May 21 – 22, 2012

8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Community College of Baltimore County, Catonsville Campus (800 South Rolling Road, Baltimore, MD, 21228-5317)

The Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention (GOCCP) and the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force (MHTTF) will host a 2-day conference to communicate a total statewide approach to combating human trafficking and serving survivors. Maryland experts will present specialized topics for law enforcement, prosecutors, State personnel, victim service providers, and community-based advocates.

Participants will receive:

• Governor’s Report on Combating Human Sex Trafficking in Maryland
• Training Curricula on Victim Identification & Response
• Statewide Directory of Human Trafficking Resources
• Interagency Protocols on Victim Identification & Response
• Specialized Training in Policy, Enforcement, Prosecution, Advocacy, and Public Awareness

Online registration will be available April 1, 2012 at www.goccp.maryland.gov. Please monitor our website for additional information up to the launch of online registration.

This conference is a partnership of GOCCP, MHTTF, U.S. Attorney’s Office – District of Maryland, TurnAround, Inc., Maryland Association of Resources for Families & Youth, Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and The Samaritan Women

The Enough Abuse Campaign’s goal is to educate every adult in the community about the true nature and scope of child sexual abuse and give them the tools and knowledge they need to better protect children. Studies continue to show that many parents believe the major risk of child sexual abuse involves “stranger danger,” when in reality up to 90% of all cases are committed by someone known and trusted by the victim and family.

The Baltimore Coalition/Baltimore Child Abuse Center; Talbot County Children’s Advocacy Center and Worcester County SART Team/Worcester County Child Advocacy Center were chosen as the first organizations in Maryland to launch the Enough Abuse Campaign throughout their communities. This effort was originally pioneered by the Massachusetts Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Partnership.

The Baltimore nonprofit, The Family Tree, who founded the Maryland Partnership to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse, will provide free training on the campaign’s curriculum, which will enable these local organizations to mobilize their own hyper-local initiatives in a way that can be adapted for their respective community’s needs.

For more information about The Enough Abuse campaign visit http://www.familytreemd.org/programs/enough-abuse-campaign/.

The FUNDING ALERT provides a synopsis of the available funding that can be used by individuals and/or agencies working to end domestic violence and sexual assault.

The FUNDING ALERT can be downloaded at  http://www.vawnet.org/Assoc_Files_VAWnet/FundingAlert-V7N3.pdf

Based on an anonymous survey of more than 300 black women, she reports that:

“60% of black girls experience sexual assault…by the time they turn 18.” (Black Women’s Blueprint, 10 Questions About Rape, 2011)

Unfortunately, I wasn’t very surprised to hear this staggering figure. Since my hire to the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, I have yet to conduct a presentation or participate in some outreach event in an African-American community where multiple attendees haven’t publicly disclosed an experience of child sexual abuse or come up to me privately with that revelation.

The first time I encountered such a moment was back in 2003 when the MCASA-WOCN was conducting a focus group for our Still I Rise: Black Women Confronting Rape brochure. Our focus group was comprised of 12 randomly selected women who had to be willing to dedicate an hour to review and discuss the brochure, as well as self-identify as a black woman. We performed this focus group at district courthouse prior to the start of the afternoon docket; and for those women who showed up early to the courthouse as either plaintiffs, defendants, witnesses, transportation or as supporting friends and/or family it was a selfless act of help and assistance in ensuring not only a culturally specific but culturally relevant brochure for women like themselves.

The focus group went off without a hitch. We had specific questions that were asked and answered and there was plenty of room for Q/A, discussion and feedback. We had the essentials in place such as beverages and snacks and certified counselors who would respond to any women who might be triggered or experience retraumatization. By the close of the group we knew we had a great brochure and were on our way to better assisting Black women in our state, however the final conversation is what hit me the hardest.

