Jessica Anthuis never thought she would be a victim of a crime, but a night at a party while in high school changed her life forever.

She was raped.

Ms. Anthuis joined three other victims of crime to share their stories to commemorate the National Crime Victims' Rights Week on Thursday.

The Cherokee County Domestic Violence Task Force presented the annual Victim Impact Panel program at the Historic Courthouse in downtown Canton.

Each victim had a chance to describe the crime committed against them, the struggle to deal with life in the aftermath and how they found the resources to help them move on.

Today at noon, the task force will hold a faith-based summit at Woodstock Community Church.

The summit, which is open to the public, will feature members of the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, who will share their annual fatality report. It will also provide training to local faith leaders on their role in preventing domestic violence.

Rebekah Shelnutt, a prosecuting for crimes against women in the county district attorney's office, said the task force decided this year to reach out to churches as they play a vital role in family dynamics.

She noted two cases she recently prosecuted only went to trial because of the push from the victims' churches.

The task force has also focused its recent efforts on combating teen dating violence and has presented programs on the issue at Cherokee High, Etowah High and River Ridge High School.

Since beginning the campaign to reach out to teenagers, Ms. Shelnutt said the task force has provided education to close to 1,000 teenagers.

Ms. Shelnutt noted the task force's work still is not finished as many victims and the community at large remain unaware of the myriad resources available at their fingertips.

"Making people aware of those resources is a major goal of the National Crime Victims' Rights Week," she added.

Sgt. David Simmons with the Cherokee Sheriff's Office agreed, adding many victims are afraid to report their situation to local authorities.

When the victim finally decides to file an incident report, she often already has suffered numerous occasions of abuse, he said.

A large number of domestic violence incidents only are reported, he said, because a neighbor or friend contacts police.

"Don't be afraid to report," he said when asked what victims can do to get help.

Ms. Anthuis was one of those victims who didn't report the crime.

While a student in high school, Ms. Anthuis attended a party with friends, which she said was a "typical weekend night."

Everyone at the party was drinking, but she told her friends she wouldn't join them.

But then, she said, two male friends "pressured" her to drink.

She finally relented and had them pour her a glass. She took one sip and sat her glass down to use the restroom.

When she came back, she took a few more sips, and "the rest of the night comes to me in blurs," Ms. Anthuis said.

She said her memory is foggy, but she remembers one of the boys being on top of her and taking off her clothes.

Ms. Anthuis said both boys then sexually assaulted her.

She told her friends what happened, but they responded that she was "just drunk."

It wasn't until she told a therapist what happened that she realized she had been drugged and raped.

The therapist, she said, told her the assault wasn't her fault. She told her parents about it, but said she was afraid to tell the police.

She said she was afraid of the backlash she would receive, fearing people would blame her for ruining the boys' lives.

After the attack, Ms. Anthuis said she became more isolated and turned to alcohol.

But now, she said, she's garnered enough courage to talk about her struggle and has gotten more involved with her church.

"Now, I'm proud to say I'm a survivor and that I am strong," she said.

Whenever she shares her story with other teenage girls, the reaction, she said, is shock, and some seem to think nothing like it could happen to them.

"I never though it would happen to me in a million years," she added.

Ms. Anthuis said she hopes other victims of sexual assault can have the courage to share their stories with their communities.

And young people, she said, need to understand about rape.

"Tell them what rape is and that 'no means no,'" she said.