Advocacy

Adults: All sexual assault clients should be offered a Sexual Assault Advocate (SAA) right away regardless of receiving a sexual assault examination or opting out of the examination. An SAA may be accessed through your local rape crisis or sexual assault center (domestic violence shelters may offer dual-role advocates) at no cost to the facility or survivor.

The SAA is a person who has received specialized training and is sensitive to the issues surrounding rape and sexual assault. The SAA also responds 24/7 to provide immediate information and emotional support to the survivor throughout the medical process and will remain involved with the survivor long after the exam has been completed. The survivor has the best chance at emotional recovery if they are able to establish a rapport early with an advocate.

The SAA is generally present during the exam process to support the survivor and remains involved with the survivor for as long as necessary providing:

safety planning
crisis counseling
referrals to other types of assistance such as medical, prescription, mental health, crime victim's reparations, and other basic necessities
advocacy and accompaniment through the law enforcement and criminal justice processes.

The advocate provides immediate support and can play a vital role in preventing the debilitating consequences of rape and sexual assault and may decrease the probability of the onset of rape-related post-traumatic stress disorder.

About CACs

Children Advocacy Centers provide a safe, neutral, and child-friendly environment for children and their families involved in allegations of child maltreatment. They take a comprehensive, trauma-informed, and multi-disciplinary team approach to provide services such as advocacy, forensic interviewing, counseling, and medical exams.

Sexual Assault Kits have a community resource page, however, that page may not be up to date with all programs in the state.
TeleSANE Sexual Assault Community Resource Guide: https://idhi.uams.edu/telesane/providers/provider-resources/
Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault Crisis Center List: https://www.arkcasa.org/copy-of-crisis-centers

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