Sexual assault program managers are drawn to the coaching model of supervision because it is in line with the values we have in our field. The coaching approach is attractive because:
When we coach, we listen more than we talk, we facilitate rather than control, and we work with staff members to come up with…
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.
Like…
Attention to commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in the U.S. has increased significantly with passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and its subsequent reauthorizations. Understandably, most of the focus of law enforcement, government, media, policy makers, service providers, researchers, and funders has been on commercial sexual exploitation of girls (CSEG).
Commercially sexually exploited boys (CSEB), on the other hand, who may be considered too few…
Commercial sexual exploitation of children, or human trafficking, is when a commercial sex act is exchanged for something of value with a minor, and/or when force, fraud, or coercion are present. The legal and cultural language around what we refer to as “commercial sexual exploitation” has evolved over time. We’ve shifted the use of our language to match our current understanding of the power dynamics, legalities, and the lived experience of young people that…
In this informational session, participants will gain:
Washington State has 37 accredited community based advocacy agencies serving each county, as well as many community based by and for community specific advocacy agencies. Some counties also have system based advocacy; many ask why have both and what are the differences? It is crucial for system partners, advocates and communities to understand the importance of the differences, and it is our role as community based sexual assault advocacy agencies to be able to clearly communicate this to…
Community development and social change strategies - something new? As the old song lyric says, "Everything old is new again."
When the state Sexual Assault Prevention Advisory Committee was convened by the Office of Crime Victims Advocacy in 1997 to explore and discuss sexual assault prevention approaches, it was a committee representative of the entire sexual assault prevention community. There were key representatives from the Department of Health, from the Office of the…
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…
The Office for Victims of Crimes (OVC) has recently released two free resources that should be helpful to community sexual assault program managers:
Confidentiality is the cornerstone of advocacy. While the basic principles of maintaining respect and privacy apply to survivors of all ages, consent and confidentiality issues become especially important and a bit more complex when the survivor is under the age of 18. By providing some clarity around these complexities, our hope is to ultimately increase minors' access to and utilization of advocacy services. Some of the issues that must be considered when working with minors are:
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