Needs of Sexual Assault Advocates in Campus-Based Sexual Assault Centers

Most campuses have sexual assault crisis centers that are designed to assist victims and educate the college community about this crime. While much is known about sexual assault victimization patterns on college campuses, there is still a lack of understanding about the needs of those working to prevent sexual assault. In the current study, campus sexual assault advocates define what is needed to better serve college and university students. Based on focus group data of seventeen advocates working with campus sexual assault centers, specific needs were highlighted. Advocates emphasized the need for increased funding for prevention and counseling programs, improved strategies to assist international students, and coordination of college sexual assault programs at the state level. ********** The issue of sexual assault prevention and intervention is certainly not new territory. In fact, the Women's Movement of the 1970s was significant in first addressing the issue of sexual assault head on. Activists advocated for women's rights and equality in rape workshops and conferences, in demands for legislation, and in the development of rape crisis centers (Brecklin & Ullman, 2004; Gibbons, 1996). The movement served as the impetus for several research projects (Russell & Davis, 2007) that have developed into a rich, voluminous body of literature on sexual assault. Surveys of the general population have revealed that 176 in 1000 women are victims of attempted or completed rape in a lifetime, and that 18% of women in the United States have been raped (Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998; Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). A college environment is unique in that a greater number of people are concentrated in one area, and this is combined with increased dating and alcohol and drug use. College campuses also attract individuals in the highest risk age group for sexual assault victimization (16-24) (US Department of Justice, 2000). Clearly, college women are at greater risk of sexual assault victimization than non-college women (Fisher & Cullen, 2000; Fisher, Sloan, Cullen, & Lu, 1998). Early estimates suggested that about one in every four women on a college campus were victims of an attempted or completed sexual assault (Abby, Ross, McDuffie, & McAuslan, 1996). More recent reports indicate that 16.6 of 1,000 female students are raped each year (Fisher, Cullen, & Turner, 2000). Many have criticized society's response to rape. We know that rape causes much physical, emotional, and psychological damage to victims (Konradi, 2003), and could be accompanied by threats, intimidation, and other acts of mental cruelty (Hampton, 1995). Moreover, the criminal justice system often disappoints or traumatizes victims of sexual assault (Koss, Bachar, Hopkins, & Carlson, 2004). Although earlier studies suggest that victims tend to seek aid from friends and family immediately after their assault (Darlington, 1993) and view friends and family as more helpful (Becker, Skinner, Abel, Howell, & Bruce, 1982), other studies have shown that the majority of victims will eventually seek help from sexual assault service providers within 2-30 years after their victimization (Frenken & Van Stolk, 1990). These harsh realities of victims' experiences justify the importance of service providers that will help victims through their post-assault experience, and also provide preventive measures that will ideally minimize the risk of (re) victimization. Because sexual assault is so prevalent on college campuses, most campuses have sexual assault crisis centers that are designed to assist victims and educate the college community about this crime. While much is known about sexual assault on college campuses, there is still a lack of understanding about the needs of those working to prevent sexual assault. In the current study, attention is given to the way that campus sexual assault advocates define what is needed to better serve college and university students. …