I can vividly recall my amazement when of the 12 women in attendance, 10 of them disclosed childhood sexual abuse (CSA). One by one they all recounted in some measure an incident that had happened to them as a child. Once the first disclosure was made, it was like a domino effect with one story or simply stated declaration made after another. The incidents involved family, friends, teachers, pastors, neighbors and babysitters. As soon as the words came out of the first woman’s mouth, you saw heads start nodding and the whispers of “Uh, huh” and utterances of “Yep” and “I know what you mean.” I was shocked.  It seemed crazy that here sat a bunch of women who didn’t know one another from Adam yet had such shared experiences. And to further add to my astonishment was that the remaining two women, who while hadn’t been the victims of such incidences, reported that the daughter of one and a family member of the other had actually experienced CSA in recent years. 100% of that group had some experience with CSA.

That was how CSA first came onto my radar in the capacity of the work I was doing for MCASA and since, as I stated earlier, these types of disclosures occur on a regular basis. Although, the experience left an indelible impression on me and was discussed at length on many occasions, regrettably there wasn’t anything that was done. Back then VAWA didn’t support initiatives that involved children; which meant that coalitions like ours and many others weren’t doing a lot relative to child sexual abuse.  In fact, there seemed to be a line drawn in the sand, with the work of coalitions being to promote and improve the responses to adult victims only. It was also a time before the language in VAWA had been reworked to specifically include communities of color and underserved populations. How unfortunate that so much time went by before our work and our funding caught up with the overwhelming realities that:

• Women who’ve sexually assaulted as children “have double the risk of being raped in adulthood as women with no history of rape.” (Tjaden & Thonnes, Extent, Nature, and Consequences of Rape Victimization: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey, NIJ 2006)
• “More than 1/3^rd of Latina women between the ages of 18-50 experienced re-victimization and more than 80% of the initial incidents occurred from age seven.” (Romero et. al., The Prevalence and Circumstance of Child Sexual Abuse Among Latina Women, 1999)
• “1 in 4 Black girls will be sexually abused before the age of 18.” (Stone, R.D., No Secrets, No Lies:  How Black Families Can Heal from Sexual Abuse, 2004)
• “30% of Black women with documented histories of CSA were sexually assaulted in adulthood.” (Siegel & Williams, Risk Factors for Sexual Victimization of Women, Violence Against Women 9, 2003)

I am interested to see the final report by the Black Women’s Blueprint due out sometime in mid-to-late 2012 and MCASA will share the report with our members when it becomes available. I am interested to see what action items they recommend which can be promoted by statewide coalitions and rape crisis and recovery centers. I’m certain that not only will stronger alliances be developed between anti-sexual assault and anti-child sexual abuse colleagues, but programs such as our MCASA-WOCN will be better able to support best practices that give voice to the issue of child sexual abuse that’s clearly occurring in communities of color without appropriate redress.

Written by:
Kathy Ferguson
MCASA-WOCN Program Manager

CLICK HERE to download PDF of this article.

With the public outrage surrounding child sexual abuse scandals, many are left asking, “What can we do to protect our children?” The time is now to educate families and debunk commonly held myths about child sex abuse.

Myth 1 – Sexual predators are portrayed as scary masked men lurking in the shadows. Fact. The disheartening truth is 95% of these predators are a family member or an acquaintance.

Myth 2 – Abusers rely on physical force to exploit children. Fact. Abusers frequently employ persuasive and manipulative tactics referred to as “grooming”— buying gifts or arranging special activities, to keep the child engaged.

Myth 3 – Poor children in urban areas are at greater risk for child sex abuse. Fact. Child sexual abuse affects both girls and boys of all ages, races, ethnicities and economic backgrounds.

At The Family Tree, we are working in partnership with leaders across the State to launch a campaign against child sexual abuse. This campaign starts with a single word – Enough. Please take steps now and join this movement, the Enough Abuse Campaign. Here’s what you can do:

What Parents/Caregivers Can Do

1. Talk to your children today and frequently hereafter. Encourage your children to talk about any situation or person that may make them feel uncomfortable. Starting at an early age, speak with your children about what is a ‘bad touch’ vs. a ‘good touch.’

