2017-2018 PCAR Annual Report
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annual report 2017–2018 help hope healing A Message from Our CEO Dear Supporters, I’m honored to present to you our 2017-18 annual report, highlighting our key accomplishments on the state and national levels. Each year, I’m amazed at the work our talented team has completed with the goal of ending sexual harassment, abuse, and assault. Karen Baker While we feature many accomplishments, this report merely Chief Executive Officer touches on a portion of the work our organization does each day in Pennsylvania and beyond. During this past fiscal year, PCAR worked with Pennsylvania legislators to pass key legislation that addressed sex trafficking, the untested rape kit backlog, and safe housing for sexual assault victims. Several staff members attended the Bill Cosby re-trial to provide In this report: insight and expertise to the media. PCAR staff coordinated trainings on how words used in news coverage can perpetuate or change bias about sexual assault, youth with problematic sexual behaviors, 4-5 State Highlights and developed a training on preventing sexual harassment in the 6-7 National Highlights workplace. We honored Delilah Rumburg's 30 years of service to PCAR and 8 Training & Resources launched a legal assistance project to assist sexual assault victims in 9 Policy & Legislation need of legal aid. Looking ahead, we are eager to continue our fight to address 10 Fiscal Overview sexual extortion and reform the statutes of limitations in sexual 11 Making a Difference abuse cases. I encourage you to take a few moments to learn more about our work during the last fiscal year (July 2017 through June 2018). We invite you to visit our website, pcar.org, and follow us on social media to learn more about how, with your assistance, PCAR is providing help, hope, and healing around sexual violence- related issues. In partnership, Karen Baker Chief Executive Officer 2 PCAR Annual Report About PCAR PCAR Leadership Karen Baker Chief Executive Officer Founded in 1975, PCAR advocates for the rights and needs of sexual assault victims and works to end sexual violence. PCAR Yolanda Edrington Chief Operating Officer, NSVRC partners with a network of rape crisis programs to bring help, hope, and healing around issues of sexual violence to the Kristen Houser Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The state coalition: Chief Public Affairs Officer Joyce Lukima 1 Assures that communities have access to quality victim Chief Operating Officer, PCAR services and prevention education by providing funding, Heather Pachkoski training, materials, and assistance to a network of rape Chief Financial Officer crisis centers that serve all of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties 2 Provides resources and training on sexual assault-related Board of Directors issues to professionals across the Commonwealth Caitlin Green 3 Promotes public policies that provide protections and President services to victims of sexual violence, hold people who Antonette Silvestri cause harm accountable, and enhance community safety. Vice President The state coalition also works with media to increase Patrick Lemmon public awareness, access to accurate information, and Secretary ethical reporting practices. Sakinah Rahman 4 Operates the National Sexual Violence Resource Center Treasurer (NSVRC). NSVRC is the leading nonprofit in providing Terri Allison information and tools to prevent and respond to sexual Suzanne Beck violence. NSVRC translates research and trends into best practices that help individuals, communities, and service Audia J. Boyles providers achieve real and lasting change. NSVRC also Dr. Monique Howard works with the media to promote informed reporting and David Hyde leads the creation of a national Sexual Assault Awareness Regina King-Dykes Month (SAAM) campaign to educate and engage the Cynthia Lester-Moody public in addressing this widespread issue. NSVRC is also one of the three founding organizations of RALIANCE, Jennifer McNew a national, collaborative initiative dedicated to ending Lauren Peterson sexual violence in one generation. Maureen Powers Sarah Roncolato Tony Sacco A special recognition to: Shaylene Scheib Arthur Seifert Kathryn Simpson Robena Spangler 2017-2018 3 A Timeline of #MeToo FIGURE 1 More than 10 years ago, #MeToo creator Tarana Burke coined the phrase ‘Me Too’ as a way to help women who had experienced sexual harassment, abuse, and assault. The phrase reignited in October 2017 after Alyssa Milano urged her followers—in response to articles in the New York Times and The New Yorker about movie executive Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct—to use the phrase if they too had been abused. Her post garnered more than 23,000 retweets, 52,000 likes, and tens of thousands of replies, sparking a movement that has opened the door to cultural, institutional, and policy changes. Below is a timeline of some Number of NSVRC mentions / quotes critical moments in the #MeToo movement against sexual Subset of stories related to #MeToo or sexual harassment, abuse, and assault. harassment. FIGURE 1: NSVRC’s public