13
Mar
2017
The Fundamentals of SART and MDT Success
Authored By Sgt. Jim Markey (Retired), Phoenix Police Department Sex Crimes Unit The Fundamentals of SART and MDT Success For many years, I have had the opportunity to be a part of the sexual assault response teams (SARTs) and multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) that work to improve community response to sexual violence. The SART and... Read More
21
Nov
2016
Meeting the Challenges of SANE Nursing in a Prison System
Authored By Masonda Wheatley, RN, CCHP, SANE Nurse Coordinator, Corizon Health Prison rape Rape in prison is a reality that too often goes unreported. In Missouri’s prison system, our SANE nurse program is making victims more willing to report the crime, receive the forensic exam they are entitled to under the Prison Rape Elimination Act... Read More
13
Oct
2016
Tell Your Story; it’s Important
Authored By Sara Grossman, Communications Manager, The Matthew Shepard Foundation (https://www.matthewshepard.org) Before joining the team at the Matthew Shepard Foundation, I was working for a start-up that had created a device to help victims of sexual assault feel safer. It’s a simple product: a button that connects to an app on your phone via... Read More
19
Sep
2016
The Value of Persistence
Authored By Khnuma Simmonds-Esannason, Executive Director, U.S. Virgin Islands Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Council (DVSAC). As I began to think about the challenges and successes of establishing a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) in the U.S. Virgin Islands, I searched for quotes that could clearly express the importance of persistence as it pertained... Read More
19
Jul
2016
Rosebud Sioux SART a model of success for Indian Country
Recently, I had the pleasure of working on-site with sexual assault nurse examiner and advocate SART participants at the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation, in South Dakota. After the 40-hour event, each candidate was awarded didactic CEUs for their respective disciplines and will take their place in the Rosebud Sioux Tribe SART, which is sponsored by the... Read More
6
Jun
2016
How Sexual Assault Impacts LGBTQ+ Lives
Authored By: The Matthew Shepard Foundation (https://www.matthewshepard.org) In 1998, then 21-year-old University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was beaten, tortured, tied to a fence and left to die in a field outside Laramie, Wyoming. His death shocked the nation, the media and ultimately the world. Judy and Dennis Shepard, Matt’s parents, established the Matthew Shepard... Read More
26
Apr
2016
Protecting Our Nation’s Youngest Victims
Authored By: Kori Stephens, Project Director, Midwest Regional Children’s Advoacy Center (MRCAC) April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month — 30 days that recognize the need to protect the most vulnerable children in our community. It is our collective responsibility to prevent abuse from occurring and to assist children and families who have suffered abuse... Read More
24
Mar
2016
Prostituted and Sexually Trafficked Persons are Rape Victims, Too
What everyone — SANE and SART professionals especially — should know Authored By: Lisa Thompson, Vice President and Director of Education and Outreach, National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) As former Manhattan sex crimes prosecutor Linda Fairstein observed in her book Sexual Violence: Our War against Rape, it is unlikely that any “lifestyle exposes a woman to the... Read More
23
Oct
2015
Four Different SARTs, One Simple Fact
Authored By: Committed coordinators build strong SARTs Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs) are a community-based response to rape. A SART provides victims with necessary care and services, including medical, legal and advocacy. The team coordinates investigation and prosecution of the crime with the objective of providing justice for the victim. The SART movement began in... Read More
14
Aug
2015
For Victims, rape is horrific.
Sometimes, so is the justice system.
First in a three-part series on the impact and importance of sexual assault response teams (SARTs). Rape is one of the most traumatic events or woman or man may face. It’s emotionally wrenching and often physically traumatizing, as well. Rape can strip the victim of a sense of self and self-worth. It can lead to... Read More