A National Project of the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Safe Horizon, an organization that operates Rape Crisis Programs in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island, created a free booklet for survivors titled “After Sexual Assault: A Recovery Guide for Survivors”.
Find suggestions on options for when you or a someone close to your has suffered a sexual assault.
Click on view resource below to read the guide and check out some of their other resources.
This webinar presented by CALCASA breaks down the basics of understanding just how alcohol impairs judgment and how it contributes to victim blaming in many sexual assault cases. It reviews what Alcohol Facilitated Sexual Assault (AFSA) means and the pervasiveness of rape culture under alcohol culture.
Click here to view the powerpoint and click on view resource below to listen on the webinar.
It’s around that time of year where summer will soon fade and college classes will be back in session. While students are making sure they are registered for all the right courses, some institutions of higher education also want to be as prepared as possible before the school year begins by attempting to quickly establish reformed practices and policies addressing sexual violence.
However, is it really in the best interest of students to make hasty decisions and “improvements”? Understandably, making quick turnaround decisions is better for an institution’s reputation as “leaders” and to ensure federal compliance, but does this also guarantee that quality changes are being implemented?
According to the Boston Globe, Harvard’s undergraduate college has “a revamped policy” on campus sexual assault, created a centralized office to review reports of sexual assault, adopted the DOE’s recommended “preponderance of evidence standard” for adjudication, and replaced academic administrators a part of the adjudication process with staff experienced in investigating sexual assault.
USA Today also reported on Dartmouth’s Summit on Sexual Assault, where more than 60 colleges met to hear from federal officials, consult with national experts, and share strategies on how to improve handling cases of sexual violence. Furthermore, the article states that Dartmouth in particular has made efforts to address the issue by creating procedures to investigate complaints, opening a sexual assault prevention center, and creating a committee that will provide a list of recommendations on next steps.
At first glance, many would praise colleges and universities like Harvard and Dartmouth for finally taking important measures to address campus sexual violence at an institutional level. Some might say that it is better to quickly take initiative and make instant improvements than none at all (especially if the college is under the microscope of the federal government and the public eye). However, it is significantly important for college administrators to pause and evaluate if they are sacrificing the safety of their campus community by making fast-paced “improvements” that could result in poorly revised changes that cause more harm than good. Instead, the campus community would most likely benefit if administrators are discussing and implementing changes under the guidance of and in collaboration with survivors, students, and survivor-centered community-based organizations. In fact, this should be the leadership style that school administrators practice because I believe people within the community know their needs -and assets- best.
Survivors, students, and the entire campus community deserve high-quality, intentional, and collaborative improvements that have been thoughtfully and strategically planned, organized, and implemented to sincerely promote a violence-free campus. A patient, methodical, and collaborative process is a key leadership approach in addressing campus sexual violence.
Post written by Fátima Avellán, Campus Project Associate at the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA). Photo from USA Today.
A summary of the resource from the National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women:
Peer Educators: The Frontline in Campus Violence Prevention by Aurelia Sands Belle (2013)
This presentation provides information about the roles and responsibilities of peer education in violence prevention and offers guidance on establishing a peer education program. Also included here are special considerations for peer educators at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
The web presentation Considerations for Victims with Cognitive and Communication Disabilities is a resource provided by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR) and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC).
14/07/Screen-Shot-2014-07-07-at-6.35.19-PM-300×202.png” alt=”Screen Shot 2014-07-07 at 6.35.19 PM” width=”300″ height=”202″ />
A resource from the Office for Victims of Crime provides information on how to support and respond to transgender survivors of sexual violence. Click here for the document and here for the website.
This week there were a number of articles and stories in the mainstream news questioning statistics about rape, pointing out the disproportionate impact on women usually generated by NISVS and the White House report. Two of these articles are listed below:
Ashley Maier, in response to this media backlash in an email to the PreventConnect listserv, wrote:
I’m thinking about this in a number of ways:
- Support – I’m reminded of what we’re up against and thankful for the support and community we provide each other in what can be the lonely world of sexual violence prevention.
- Moving forward – I wonder how we can best move forward in this context, in this culture that questions whether sexual violence is really even a problem.
- Looking back – I look back at the advocates who have worked to highlight violence against women, to provide remedies, and to prevent it, for years and years and years. I try to remember that we have made progress and trust that we will make more.
Prevention is possible.
White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault launched a website, Not Alone, which defines sexual assault as:
Physical sexual acts perpetrated against a person’s will or when a person is incapable of giving consent (for example, due to the student’s age or use of drugs or alcohol, or because an intellectual or other disability prevents the student from having the capacity to give consent). A number of different acts fall into the category of sexual violence, including rape, sexual assault, sexual battery, sexual abuse, and sexual coercion. Sexual violence can be carried out by school employees, fellow students, students from other schools, or third parties. Sexual violence is a form of sexual harassment.
To read a list of other key terms the Task Force, click on view resource below.
To read about the Office On Violence Against Women and the OVW definitions of sexual assault, dating violence and stalking, click on view resource below.
“Department of Defense (DoD) Safe Helpline is a groundbreaking crisis support service for members of the DoD community affected by sexual assault. Safe Helpline provides live, one-on-one support and information to the worldwide DoD community. The service is confidential, anonymous, secure, and available worldwide, 24/7 by click, call or text — providing victims with the help they need anytime, anywhere.”
Click on their resource below.