presence tends to grow in tandem with increased public attention to sexual violence more broadly. Spikes represented include: Oct./Nov. 2017: allegations against Harvey Weinstein, Feb. 2018: Time’s Up montage at 2018 Academy Awards, April 2018: Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Bill Cosby re-trial, Sept. and Oct. 2018: Dr. Christine Ford testifies to the Senate Judiciary on her allegations of sexual abuse against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Actress Alyssa Milano tweets “If The Washington Post publishes an Oct.15 you’ve been sexually harassed nov. 9 in-depth investigation of Republican 2017 or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a 2017 Senate nominee Roy Moore’s history reply to this tweet” with underage girls Actress Ashley Judd helped Olympic gymnast McKayla Nassar is sentenced Oct.5 to reveal decades of sexual Oct.18 Maroney shares that she was dec.6 to 60 years in federal 2017 harassment by Hollywood 2017 sexually abused by former 2017 prison on child executive Harvey Weinstein team doctor Larry Nassar pornography charges Chicago chefs speak out Times Up, an anti-harassment Time magazine tabs jan.18 against sexual harassment jan.1 coalition, is formed by dec.6 the ‘Silence Breakers’ 2018 after celebrity chef Mario 2018 more than 300 women in 2017 as its 2017 Person of Batali is accused of sexual Hollywood the Year misconduct Larry Nassar is sentenced A Time's Up montage was introduced during the jan.23 to 40 to 175 years on mar.4 2018 Academy Awards highlighting the need 2018 seven counts of criminal 2018 representation of women, people of color and gay sexual conduct and transgender people in movies. 4 State Highlights Karen Baker Named Chief Legal Assistance Project Executive Officer PCAR launched the Sexual Violence Legal Karen Baker was promoted to CEO of PCAR Assistance Project (SV LAP) in 2018. Through a and NSVRC on March 1st, 2018 after serving as grant awarded by the Pennsylvania Commission Director of NSVRC since 2000. Karen’s selection on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), SV LAP culminated a four-month search led by a transition provides civil legal representation to victims of committee which yielded more than 170 responses sexual harassment, abuse, and assault who are from candidates in 20 states. unable to access free comprehensive legal services in the county where they reside. Attorneys assist Karen stepped in to the role left vacant after the survivors in a wide range of legal issues including, retirement of Delilah Rumburg, who retired after but not limited to, sexual violence protection serving PCAR for more than two decades. Karen order petitions, custody matters, workplace sexual spent her first year visiting nearly a dozen rape harassment, college campus proceedings, clergy crisis centers in the Commonwealth as part of an abuse issues, and navigating the criminal justice ongoing effort to tour each center in Pennsylvania, system. The project is targeted to assist rural and meeting with state legislators and building marginalized communities where access to legal partnerships. services is unavailable. Prior to becoming CEO of PCAR, Karen helped to led the development of the National Sexual PCAR’s Kristen Houser Sworn into Violence Resource Center into a national leader. the PA Commission for Women Under her guidance, the NSVRC received awards for its original resources, website, social media PCAR’s Chief Public Affairs Officer, Kristen Houser, activities, and its annual Sexual Assault Awareness was sworn into the Pennslyvania Commission for Month prevention campaign. Karen also serves Women for a two-year term on October 17, 2018 as a founding Managing Partner for RALIANCE, a at the Governor’s Residence. The Commission is collaborative effort between the National Sexual responsible for advising the Governor on policies Violence Resource Center, National Alliance Ending and legislation that impact women; supporting Sexual Violence and the California Coalition economic and civic opportunities for women; Against Sexual Assault's PreventConnect. encouraging mentoring programs for girls William Strampel is charged with failing Spotify stops promoting R & B artist mar.27 to protect patients from Larry Nassar, may.10 R Kelly’s music on its playlists after 2018 sexually harassing female students, and 2018 he was charged with 10 counts of pressuring students for nude selfies aggravated criminal sexual abuse The New York Times and The New Christine Blasey Ford testifies apr.16 Yorker are honored with the Pulizer sept.27 about her sexual assault at 2018 Prize for public service breaking the 2018 the hands of Supreme Court Harvey Weinstein abuses nominee Brett Kavanaugh 2017-2018 5 Karen Baker visiting Survivors Inc. in Adams County. See all the centers Karen has visited at www.pcar.org. and young women; identying programs and opportunities for the benefit and advancement of women; and servicing as a resource center for Pennsylvania women. The Commission also acts as an advocate for policies and legislation it feels Pennsylvania FIrst Lady Frances Wolf and Kristen Houser serve the best interest of women and girls in Pennsylvania.