Programs have been experiencing an increased demand for training, policies, and technical assistance from local employers about workplace violence and harassment. While these issues touch on a lot of the work we do as sexual assault programs, it doesn’t always feel like this is our wheelhouse. This TA Bulletin includes some helpful framing and resources so you have somewhere to start when receiving community requests.
This Advocacy Station addresses several frequently asked questions in regards to sexual assault advocates and their mandated reporting responsibilities in regards to minors. It also provides guidance on best practice procedures to eliminate issues in regards to over-reporting.
In this training you will learn about the immigration system as it pertains to children. You'll learn about the current practices regarding detaining children at the Southern border and how these children end up living all over Washington state. You'll get a brief overview of the immigration court system in the United States.
Then, we will discuss various visas and other ways that child survivors of violence can obtain lawful status in the United States. Most importantly, we will…
This webinar discusses a trauma-informed, whole-person approach to legal advocacy. It covers civil legal options available to sexual assault survivors in Washington State including protection orders, housing rights, small claims, immigration, Title IX, and employment rights.
In Washington State, sexual assault crime victims have certain rights. These are enumerated in the handout which can be downloaded and provided to survivors.
Washington State law enforcement officers who regularly conduct adult sexual assault investigations are mandated (by RCW 101.43.272) to attend a 3-day trauma-informed, victim-centered interview training offered by the Criminal Justice Training Commission (https://cjtc.wa.gov/training-education/special-investigations/). In this course, Sexual Assault Investigations — Victim-Centered Engagement and Resiliency Tactics…
In this discussion guide, we examine the Netflix limited series “Unbelievable.” We hope this guide can assist programs in facilitating conversations about the experience of sexual assault survivors interacting with the criminal justice systems and the aftermath of sexual trauma.
The Washington State Patrol implemented Second Substitute House Bill 2530 (2016 Legislative Session), which created Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 43.43.545, the statewide sexual assault kit tracking system. The tracking system provides sexual assault survivors with the ability to anonymously track the location and status of their Sexual Assault Kit (SAK) from the point of collection through forensic analysis to final storage location and possible destruction.
In this one hour…
WCSAP was contacted by a survivor who has been working with attorneys, advocates, and academics to raise awareness and bring an end to a traumatic practice referred to as ‘court-ordered rape,’ or invasive gynecological exams that survivors of sexual assault are ordered to endure in the course of proceedings against their perpetrators.
For many survivors, coming forward and accessing resources also includes the pursuit of justice. However, personal feelings of justice do not always align with the traditional models of punishment-based responses that are seen as the only pathway to justice. In cases of child sexual abuse these models of justice can be even trickier to navigate due to the complicated contexts and relationships involved.
For these reasons, the framework of Transformative Justice can be helpful in…
WCSAP prioritized gathering information about sexual assault legal advocacy practices because we have heard from advocates that sexual assault survivors face many challenges within the legal system. This means that legal advocacy is also challenging and that advocates need support for their work in this system.
The Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs (WCSAP) recently had the privilege of working with the Washington State Supreme Court Gender and Justice Commission, judicial officers, and the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC) to develop the first edition of the "Sexual Offense Bench Guide for Judges."
The purpose of a bench guide is to educate judicial officers (judges or commissioners) who decide particular types of cases about the law, and also about the…
A multidisciplinary response to sexual assault cases is beneficial to our work and our communities. It cultivates communication and collaboration among service providers and system professionals; increases the effectiveness of criminal justice, social service, medical, and community interventions; and ultimately, it improves the response to and experiences of survivors.
This approach is most often supported through the development of teams comprised of the primary stakeholders who…
In cases of child sexual abuse, some prosecutors discourage parents or others from placing a child in therapy until after the trial. The fear is that therapy will create memory and suggestibility issues which may be used by defense counsel to attack the child's credibility. Therapists confronting this issue can make the following points.
The purpose of this guide is to help a survivor or guardian of a child survivor understand the advantages and disadvantages of suing the perpetrator or other responsible parties in civil court. It is not legal advice and should not be substituted for the advice of an attorney. Consulting with an attorney can help a survivor determine what laws apply to their situation and what claims they may have against the perpetrator or other parties.
This guide was last updated in 2004, so…
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:
The criminal justice system is not the only way for survivors of sexual assault to get their legal needs met. Because most victims never report to the police, most sexual assault victims are never involved in the criminal justice system. However, survivors may still have many legal needs that arise from being sexually assaulted.
Some issues that survivors may be concerned about, but do not necessarily think of as legal issues, are things such as:
Interviewing in law enforcement 0079 (Trainers Guide) Digital, PDF file
Please review these organizations' websites and inform yourself about their specific services, to ensure that the referrals you provide to survivors are appropriate. If a survivor you are working with has a legal need that cannot be addressed by these organizations, please contact WCSAP for technical assistance and to connect with other legal service providers and technical assistance providers.
Washington State law includes sex offenses and other related crimes, as well as benefits and protections for victims. The following list is adapted from the Sexual Violence Law Center:
A sexual assault protection order is a civil order issued by the court on behalf of a sexual assault victim. The order can require the alleged perpetrator to stay away from the victim or place(s) where the victim lives or works and to have no further contact with the victim.
Any person 16 or older who is a victim of sexual assault - including a single incident - may petition the court to obtain the order. Victims under…
The criminal legal system is designed to punish the wrongdoer. This is a process that involves multiple steps that can take up to a year or more to complete.