2. Know those in your family’s circle of trust. The vast majority of sexual abuse happens when adults and children are one-on-one. Carefully consider any situation that places your child alone with an adult in an unsupervised situation.

3. Show interest in and closely monitor your child’s internet and cell phone use. Establish ground rules early and revisit them as your children get older. Remind them, not everyone is who they seem to be online.

4. Stay alert to possible behavioral changes in your child. These can often be signs that something may have happened. If suspicious, check it out.

What We All Can Do
No single behavior indicates that a child has been sexually abused or exposed to violence, but signs may include:

- unusual interest in or avoidance of all things of a sexual nature
- sleep problems or nightmares
- depression or withdrawal from friends or family
- an STD or becomes pregnant, especially if under age 14
- seductiveness or secretiveness
- statements that their bodies are dirty or damaged, or fear that there is something wrong with them in the genital area
- conduct problems
- aspects of sexual molestation in drawings & games

Reporting child abuse is everyone’s responsibility in Maryland. If you or someone you know suspects child abuse, please contact your local law enforcement agency or department of social services or call 1-800-332-6347.

To learn more about sexual abuse trauma visit http://content.a-b-c.com/emailattachments/ddcmhs/DDCMHS-Child-Sexual-Abuse-Fact-Sheet.pdf.

Written by:
The Family Tree
Frontline Guest Contributor

CLICK HERE to download a PDF of this article.

According to MCASA Executive Director, Jennie Boden, “Nearly 10 years later, we want to better understand the number of sexual assault patients seen, the specific responsibilities held by SAFE coordinators, program protocols and any obstacles faced by SAFE programs as they strive to provide care for sexual assault patients and assist the criminal justice process with thorough documentation and testimony. It is our hope that the survey findings will help SAFE coordinators, hospital administrators and others understand the special challenges of SAFE programs so that they can be strengthened to improve response to sexual assault in Maryland.”

Some of the findings from the 2011 SAFE survey include:

• Funding and training remain prime concerns for SAFE programs, both of which will improve the management and consistency across programs.  
• Victim advocates were present at less than half of the SAFE exams performed in 2010.
• Five additional SAFE programs have been created since the 2002 survey.
• Communication and cooperation levels between forensic nursing and law enforcement were ranked highly, whereas there were obstacles cited in the 2002 survey.

The results of the 2011 survey illustrate the need to address SAFE program funding, sustainability, training and protocol issues, all of which are interrelated. MCASA makes recommendations released around these focus areas in The State of the State, Sexual Assault Examiner Programs in Maryland.

CLICK HERE to download a PDF of the report.

We expect our priority list to expand, but our 2012 priorities currently include the following:

Funding for Services for Sexual Assault Survivors
One of MCASA’s top priorities is to maintain funding for rape crisis centers and prevent loss of services for victims of child sexual abuse and sexual assault.

Sex Crimes – Fondling During Burglary
Most sex crimes in Maryland are treated with additional seriousness when committed in conjunction with a burglary in the first, second, or third degree.  Sex crimes involving touching of genitals or breasts during a burglary are not.  This bill would re-categorize 4th degree sex offenses committed during a burglary as 3d degree offenses, thereby fixing a loophole in Maryland sex crimes law.  Lead Sponsor:  Delegate Luke Clippinger.

Protective Orders – Expansion to Include Sexual Assault and Dating Violence
Many victims of sexual violence and victims of dating violence are eligible for peace orders instead of protective orders.  Protective orders can be issued for a longer period of time and are generally taken more seriously.  This bill would expand the “persons eligible for relief” in the protective order statute to include cases involving sexual violence and cases involving parties in dating relationships.  Lead Sponsor:  Senator Chris Shank.

CLICK HERE to download the full list of our current 2012 Legislative Priorities.

Your calls, visits, letters and emails make a difference. Please help us end sexual violence in Maryland. Visit our Take Action web page to find out how!

Thank you for your support.

