Focus Areas

PDF
January, 2007

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…

Topic
  • IPSV
PDF
May, 2005

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.

Topic
  • Incarcerated Survivors
PDF
May, 2003

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…

Topic
  • Disability
Linkages to Sexual Assault
PDF
March, 2002

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. 

Topic
  • Trauma
  • Therapy
WCSAP Webpage
May, 1015

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:

Q:
Do I need to report sexual abuse of a minor that is not committed by a parent or caregiver? What…
Topic
  • Child Sexual Abuse
  • Mandated Reporting
Survivors of Sexual Assault & Harassment
WCSAP Webpage

Sexual violence is an endemic social problem in the U.S. The victim blaming attitudes of the civilian world often spill into military service, and those attitudes carry over into tours of duty. While the military has been in the spotlight for failing to support victims and respond to and prevent sexual assault, civilian criminal justice systems regularly and systematically fail victims too, and leaders in all forms of institutions fall short of adequately understanding and addressing the…

Topic
  • Military
-> TYPE MISSING, FIX ME <-

Curriculum designed to help the prevention of dating violence.

  1. Partner Violence
  2. Education
  3. Prevention: Adolescents/Teens
  • Author: Foshee, Vangie
  • Publisher: Safe Dates
Topic
  • IPSV
  • CSA Prevention
  • Healthy Relationships
Advocacy Considerations
WCSAP Webpage

What Survivors Face

According to the Washington State Department of Health (2010),

  • 10% of women reported physical, psychological, or sexual abuse by an intimate partner around the time of pregnancy.
  • Nearly 22% of teens (ages 15-19) report experiencing physical, psychological, or sexual abuse around the time of pregnancy.

When a woman has undergone sexual assault, intimate partner violence, or stalking, it may have a profound…

Topic
  • Pregnant & Parenting
WCSAP Webpage

Service providers generally view sexual assault victims in rural areas as an underserved population, mostly because of a well-recognized, low rate of reporting and because of the often dispersed nature of services. Rural populations are often marginalized from mainstream power structures, which hold more opportunities for assistance, services, and resources.

Barriers for survivors in rural areas include:

  • survivor isolation from services
Topic
  • Rural Communities
WCSAP Webpage

A question often posed to us is, "how much do I try to get a child to talk about their sexual abuse?"

We are all operating under the mandate of "do no harm." When working with a child who is not spontaneously engaging in trauma exposure, how do we know when trauma exposure is indicated and how do we go about engaging the child? What about the possibility we may further traumatize, further ingrain trauma responses, or create new trauma pathways? What about colluding with trauma…

Topic
  • Child Sexual Abuse
  • Trauma