Victim Services,Community Outreach,and Contemporary Rape Crisis Centers

Abstract

To evaluate proposals that independent rape crisis centers (SA) merge or add services, this article compares victim services and community outreach efforts of 16 North Carolina rape crisis centers: 8 SAs and 8 multiservice centers. The data raise serious questions about the ability of combined domestic violence/sexual assault(DV/SA) programs to reach sexual assault victims, to educate the community about sexual assault, and to work on rape prevention. DV/SA heard from far fewer sexual assault victims, including teenagers; did not routinely receive requests for hospital advocates; and did not provide systematic community education. SAs inform the community about sexual assault and develop strategies to change its knowledge and behaviors. SAs promoted inclusive definitions of sexual assault, incorporated cultural concerns in assessing their services and outreach, and initiated community education programs targeted at young people and males.

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