Just last week the Centers for Disease Control came out with a national survey which reported that nearly 1 in 5 women has been raped at some time in her life.

Think of the 5 women in your life that you love the most and imagine that one of them could be the victim of rape.

MCASA needs your help as we continue to support sexual assault survivors in Maryland. Please give $5 to our 1 in 5 campaign. Donate in honor of the 5 women in your life that you love the most.

CLICK HERE to Donate $5 Today

The final step of changing the Uniform Crime Report definition of rape was publicly acknowledged Wednesday, when FBI Director Robert Mueller told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he approved expanding a definition that critics say was too narrow.

CLICK HERE to read the full article on The Baltimore Sun Website.

It is the first survey of its kind to provide simultaneous national and state-level prevalence estimates of violence for all states. Launched in 2010, NISVS also provides data on several types of violence that have not previously been measured in a national population-based survey.

CLICK HERE to read the full press release on the CDC Website

CLICK HERE for more information about NISVS, including the executive summary and study details

MCASA, along with nearly 100 other advocacy organizations from across the country, have been advocating for this change for more than a decade. The last time the definition was updated was in 1929. MCASA believes the current definition is narrow, outmoded and steeped in gender-based stereotypes.

We need your help today to encourage FBI Director Robert Mueller to give his final approval to update the measure. Please copy and paste the e-mail below and send it to the FBI at Baltimore@ic.fbi.gov asking for his support.

Subject:  Uniform Crime Report’s Definition of Rape

Dear Director Mueller,

I congratulate the FBI Criminal Justice Advisory Board which voted unanimously yesterday afternoon to update the current Uniform Crime Report’s definition of rape, and I encourage you to approve the new definition immediately.

The current definition is narrow, outmoded and steeped in gender-based stereotypes. The result being that incidences of rape in the United States are critically understated, efforts to hold offenders accountable are hampered, and sexual assault survivors are less likely to report their assaults.

The last time the definition was updated was in 1929. It’s certainly time for the FBI to modernize the definition to reflect the reality of rape today in our nation. 

Sincerely,

Your name

The National Task Force to End Violence Against Women has worked closely with the Senators on the bill and the language clearly represents the voices of survivors. This is an important step forward for VAWA and the hope is to get even more improvements as the bill moves forward. Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) have been working closely with the National Task Force to End Violence Against Women and will introduce House legislation soon.

What can you do?

What’s most important now is to get ALL legislators to support VAWA’s reauthorization. As a constituent, it is especially important for you to tell your members of Congress how important VAWA is to victims and service providers in your community.

CLICK HERE to locate your Senators. CLICK HERE to locate your Representatives. Email them the following message:

I am writing to you about the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, in order to encourage Senator/Representative __________ to sign on as a co-sponsor. The Violence Against Women Act has had an enormous impact since it was first reauthorized 17 years ago. Thousands of judges, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, civil legal attorneys, and victim service providers have had access to DOJ-approved training and resources and, as a result, have become significantly more effective in addressing the crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.  

Research has shown VAWA’s effectiveness. A law enforcement training program developed in Maryland by the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence and the Johns Hopkins University has developed state of the art protocols for law enforcement officers who answer domestic violence calls. The officers are taught how to collect evidence appropriately, how to establish if there is probable cause to arrest an alleged perpetrator, and how to conduct lethality assessments on the spot to ensure that victims get the services they need for safety. Since this training was rolled out, domestic violence homicides in Maryland have dropped by 41%. A 10 year study conducted in Kentucky found that the issuance of protection orders reduced lethality and serious injury and saved the state $85 million in averted criminal justice, healthcare, and property costs.

Tweet this on Twitter

Help reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. Call your senators TODAY & RT! #vaw #VAWA bit.ly/ReAuthVawa

Share this with your friends on Facebook

Share a link of this page http://www.mcasa.org/support-the-reauthorization-of-vawa/ with your friends on Facebook.

Include with the link: “The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is due for reauthorization. Not only will the bill introduced continue to fund proven effective programs, but it will make key changes to streamline VAWA and make sure that even more people have access to safety, stability and justice. Visit MCASA’s Web site to learn how you can support VAWA.”

