Those of us working in the anti-rape movement know that, statistically, the majority of sexual assaults are perpetrated by someone the victim knows, including intimate partners. According to sociologist and author Raquel Kennedy-Bergen,
Intimate partner sexual violence is abuse or assault of a sexual nature perpetrated by someone in an intimate relationship to the survivor. It includes a wide variety of offenses including rape, coercion, forcing the partner to perform…
This edition of the "Research and Advocacy Digest" focuses on the issue of prison rape and sexual coercion behind bars. While hard data on sexual assaults in prison is sparse, most of us in society and within the anti-rape movement know that the rape, torture, brutality and sexual assault of inmates by other inmates and staff are part of the fabric of everyday prison life.
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Prevalence statistics consistently show a high incidence of sexual victimization among people with disabilities. In spite of this fact, people with disabilities are not significantly represented as clientele of traditional sexual assault delivery systems.
This issue of the "Research and Advocacy Digest" provides specific information about sexual violence within various communities of people with disabilities. Furthermore, this digest highlights resources that explore socio-political…
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a complex issue. The diagnosis was first acknowledged as a disorder of individuals experiencing the extreme stress of combat situations.
PTSD has now become a term familiar to the general public as well as a common diagnosis. This issue attempts to provide an overview of recent research on PTSD, particularly those aspects most directly related to victims of sexual assault.
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At WCSAP, we receive a lot of questions from advocates about the "ins and outs" of mandated reporting. Although Washington's law about mandated reporting is pretty straightforward, it can feel much more complex in practice. Here are some quick answers (that do not constitute legal advice) to some of the recent questions we have received on this topic:
Faith-Based Responses to Crime Victims This 30-minute DVD (NCJ 216616) provides the faith community and the victim services field with examples of successful partnerships that are making a difference in victims’ lives throughout
Advocates and other social service providers who have been in the field for any length of time are all too familiar with the revolving door syndrome. That is, we witness the system-wide oppression of a small but growing percentage of people seeking our services who are revolving through the social service system over and over again, going from one agency to the next, sometimes for years. They experience multiple barriers, multiple forms of abuse (including provider prejudice) and are often…
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
