection with your comments and found this URL:

http://www.allexperts.com/user.cgi?m=10&subject=Problem%20from%20Questioner

where apparently a questioner can send in a technical question. Perhaps you could use that to let them know your views about Dr. Sundar as one of their experts.

Good luck!

Best regards,

Sonia

Sonia Pressman Fuentes
website: http://www.erraticimpact.com/fuentes

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