Learn More about VAWA

Download a fact sheet that illustrates that VAWA has been instrumental in making victims safer, ensuring Constitutional protections for all parties, and improving the effectiveness of justice system and victim service responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking:

There are critics of VAWA who believe that VAWA encourages bad practices by the police and the courts. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact sheet addresses many of those criticisms, so I invite you to read it and share it with your colleagues.

CLICK HERE to visit the American Academy of Pediatrics website for more information and to download the study free of charge.

This is an important step forward for VAWA and MCASA hopes to get even more improvements as the bill moves forward.  MCASA continues to work with our national partners to make sure Maryland’s concerns are heard.

CLICK HERE to visit the NSVRC Website.

The event hosted by SharperMinds Consultants, a nonprofit that offers support and opportunities to help sharpen Baltimore’s youngest minds, was held to raise funds to support their Annual Symposium on Dating & Domestic Violence and Interpersonal Relationships which aims to prevent dating violence and combat youth violence in Maryland through artistic and innovative learning for teenagers, adults, parents and professionals.

Kathy Ferguson is the program manager of MCASA’s Women of Color Network which recognizes that women of color are an under-served population in the area of sexual violence and strives to promote education, advocacy and leadership in communities in order to improve service delivery to victims.

Laura Neuman is the CEO of the Howard County Economic Development Authority and a MCASA Board member. Ms. Neuman founded the Laura Neuman Foundation to help other women get their cases reopened, actively investigated, and successfully resolved through the criminal justice system. Ms. Neuman, who is an outspoken survivor of sexual assault, believes that victims should speak out about their assaults in an effort to shed more light on this heinous crime.

Ann Quasman is the host of WomanTalk Live, a talk radio show that focuses on issues surrounding women today. In addition to serving on MCASA’s Board, Ms. Quasman is actively involved in bringing awareness to the issues that face women in their communities, such as sexual and domestic violence, as well as celebrating young women who are making a difference through Girls Gone Great.

The Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA) is the statewide collective voice advocating for accessible, compassionate care for survivors of sexual assault, and accountability for all offenders. MCASA actively works to end sexual violence in the state of Maryland through public policy, community outreach, education, technical assistance and legal services.

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The establishment of this Task Force is a key part of the Department of Justice’s Defending Childhood Initiative, a project arising from the Attorney General’s commitment to addressing the epidemic levels of exposure to violence faced by our nation’s children. In response to the compelling findings of the first National Survey on Children Exposed to Violence (2009), Attorney General Holder announced the Defending Childhood Initiative in September 2010.

The first hearing of the Defending Childhood Task Force will take place in Baltimore at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.

WHAT: First Hearing of the Attorney General’s Defending Childhood Task Force

WHO: Task Force Co-chairs and Members
Witnesses include Sonja Sohn, founder and CEO of ReWired for Change and star of HBO’s “The Wire”; Patrick McCarthy, President and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation; Nigel Cox, Chair of the SAVE (Students Against Violence Everywhere) National Advisory Board; and practitioners, policymakers, advocates, academics, and representatives of impacted families and communities

WHERE: University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, 500 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201-1786

WHEN: Task Force Hearing: Tuesday, November 29, 2011, 8:30am – 5:45pm

For more information visit, www.usdoj.gov/defendingchildhood/task-force.html.

The report concludes with concrete recommendations and promising practices for preventing sexual harassment directed at school administrators, educators, parents, students and community members. We hope readers will be inspired to take new steps toward making schools free from sexual harassment.

Report

• Download the Executive Summary (PDF, 2 MB)
• Download the full report (PDF, 723 kB)
• Hard copies of Crossing the Line may be requested through ShopAAUW after November 15.

Report release event
Join AAUW for a presentation of the research findings followed by a discussion with experts on how to put this important research to practice.

Tuesday, November 15
9:00-10:30 a.m.
National Press Club
Holeman Lounge
Washington, D.C.

