Culturally Specific

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When thinking about sexual assault advocacy and prevention work with youth, it is often helpful to consider your programming based on two different age groups, children (up to age 12) and teens (13-18). This age distinction is significant not only in terms of advocacy issues, but also with regard to confidentiality and consent to service issues.

Although Washington State law does not specifically address the age of consent for sexual assault advocacy services, there are other state…

Anyone can be a victim of sexual assault, though women, children and some demographic groups are more frequently victimized than others. The prevalence of sexual assault goes far beyond the cases that make it to the courtroom or the evening news. Sexual assault impacts hundreds of thousands of people each year in the United States from all ages, genders, races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. However, low reporting rates and varying research designs make it difficult to find one set of…

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The Office of Crime Victims Advocacy (OCVA) serves as a voice within government for the needs of crime victims in Washington State. OCVA advocates on behalf of victims, administers grant funds for community programs, assist communities in planning and implementing services, and advises local and state government agencies of practices, policies, and priorities.

This Program Coordinator (CS2) is responsible for program development and implementation, providing technical assistance to…

This 20 minute DVD was produced with the assistance of Safe Horizon, addresses the need for the victim services field to work in partnership with those who provide services to immigrants and with other allied practitioners

1. Human Trafficking
2. Global Issues
3. Oppression

• Publisher: Office of Victims of Crime

michael munson is the co-founder and Executive Director of FORGE, an organization focused on improving the lives of transgender individuals by building stronger connections, providing resources, and empowering growth through knowledge. FORGE is a national training and technical assistance provider funded in part through the Office for Victims of Crime, the Office on Violence Against Women, and the National Institutes of Health. Munson's educational background is in psychology, with an…

There is no denying that sexual assault (SA) and domestic violence (DV) are two social issues that are interconnected. At places of intersection, the movements working together can further support, create, and promote positive social change. While there are distinct differences between DV and SA , at the foundation they share many of the same root causes, such as cultural gender constructs , gender bias, and oppression. The anti-domestic violence and anti-sexual violence movements share the…

General responsibilities: As a member of the SDVSAS shelter staff team, the shelter advocate provides trauma informed emotional support and advocacy services to victims of domestic violence and their children. Services include crisis intervention, safety planning, resource referral, parenting support, child advocacy, basic legal advocacy, and assistance with housing resources.
Provide direct services to clients including crisis intervention, advocacy-based counseling, legal and…

Cheryl Ann Graf has devoted her professional career to many aspects of Emergency Patient Care over the past 25 years. This has included Director of Emergency Services at Mason General Hospital in Shelton, WA and Clinical Coordinator of the SANE program at Harrison Memorial Hospital in Bremerton, WA where she developed and coordinated the SANE program and performed acute and chronic care examinations on sexual assault victims of all ages. Cheryl also had the privilege of directing the Mary…

A guide for developing tools to assess for sexual assault within the context of domestic violence¹

1. Rapport should be built with the victim before screening questions are asked.
2. Questions should use specific language when referring to the crime. Words such as hurt, threatened, or forced should be clarified by the interviewer (i.e. did they hurt you vs. did they hit or push you).
3. Due to rape myths, some victims of intimate…

Supporting parents and nonoffending caregivers (NOCs) of children and teens that have experienced sexual abuse is an important piece of our advocacy efforts. Parents and NOCs have unique needs therefore this page is dedicated to the varied resources that are designed for this audience.

Below you will find WCSAP resources geared toward advocates working with parents, as well as other resources designed for parents themselves. While some of these resources are very specific to…

The Supreme Court Commissions team at the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) is seeking a Court Program Assistant to provide a broad range of administrative and programmatic support for the Minority and Justice Commission, the Gender and Justice Commission, the Interpreter Commission, and the Tribal State Court Consortium. This position is located within AOC’s Office of Court Innovation. It supports the work of a tight-knit team of skilled policy analysts and program coordinators who…

Sexual Assault Awareness Month Talking Points

A collection of talking points to use in your presentations, one-on-one conversations, and media campaigns. PDF

Activities & Community Engagement

Try incorporating fun activities to help promote awareness about the issue of sexual violence and involve your community in making a difference! Here are a few to get you started:

Jen has worked in and with law enforcement for over 30 years. She worked with the U.S. Department of Defense until her retirement in 2015, both as a front line criminal investigator and also Resident Agent in Charge in the Pacific Northwest. Upon leaving DOD, Jen worked with the Seattle Police Department (SPD), both as a program advisor administering a human trafficking grant and a volunteer in a program that connects domestic violence victims with services and resources. Since becoming a…

There is a great deal of information related to the responsibility of colleges and universities to protect students and address sexual violence on campus. This information can be overwhelming to advocates and survivors alike. As advocates, our role is to focus on empowerment and choice with survivors and to know where to find information and resources related to campus systems, rather than memorizing the depth of federal law and policy.

Advocacy & Confidentiality

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Oversees all prevention, outreach and education programs regarding victim issues in Stevens County. Plans and organizes prevention and awareness campaigns for all crime categories. Provides training to a variety of audiences throughout the county. Manages youth led prevention and outreach activities. Serves as primary RPE preventionist.

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1. Do not reveal any information to the person serving the subpoena.
2. Look up your agency’s policy and follow it!
   1. If the policy does not answer your question, ask your supervisor.
3. Make sure that management (for example: Executive Director, supervisor) is aware of subpoena immediately.
4. Read the subpoena:
   • To whom is it directed? The Program? An advocate?
   • Who is asking for the information?
   • …

Contact Maribel

Maddesyn George is a young Native mother, a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes, and a survivor of sexual and domestic violence. She has been incarcerated since July 2020 for defending herself against her attacker. Instead of receiving support after suffering a traumatic experience, Maddesyn was incarcerated and denied bail, and separated from her infant daughter and community. She is being prosecuted by the U.S. federal government. Maddesyn has accepted a plea deal and is currently…