Personal accounts and research on why victims often remain silent
Issues of the Day :: SART AC :: KASAP Welcomes New Staff Member :: Intersectionality :: Resources Coming Soon :: Conference Registration Now Open :: SAMMy Nominations :: Dates to Know
The Violence Against Women Act is scheduled to expire on September 30. Leadership in Congress plans to temporarily reauthorize VAWA through December 7. While this will avoid a lapse in the program, it does not reauthorize VAWA for the full period necessary
#WHYIDIDNTREPORT Another delayed report is the talk of the day and once again, has placed a victim at the center of questioning. Can you name a few reasons why a person might not talk about the fact that they were sexually assaulted or abused until years later?
Survivors share why they stayed silent and didn't report.
A police officer of 30 years shares his perspective on why victims often wait to come forward.
End Violence Against Women International compiled research on why sexual assault victims do not immediately report.
KASAP stands with survivors and supports a recent letter sent to members of congress by the Steering Committee of National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence.
SAFE ACT REPORT TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY The Sexual Assault Response Team Advisory Committee (SART AC) has issued a report to the Kentucky General Assembly. The report is a required deliverable of the committee under the passage of 2016 Senate Bill 63, the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Act (SAFE Act).
KASAP WELCOMES ASTRAEA Hello everyone! I am Astraea, the new Prevention Coordinator at KASAP! I’m very excited to have the opportunity to work at this awesome organization. A little about myself – I am a recent graduate from William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA where I majored in Latin American Studies and minored in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. During my time in college, I was really involved in sexual assault prevention and advocacy efforts. I worked as a peer health educator, implementing sexual assault prevention programming for William & Mary’s campus, including freshman orientation presentations, group specific programming, and campus wide events. In this role, I also developed prevention programming, including the freshman orientation presentations and a Fraternity and Sorority life program. In addition to doing campus prevention work, I served as a confidential advocate to survivors at William & Mary, and I interned at Virginia’s coalition (Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance), working on their Red Flag Campaign. I am really excited to be working with the educators at KASAP’s partner centers to ensure that Kentucky’s youth have effective sexual violence prevention education opportunities. It is my firmly held belief that sexual violence CAN be stopped and that prevention is the way to do it!
WHAT IS INTERSECTIONALITY? Intersectionality is a term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw to discuss how we each walk through the world with overlapping identities and how a person may face layers of prejudice or privilege from each identity.
While intersectionality originally focused on race and gender, it has been expanded to include other forms of discrimination. For example, someone may identify as a woman, a person of color, and queer - all categories with historic and systemic oppression. Alternatively, someone may identify as a man, a white person, and heterosexual - all categories with historic and systemic privilege. Intersectionality allows us to understand how individuals interact with the world differently due to their overlapping identities.
KASAP and our member programs acknowledge that sexual harassment, assault, and abuse affect individuals differently based on their identities. Additionally, interactions with different systems can, unfortunately, look different for people of marginalized identities. KASAP offered trainings about intersectionality for our programs to ensure that all staff have the knowledge and skills to serve individuals in all of their identities and to make sure everyone can access services and feels welcomed. A total of 60 program staff from 10 centers, plus one KASAP staff attended the trainings! For further, in-depth reading, check out Intersectionality, by Patricia Hill Collins and Sirma Bilge
UPDATED RESOURCES COMING SOON KASAP is happy to share that we are currently updating two important resources! In October, we will release new versions of the SAFE Toolkit, with information relevant to sexual assault forensic-medical exams in Kentucky and Sexual Violence Law in Kentucky: A Handbook Criminal, Civil, and Administrative Laws.
REGISTRATION OPEN 20th Ending Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence Conference
Marriott Griffin Gate Resort & Spa (Lexington, KY) Agenda and registration now online.
SAMMy NOMINATIONS Sexual Assault Awareness Month Awards (SAAMys) are open for nominations. Recipients will be honored during the Sexual Assault Awareness Prevention Month Kickoff scheduled for March 28, 2019.
Fonetta A. Elam Award: Given to mental health professionals who have provided service to victims of interpersonal violence through their exemplary clinical supervision.
SAMMy Award: Given to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the anti-rape movement by working alongside KASAP and Rape Crisis Centers.
Innovative Program Award: Given to programs that creatively addresses awareness, education, and/or prevention efforts focused on sexual violence.
SAAMy recipients are selected by a committee of victim service professional from a pool of nominations submitted from individuals throughout the Commonwealth.
DATES TO KNOW
OCTOBER 5 You are invited to support KASAP as we present updates to the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary. The meeting will be held on October 5 at 10 am in the Capitol Annex, room 171 in Frankfort. We look forward to seeing you there!
OCTOBER 9 6th Annual Project Safe Summit Maintaining Childhood: Preventing Abuse & Re-victimization of Children in Care 9 am - 4 pm - Frankfort, KY Register online or download flyer
OCTOBER 13 Phoenix Rising Human Trafficking Conference
Bowling Green, KY
More information & registration here
OCTOBER 15 Sexual Assault Response Team Advisory Committee 9 - 11 am ET Frankfort, KY
OCTOBER 17 - 18 Kentucky Nonprofit Leadership Forum
YOUR source for the latest nonprofit management best practices, guidance and networking. The only statewide gathering of nonprofit leaders provides you with an opportunity to gain the skills and information you need to effectively lead your organization and serve your community. With informative speakers, interactive sessions, networking opportunities and awards celebrating our sector and its leaders, the Kentucky Nonprofit Leadership Forum is the sector's can't-miss event.
Lean more and register here
OCTOBER 24 Making Maysville a Green Dot City
Webinar - 1:30 pm ET
Register here
OCTOBER 26 2nd Annual Summit on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
Office of Christian County Attorney
Register by October 11 at 270.887.4114 or by emailing Sara Boswell Janes at sjanes@prosecutors.ky.gov
NOVEMBER 28 - 30 20th Annual Ending Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence Conference
Marriott Griffin Gate Resort & Spa (Lexington, KY)
Learn more and register here
SUPPORTKASAP Amazon Smile: If you're planning on ordering from Amazon, please visit Amazon Smile instead. You can choose to support the Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs with your purchase by following these instructions. There is no additional cost to you, but KASAP gets a percentage of your purchase amount donated from Amazon!
KASAP also welcomes monetary donations throughout the year. All donations are tax-deductible.
OUR VALUES
We are committed to serving all survivors and working toward the prevention of sexual violence. KASAP and its member programs (local sexual assault programs) do not discriminate against anyone on the basis of disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, religion, race, ethnicity, immigration status, incarceration, age, socioeconomic status, level of education, or type of sexual victimization. All are welcome.
We acknowledge that sexual violence does not happen in a vacuum; it impacts different groups in different ways. We also recognize that each individual survivor and community member come to our programs with diverse backgrounds and multi-layered identities that affect their access to medical and sexual assault services, experience with the Justice system, needs, and feelings of safety. As service providers, we are committed to meeting people where they are and working to ensure that our services are inclusive and responsive to the real needs of survivors.