Program moderator: Linda D. Hallman, CAE, AAUW Executive Director

• Be considered an emergency patient with special needs.

• Speak with police and medical personnel.

• A forensic medical exam even if you choose not to involve the police.

• Be taken to a quiet, private area for a medical/forensic examination.

• Be informed about and offered emergency contraception, if there is a risk of pregnancy.

• Have initial and follow-up tests performed if there is a risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and be offered medication.

• Be informed about HIV/AIDS testing and be referred to free, confidential testing.

• Have all injuries treated.

This song with the catchy title and common refrain Teach Me How to Dougie was a huge single for Cali Swag, a young group of 4 young African-American men out of California. If you are one of the few unfamiliar with the tune, just go to YouTube and watch the endless numbers of folks actually trying to learn this dance and it’ll be sure to hook you. When it’s done right, i.e.; per the instruction of Cali Swag members it works well and looks smooth as silk. When done wrong, hilarity abounds.

So, what does doing the ‘Dougie’ have to do sexual violence? This year I had the pleasure of teaming up with a local alumni chapter of a traditionally black fraternity that hosted a Youth Leadership Conference during which I was asked to present for the preteen and teen audiences and teach them How to Advocate for Healthy Relationships. How cool was that? I took what was a benign song and dance phenomenon and turned it on its head by giving it some social relevance beyond its beats and rhymes. Turned it into social action by engaging youth through a popular and a contemporary approach to actually do something that allowed them to negotiate risky situations, navigate the dating world as well as advocate for safety and prevention. We spend a lot of time teaching young audiences about how to recognize signs, how to assess risk but rarely do we equip them with specific strategies, skills and tools to actually address or prevent.

It was exciting to speak to a room full of young African-American youth who were so much more than which we often reduce them to. These kids were interested, engaged, communicative and happy to talk about issues that affect them, their peers and their communities. They had opinions, suggestions and a desire to learn how to be part of the solution and not contribute to the problem through inaction or silence. Young adults and teens of color are often marginalized when it comes to incorporating their voices in social movements. They like other youth are often underestimated and stereotyped as apathetic, but what I’ve found on more than this occasion is that they thirst not just for information but for dialog. Not being talked to or about, but having their opinions solicited, responded to and gaining assistance with charting a course for better outcomes.

I wonder what would happen if we in the anti-sexual violence field adopted the ‘teach me how to advocate’ concept. Might we finally get the ground swell of youth and public interest that actually strengthens movements and leads to social change?  Might we have less instances of sexual violence? Look at the 99% movement that was started by college students and young adults. These youth have started a movement that seeks redress to socioeconomic problems. Imagine if they were collectively speaking to sexual violence.

We often take our youth for granted and we want to protect them from the realities of what is oftentimes the harshness of life but these kids know way more than what we think and often have sensibilities about fairness, justice and safety beyond what we give them credit for. How great it would be to approach youth with contemporary messaging from the popular culture that they are already consuming and to provide them with the space and opportunity to take up important causes.

How many times have we heard or even said that children are the future? Then why not engage them to have bright futures that are free from dating violence, stalking, sexual assault; futures where they are encouraged to not only join, but more importantly lead. I think that when that begins to happen with more frequency we will finally create the needed shift in the social norms that contribute and sustain rape culture and power-based personal violence.

Written by
Kathy Ferguson
Program Manager

DOWNLOAD a PDF of this artcle.

Visit The Baltimore Sun website to read the entire story.

CLICK HERE to listen to the podcast.

MCASA, along with nearly 100 other advocacy organizations from across the country, have been advocating for this change for more than a decade.

CLICK HERE to learn more.

The report, produced by MCASA, details the SART’s activities, including the work of an audit committee which reviewed 134 cases of rape and/or sexual assault that had been unfounded between January 2009 and August 2010.

