The CONNSACS Annual Meeting & Breakfast
On April 27th, 2012, CONNSACS held its annual meeting at the Inn at Middletown. In attendance were Governor Malloy and First Lady Cathy Malloy, CONNSACS staff, member program representatives, and community allies. The meeting was an opportunity to elect the CONNSACS board, celebrate the work of sexual assault crisis services programs, and present awards to two individuals who have been working to end sexual violence in Connecticut.
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First Lady Cathy Malloy and
Laura Cordes |
Following the business meeting, First Lady Cathy Malloy received the NSVRC Visionary Voice Award, which highlights individuals whose outstanding prevention work is making a significant impact in their communities. Cathy served as Executive Director of The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education in Stamford for ten years before moving to Hartford and becoming CEO of the Greater Hartford Arts Council. As Connecticut's First Lady, Cathy has continued to advocate for the prevention of sexual assault. CONNSACS was honored to nominate the First Lady for this national award, which was given to twenty individuals throughout the country. Following the award presentation, Cathy Malloy addressed attendees as the event's guest speaker.
The second award presented at the meeting was the Gail Burns-Smith Dare to Dream Scholarship/Stipend Award, which was given to Krystal Rich from the YWCA New Britain Sexual Assault Crisis Services. The Dare to Dream Award is named for Gail Burns-Smith, who served as the Executive Director of CONNSACS for 22 years. The award is given annually to an individual whose work or study in the field of sexual violence most exemplifies Gail's commitment to its public awareness, education, prevention and advocacy on behalf of victims/survivors. Krystal Rich received the award for her dedicated work at the New Britain SACS as well as her strong history of advocacy at Central Connecticut State University.
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Annual Meeting Attendees |
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The annual meeting also featured a presentation from Beth Hamilton, the CONNSACS Prevention and Training Coordinator, who demonstrated how Audience Response Systems can be used to engage audiences and facilitate conversations about sexual violence. To close the meeting, CONNSACS Executive Director Laura Cordes presented certificates to member programs to acknowledge the outstanding victim services, outreach, and training that they are doing throughout the state.
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Te Creemos: Video de concientización sobre la violencia sexual
(We Believe You: Sexual Assault Awareness Video)
This short video was produced by the CONNSACS Spanish Response Team, a group of bilingual/bicultural Spanish-speaking advocates who serve victims/survivors at sexual assault crisis services programs throughout the state. The video was created and released as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), which organizations throughout the country observe during the month of April. Click here to learn more about some of the great events that are going on in your area as part of SAAM.
El Equipo de Respuesta en Español, un grupo de consejeras/os y representantes bilingües afiliados con el Servicio de Crisis de Asalto Sexual de Connecticut (CONNSACS), ha lanzado este video de servicio publico en español para educar a la comunidad hispana/latina sobre la violencia sexual e incentivar a las victimas/sobrevivientes a utilizar los servicios disponibles. El anuncio de servicio público fue lanzado como parte del mes de conciencia sobre el asalto sexual, el cual es observado en todo del país durante el mes de Abril. Para más información sobre eventos durante el mes de Abril, haz clic aquí.
Te Creemos (We Believe You)
A translation of the video is available here.
La ayuda está disponible. Llama a la línea gratuita a 888-568-8332.
Help is available. Call our free Spanish hotline at 888-568-8332.
The Te Creemos video provides viewers with information about sexual violence and resources that are available to survivors, including information about CONNSACS' statewide, free, confidential 24/7 sexual assault Spanish-language hotline. Research shows that one in three Hispanic women and one in four Hispanic men will experience sexual violence during their lifetime, but the Hispanic/Latino community faces many barriers to accessing services. These include language barriers, concerns about actual or perceived immigration status, cultural stigma, and fears about being treated unfairly by law enforcement or other service providers. Everyone deserves safety, respect, and support. Help us spread the word that help is available.
El video presta información sobre la violencia sexual y recursos que están disponibles para sobrevivientes, incluyendo información sobre la línea de apoyo - es gratis, confidencial, y provee apoyo las 24 horas, 7 días de la semana. Estudios demuestran que una de cada tres mujeres y uno de cada cuatro hombres hispanos serán abusados sexualmente durante su vida, pero la comunidad hispana/latina enfrenta muchos obstáculos cuando se trata de acceder a los servicios. Estos incluyen barreras idiomáticas, preocupación acerca del estatus de inmigración, estigma cultural, y miedos acerca del tratamiento por la policía y otros proveedores de servicios. Todos merecen la seguridad, el respeto, y el apoyo. Ayúdanos apasar el mensaje de que la ayuda está disponible.
Please share this video with your social media contacts and organizations that serve Connecticut's Spanish-speaking community.
Favor de compartir este video con tus redes sociales y organizaciones que brindan servicios a la comunidad hispanohablante en Connecticut
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CONNSACS at the Capitol
The 2012 Connecticut legislative session began on Wednesday, February 8 and will run through May 9. During this short session, CONNSACS will be working to advance the interests of victims/survivors and sexual assault crisis services programs at the Capitol.
Click here to learn more about CONNSACS' legislative priorities.
