Sexual Assault - A Guide for Community Action

• NCJ Number: 85184
• Author(s): B J Rodabaugh; M Austin
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 245 pages
• Corporate Author: American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences
• Sale Source: Garland Publishing, Inc.
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

The text summarizes what is known about sexual assault, its causes and effects. It identifies workable strategies for developing community networks to ensure continuity of care to rape victims, from medical treatment and police response to followup counseling and support.

Abstract

Because 1 woman in 10 will be raped sometime in her life, public understanding of rape and rape victims' needs must be increased. Rape is an act of aggression, not lust; all persons are vulnerable to rape. Agencies and individuals dealing with rape victims must realize that rape is a frightening and humiliating experience, requiring both immediate and followup services in all communities. Primary prevention must focus on counteracting sex-role stereotyping; the public must become sensitive to cultural values that foster male dominance and portray women as sexual objects. State legislation should tighten rape prosecution laws. Moreover, prosecuting agencies can help law enforcement and medical personnel develop standardized procedures for collecting and handling evidence. They can work with victim advocate groups, help organize victim assistance programs, and disseminate information about victim compensation programs. Special training programs can be developed for prosecutors; special sexual assault units can follow rape cases through trial. An effective community service network requires interagency coordination; members of community groups should serve as speakers, organizers, etc., in implementing the network plan, using natural sources of support and removing obstacles to the use of public services. The plan should be evaluated to demonstrate to funding sources its value to the community, to identify ways of improving services, and to collect data to improve agencies' accountability. The text addresses special issues in dealing with rape, such as rural community characteristics (limited resources and pressure to keep sexual assault hidden) and minority-group cultural differences. Case studies, tables, chapter notes and references, and an index are provided.