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Sexual violence against Native women is the result of a number of factors and continues a history of widespread human rights abuses against Indigenous peoples in the U.S. Historically, Native American women were raped by settlers and soldiers, including during the Trail of Tears and the Long Walk of the Navajo. Such attacks were not random or individual; they were tools of conquest and colonization.
The attitudes towards Indigenous peoples that underpin such human rights abuses…
Every community and culture has different perspectives and responses to sexual violence, justice, and healing. Because of this, a core principle of trauma informed advocacy is that, as advocates, we are sensitive to, and consider the role of, culture in a survivor's lived experience, service needs, and decision-making. Cultural competency is not a finite process. It is more than a life-long learning process but a openness to the self-determination of survivors.
As advocacy programs…
It is important to understand that immigration in the United States dates back longer than the current immigration discussions that we currently see on the news, or read about on social media. Often Immigrants and Refugees are compartmentalized in being labeled one in the same. Here is a quick breakdown:
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer / Questioning (LGBTQ) community is by no means monolithic. The experiences of sexual assault survivors that are queer, transgender, bisexual, gender-variant, lesbian, gay, pansexual, questioning, and/or gender-non-conforming are as unique as each identity.
Gendered assumptions impact LGBT folks as much as, if not more so than,…
The information in this section is for professionals that work with or on behalf of survivors of sexual assault with a focus on advocacy and service provision.
Since the 1970's, advocates in Washington State have supported survivors and encouraged communities to work to end sexual assault. Advocacy for survivors of sexual assault has many dimensions, but is rooted in assisting each survivor in their healing process. Self-determination and autonomy, feeling heard, and social support…
Since the 1970's, advocates in Washington State have supported survivors and encouraged communities to work to end sexual assault. Advocacy for survivors of sexual assault has many dimensions, but is rooted in assisting each survivor in their healing process. Self-determination and autonomy, feeling heard, and social support are important factors in healing that advocates can provide.
There are many common reactions to sexual violence. Not all survivors of sexual violence are the same, nor will any act of sexual violence affect two people in the same way. There is no wrong or right way to feel or react. As the body and mind process the devastation of sexual violence, many different emotions, behaviors, and physical responses appear and disappear and may reappear. This is simply an introduction to help better understand what a survivor may be experiencing. As an advocate,…
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Understanding multiple levels of oppression, the history, and the contributions of women in the African American community can help advocates and programs consider more culturally relevant services and intersectional approaches.
From the earliest days of America to today, African American women have been at the forefront of movements against sexual violence and rape.
Long before Rosa Parks became the patron saint of the Bus Boycott, she was an anti-rape activist and…
Conversations about how to integrate support for advocates that mitigates vicarious trauma have become common within our organizations, but the need to put these conversations into practice is greater than ever. While widespread coverage about the prevalence of sexual violence has gained traction with the #MeToo movement, resources for organizations haven’t seen much of an increase to meet the need. This requires managers and executive directors to find creative, low-cost ways to support…
Therapists can be a critical component of a child's support system and healing process following abuse. However, many children are reluctant to participate in counseling because they don't want to talk about what happened or they may believe that going to therapy means something is wrong with them. While there are significant areas of overlap between a therapist and an advocate, it is because of their differences that they are both important members of a child's professional team after a…
This webinar will provide an overview of definitions of and recent research regarding factors that elevate risk for sexual assault perpetration. Contributors to sexual violence at the individual, social network, and broader societal level will be considered, as will both general risk factors and culturally and community-specific factors. Participants will be engaged in identifying risk and protective factors in the communities they serve and identifying ways to prioritize and target specific…
Many sexual violence prevention efforts aim to change individual beliefs and attitudes that contribute to a culture where sexual violence is prevalent. While these strategies are an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to creating social change, a more comprehensive approach that addresses environmental and social factors that lead to these beliefs and attitudes is necessary in preventing sexual violence. Engaging in effective community level prevention is crucial in our efforts to…
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…
This webinar will provide an overview for Executive Directors and management staff on how to empower and motivate your staff to be invested in your agency’s success along with building your overall organizational capacity and sustainability. The webinar will address how to conduct an organizational assessment of your personnel management needs and provide recommendations for supervision, staff orientation, staff development, succession planning, training, workplans, and performance…
The "Be The Solution" Game & Discussion Guide encourages youth to discuss topics related to developing healthy sexuality, boundaries, and fulfilling relationships.
Each category of questions were carefully chosen to help youth in examining root causes of sexual violence and build protective skills. The sections are based on best practice such as sexual violence risk and protective factors and the Developmental Assets Framework.
The 2018 version continues two updates that…
Recently, WCSAP worked with a facilitator on clarifying our organizational values. It occurred to us that, as an organization, we may have been working under similarly understood implicit values of a Movement but had not, in recent years, explicitly stated our organizational values. Like us, you too, may wish to enrich your agency by identifying, revisiting, and discussing values with your board and staff.
Organizational values…
In studies of adults who were sexually abused as children, two out of three said they never told anyone about the abuse during childhood (London, Bruck, Ceci & Shuman). Accordingly, we can expect survivors may not seek help until they are adults. As advocates, we should feel prepared to work with adult survivors who may no longer be in an immediate danger of assault and meet these survivors in varied places along the healing spectrum. Here are some considerations in your advocacy with…
Sex and sexuality are important and integral parts of most young people’s lives, and survivors of sexual abuse and assault are no exception. In fact, survivors may find it more necessary to explore their sexual identity and more complex to navigate engaging in sexual activity. This may be due to real, projected, or feared impacts of sexual assault on aspects of sexuality, including sexual identity, sexual relationships, and sexual experiences. As advocates, it’s crucial we provide space for…
This webinar will take an advanced look at a foundational skill in our work: communication. So much of advocates’ work with systems, survivors, and colleagues centers on effective communication. Advocates and managers are called to challenge the oppression woven into systems and do so while still maintaining a relationship to those systems. Sexual assault program staff are also responsible for challenging each other to grow in our understanding of oppression. Many of us come to the field…
Recognizing the need for an accessible, user-friendly manual that could help Community Sexual Assault Programs navigate the complexities of the Washington State accreditation process, we have developed this document over the years.
While WCSAP realizes that it is often useful to see samples of policies, procedures, or other documents, we are mindful that these examples can easily be misused. It is never good practice to simply copy and use sample documents, because they may not fit…
Each support group comes with its own successes and challenges, starting with the intake and continuing until the last group meeting. This webinar will address common issues that come up when completing the intake process as well as group dynamics which can be challenging. We will work through things like: over/under participation in group, group members clashing, no-shows, group retention, boundary issues, and times when group feels like it might be going off the rails. Webinar…
We are pleased to present the "2017 Sexual Violence Prevention Plan," an update to the "2009 Sexual Violence Prevention Plan, Synergies." The period surrounding the development of the 2009 plan was the culmination of a shift in statewide focus away from risk reduction efforts, and toward perpetration reduction. The 2017 plan builds upon that transition. It emphasizes community-driven decision-making and encourages efforts to track and evaluate…
While we do have an emerging evidence base for effective prevention programs, it is still relatively limited and may not be appropriate for the community you are working with. Sometimes we hear that a research evidence-base is the most important factor in programming. However here in Washington State, and many other places too, we also prioritize community specific, community-driven prevention initiatives and these do not always have an evidence-base established. This tip shares resources to…