Additionally, MCASA played a key role in developing a city-wide outreach campaign to help sexual assault victims.  The goal of the Rape Is Not Your Fault campaign is to promote the City’s helpline, a 24-hour hotline with a trained staff that connects rape victims with assistance and resources.

The City’s rape helpline is available to take calls from victims of rape and sexual assault 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 443-279-0379. All calls are free and confidential.

CLICK HERE to learn more and download the Baltimore City SART Report

CLICK HERE to learn more about the Rape Is Not Your Fault Campaign

During the development of the plan, the organization reaffirmed that its mission is to help prevent sexual assault, advocate for accessible, compassionate care for survivors of sexual violence, and work to hold offenders accountable. MCASA’s strategic goals fall under five key pillars: Public Policy, Legal Services, Technical Assistance, Education and Infrastructure.

CLICK HERE to download a PDF of the 2012-2014 MCASA Strategic Plan.

Baltimore City announced today the release of a detailed report which tracks the activities and progress of the City’s Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) during the course of the past year. The SART team, of which MCASA and MCASA’s Sexual Assault Legal Institute (SALI) are members, has been working cooperatively since July 2010 to address the City’s handling of rape and sexual assault cases following a Baltimore Sun investigation that revealed that Baltimore had the highest percentage of unfounded rape cases of any city in the country for the past four years.

The report, produced by MCASA, details the SART’s activities, including the work of an audit committee which reviewed 134 cases of rape and/or sexual assault that had been unfounded between January 2009 and August 2010.  In addition, a best practices committee was formed to conduct a review of national best practices, craft a SART mission statement and make recommendations for revisions to policies and procedures across all participating disciplines.  A number of key processes within the Baltimore Police Department and the State’s Attorney’s Office have been strengthened as a result of this process.

 The SART report reveals that a year later Baltimore City has seen:

A 68% increase in the number of reported rapes (as of May 31, 2011). Given that incidences of rape and sexual assault are vastly under-reported, this is positive as more of victims are reporting their assaults. (National studies show that only 36% of non-stranger and 55% of stranger assaults are reported to the police.)

The number of unfounded rape and attempted rape cases has decreased 93% (as of May 31, 2011) compared to the same period last year. As of May 31, 2011, 5 reports of rape were deemed unfounded.

Additionally, MCASA played a key role in developing a city-wide outreach campaign to help sexual assault victims.  MCASA’s communications manager served as campaign coordinator and copywriter, overseeing the development of the campaign.

The goal of the campaign is to promote the City’s helpline, a 24-hour hotline with a trained staff that connects rape victims with assistance and resources. The campaign includes advertising on city transit, a public service announcement from the Mayor that features the voices of sexual assault survivors from Baltimore City and a website, www.rapeisnotyourfault.com. The campaign was designed by a graduate student at the Maryland Institute College of Art and was also reviewed by a group of rape victims in the city for their thoughts and feedback.

The City’s rape helpline is available to take calls from victims of rape and sexual assault 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 443-279-0379. All calls are free and confidential.

The Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA) is the statewide collective voice advocating for accessible, compassionate care for survivors of sexual assault, and accountability for all offenders. MCASA actively works to end sexual violence in the state of Maryland through public policy, community outreach, education, technical assistance and legal services.

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MCASA played a key role in developing the campaign, with our communications manager serving as campaign coordinator and copywriter. The campaign was designed by a graduate student at the Maryland Institute College of Art and was also reviewed by a group of rape survivors in the city for their thoughts and feedback.

The City’s rape helpline is available to take calls from victims of rape and sexual assault 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 443-279-0379. All calls are free and confidential.

Public Service Announcement with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake

Rape Is Not Your Fault from Rape Is Not Your Fault on Vimeo.

Rape Is Not Your Fault Website

The Rape Is Not Your Fault URL will be featured on all campaign materials. The website gives survivors the essential information they need immediately to be safe and to get help. There is also a mobile version for those who access the website using a smartphone.

Visit the Rape Is Not Your Fault website at www.rapeisnotyourfault.com

CLICK HERE to Learn More about the Baltimore City SART Report