Statewide Sexual Assault Advocate Training Manual Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................... 3 Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care ........................................................................................................... 5 Sexual Assault Dynamics ............................................................................................................................... 14 Advocacy and Diversity: Cultural Competency ................................................................................... 20 How to Support Victims/Survivors .......................................................................................................... 33 Victim-Blaming .................................................................................................................................................. 40 Victim Impact ..................................................................................................................................................... 44 Medical Response and Advocacy ............................................................................................................... 55 Criminal Justice System ................................................................................................................................. 64 Crime Victims’ Rights ...................................................................................................................................... 78 Confidentiality and Privilege ..................................................................................................................... 101 Sexual Abusers ................................................................................................................................................. 116 Sex Offender Registration and Notification......................................................................................... 122 Civil Legal Remedies ..................................................................................................................................... 129 Adolescent Victims ......................................................................................................................................... 155 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer/Questioning (LGBTIQ) Victims ... 160 Native American Victims of Sexual Assault ......................................................................................... 184 Military Sexual Trauma ................................................................................................................................ 189 What is Military Sexual Trauma? ............................................................................................................. 189 Active Duty Service Member Resources ............................................................................................... 189 Transitioning Service Members Resources ......................................................................................... 189 Veteran Resources .......................................................................................................................................... 190 Vulnerable Adults and Children ............................................................................................................... 191 Sexual Harassment ......................................................................................................................................... 197 Prevention ......................................................................................................................................................... 209 Sustainable Advocacy.................................................................................................................................... 229 Appendix: Confidentiality and Privilege ............................................................................................... 238 Updated and approved by the Sexual Assault Task Force Steering Committee on 07/14/2020. Introduction Introduction The Statewide Sexual Assault Advocate Training Manual is intended for use as a general resource for advocates and other helping professionals. The manual provides information and guidance designed to support effective advocacy for victims and survivors of sexual assault. The manual also contains current information on Oregon- specific laws, rights and remedies related to sexual assault. Please note: This Manual is a practice guide aimed at service providers. It’s not intended for distribution to victims and survivors, whose needs would be better met by materials that speak directly to them. Some Notes about Language • The Statewide Sexual Assault Advocate Training Manual uses the term “victim” to denote an individual who has been targeted by a sexual abuser. “Victim,” rather than “survivor,” is used purposefully to convey the always unwanted and sometimes criminal nature of sexual assault. While its use is intended to signify the strength and resiliency of victims, the term “survivor” can create a distance from the abhorrent nature of sexual assault and remove the offender from our awareness. Most people who are sexually assaulted do survive, but the experience of being assaulted is not an aspect of a person’s strength or a choice made by the targeted person. When the term “survivor” is used in the Manual it is meant to acknowledge and refer to the healing and recovery process of victims. • The manual includes language to refer to people who sexually abuse, sexual abusers, perpetrators, and individuals in lieu of offender(s) to 1) address sexual offense specific behavior, and 2) expand the definition of people who have caused harm to include adjudicated and non-adjudicated sexual abusers. The term “offender” is only used as it applies to individuals who have been adjudicated for a sex offense. • In all their communications with victims, advocates must remember that sexual assault is an experience, NOT an identity; no one should be defined by their victimization. • The manual does not make frequent use of pronouns, but when they are employed “she” or “they” is used to denote a victim of sexual assault and “he” to denote a perpetrator. Sexual assault can be perpetrated by, and can target, all genders. Research indicates that the majority of victims are women and the perpetrator a man. This is documented in victim surveys, disclosures and reports to advocates, medical facilities, and law enforcement agencies.1 A Contextual Analysis Understanding that sexual assault is an act of violence chosen by the individual who committed the sexual offense - and a violation of the victim’s human rights - is an essential foundation for proper victim response. But sexual assault does not take place OREGON SEXUAL ASSAULT TASK FORCE ADVOCACY 3 MANUAL Introduction in a vacuum. Truly effective advocacy is rooted in an analysis of the broader context in which sexual violence occurs. As mentioned above, the majority of victims and perpetrators of sexual assault are women and men respectively. Moreover, nearly all girls and women experience some form of sexual assault and/or sexual harassment throughout their lifetimes, while most men and boys do not. Sexual violence, along with domestic violence and other forms of gendered violence, is a manifestation of oppression. In this context, oppression is defined as systematic social forces that justify, normalize, and support the marginalization and mistreatment of people who hold certain social identities, such as race, class, ethnicity, immigration status, and gender, for the purpose of exploiting them in ways that benefit the dominant group. Taking into consideration historic and ongoing social inequalities along gender lines, sexual violence serves as a powerful mechanism to maintain superior or dominant status by men over women — sexism. Sexual violence is also used to oppress individuals who don’t conform to dominant gender roles that define what is “appropriate” for men and for women. Dominant gender roles, in part, enforce men’s entitlement to sex, as well as to power and control. That sexual violence is considered a “women’s issue” and not one that most men identify with personally2 further demonstrates this analysis. It is important to note that identity is multifaceted, and each individual experiences oppression uniquely based on how those facets (race, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, ability, sexual orientation, national origin, etc.) intersect. Throughout this manual, intersecting identities and corresponding oppression will be discussed primarily in the context of how they relate to sexual assault victimization, response, and prevention, with the recognition that oppression is the root cause of a much broader range of impacts they may be experiencing in their lives. Please note: This analysis is in no way intended to minimize the real harm and trauma suffered by boys and men. Sexual assault is painful, harmful and traumatic for all victims. In individual practice, advocates should always keep in mind the specific experience of each victim and use appropriate language and pronouns that reflects an individual’s experience (for more information see the Cultural Competency chapter). But if we ignore the gendered nature of this crime, we lose the complexity of why sexual violence occurs. (For more information, see the Sexual Assault Dynamics chapter).