At this point in the session, we are tracking several pieces of legislation that could have an impact on victims/survivors of sexual violence, and we have submitted testimony on a number of issues ranging from mandated reporting to sexual violence on college campuses. To date, we have testified on the following pieces of legislation:
HB 5014, The Governor's proposed budget (requesting continued funding for rape crisis programs and a Cost of Living Adjustment - COLA - for nonprofit organizations)
We are also working to secure continued funding for the Gail Burns-Smith Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners Program. See the article below for more information about how this innovative program is helping victims of sexual violence in Connecticut.
HB 5031, An Act Concerning Sexual Violence on College Campuses (support)
HB 5365, An Act Concerning Court Operations and Victim Services (support)
SB 24, The Governor's education reform bill (We testified on SB 24 in order to ask the state to consider providing grants to school districts that want to teach health education to students using an excellent new curriculum from the state Department of Education.)
SB 193, An Act Concerning Mandated Reporters and Requiring Criminal History Records Checks for Youth Camp Employees and Volunteers (support)
SB 247, An Act Concerning the Sexual Assault of Persons Whose Ability to Communicate Lack of Consent is Substantially Impaired (support)
SB 279, An Act Concerning Sentence Modification (oppose)
On the federal level, we are monitoring the progress of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization. Since 1994, VAWA has been helping victims of sexual assault and domestic violence throughout the country, and it has previously been reauthorized in 2000 and 2005. Learn more about this vital legislation and what you can do to support it at
http://4vawa.org/ .
CONNSACS would like to thank Senator Blumenthal and Senator Lieberman for signing on as co-sponsors of the VAWA reauthorization and supporting ALL victims of domestic and sexual violence, both in Connecticut and throughout the country.
If you are interested in learning more about our public policy initiatives or becoming involved in our legislative advocacy, please contact Anna Doroghazi, Director of Public Policy and Communication: anna@connsacs.org or (860) 282-9881.
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Advocates and Community Partners Celebrate the First
Anniversary of the Gail Burns-Smith Sexual Assault Forensic
Examiners Program
On January 26, sexual assault forensic examiners, hospital employees, sexual assault victim advocates, criminal justice officials, and community partners gathered for a reception to mark the one year anniversary of the State of Connecticut, Judicial Branch, Office of Victim Services, Gail Burns-Smith Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners Program (SAFE Program). The SAFE Program is an innovative victim services program that provides participating hospitals with 24/7 access to sexual assault forensic examiners (SAFEs), healthcare providers who are specially trained to provide care to adult and adolescent victims and use “rape kits” to collect forensic evidence. Participating hospitals include: Hartford Hospital, The Hospital of Central Connecticut (New Britain campus), Manchester Memorial Hospital, Middlesex Hospital, Saint Francis Hospital, and Windham Hospital.
CONNSACS Executive Director Laura Cordes, who helped advocate for the establishment of the program, praised the work of the SAFEs. “Rape victims deserve the best standard of care, and SAFEs are providing it,” she said. “When SAFEs and advocates are utilized together, victims are more likely to feel supported and believe that undergoing the invasive evidence collection process will prove helpful in successfully prosecuting their offenders.”
The SAFE Program provides care in a way that benefits both sexual assault victims and participating hospitals. Typically, victims wait in emergency departments for several hours before a physician or nurse becomes available to set aside several hours to provide care for the patient and complete the evidence collection process. In many cases, healthcare providers are not very familiar with the process which may lengthen the time that the victim remains in the emergency department.
“Everyone loves the SAFE Program. Not only does the program provide expert standardized care to this highly specialized population of patients, it also frees up emergency care providers to serve other patients,” said Patti LaMonica, Executive Director of Emergency Services at Saint Francis Hospital. “The care provided by SAFEs also extends beyond the patient’s visit as they can later provide expert testimony in court. It is a win-win for everyone.”
The event was attended by State Senator Terry Gerratana (D - Berlin, Farmington, New Britain), Senate Chair of the Committee on Public Health. Senator Gerratana took time to meet the advocates and nurses involved in the program and expressed her thanks for having the SAFE Program available in her district.
State Representative Betsy Ritter (D-Waterford and Montville), House Chair of the Committee on Public Health, who advanced legislation to create the program in 2009, was unable to attend the event but prepared a statement saying, “This program helps victims overcome the horrors of sexual assault and provide justice to survivors.” Between the launch of the program on December 1, 2010 and the end of 2011, “163 victims were provided timely, compassionate, patient-centered services that begin with the victim and include all the steps necessary to collect evidence that is valid, admissible, and accompanied with needed expert testimony.”
“The SAFE Program is a vital service for victims,” said Maureen Platt, State’s Attorney for the Waterbury Judicial District and Chair of the Commission on the Standardization of the Collection of Evidence in Sexual Assault Investigations. “In addition to providing sexual assault victims with an excellent standard of care, forensic examiners also collect high-quality evidence that can later be used for criminal prosecution.”
The SAFE Program is federally
funded through Recovery Act Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) and a Recovery Act STOP Violence Against Women (VAW) Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice award to the State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management. The VAW grant ended in December of 2011, and the JAG grant ends in February of 2013.
Advocates and supporters hope that the SAFE Program’s success will result in continued funding and an eventual expansion to hospitals statewide. Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services and other SAFE Program supporters plan to advocate for state funding during the upcoming legislative session.
