"If I only knew then what I know now..." Why I founded EVAWI and launched the Start by Believing campaign

As a young Child Abuse detective in the early 80’s, I often heard people say that victims were afraid of reporting to law enforcement.  Whether intended or not, I interpreted that to mean that we in law enforcement weren’t doing our job right.  As a detective who worked hard on my cases, I felt I did everything I possibly could for the victims whose cases I was investigating.  My child abuse cases, in particular, kept me up at night because I had so many open investigations at any given time and I knew that the results of my work often determined whether we were going to prevent a child from further harm, let alone prosecute the perpetrator.  So, it hurt to hear this because it felt like all the fingers were pointing to the police as the problem.  I didn’t want to believe it, but I had to understand that whether I agreed or not,  it was the perception by many members of the community which I needed to pay attention to.

It took me another decade working these cases before I realized that victims are not just afraid of law enforcement.  What I didn’t know back when I was working Child Abuse is that victims of domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault are not busting down the doors at rape crisis centers, shelters or medical facilities either.  I often heard professionals citing horrible statistics about the large number of people who never report to law enforcement -- up to 80%.  At this point in time, I was a Sergeant in Sex Crimes and the Unit was handling approximately 1,000 felony sexual assaults a year.  I thought the researchers and advocates were crazy.  If they were right, there were another 4,000 cases occurring in the City of San Diego each year, and this was incomprehensible to me. 

It also took me a long time to realize that victims don’t often report to law enforcement first.  They usually disclose to loved ones, co-workers, classmates and friends first, and -- depending on how that person responds, whether with support or blame -- this often determines whether the victim will in fact reach out to law enforcement. 

When the victim does report, law enforcement is often frustrated because they don’t understand why victims appear uncooperative, hesitant, or resistant about participating in an investigation and possible prosecution.  It took me far too long to figure out that it wasn’t that they were uncooperative; it was that they are only able to manage so much at a time.  We in law enforcement think that the investigation and prosecution is the victim’s priority.  Yet this is often not the case.  What I found is that victims of sexual assault are often just struggling to get out of bed every day, get their kids off to school, stay in class, stay employed so they don’t lose their housing, or stay in the country or in the military, whatever the case may be.  Victims are trying to survive and this is their priority.  For most victims, until those basic needs are met, they just aren’t able to make the investigation and prosecution of their offenders a priority.  We have to learn to do police work differently.  Instead of demanding that victims meet our needs, we have to learn to meet victims where they are in a very difficult process.  We have to change the way we’ve been doing police business for decades because what we have been doing isn’t working for victims and as a result, we are unable to make our communities safer by holding perpetrators accountable.

People are often curious about why I founded EVAWI.  I loved my job at the San Diego Police Department.  I made very good money with great benefits.  I never worried how my paycheck was going to be funded, I never thought about the costs of doing business and I had six weeks’ vacation a year -- more if I worked overtime and took it in comp time.  I admired and enjoyed the officers and detectives I had the privilege to work with.  Yet, I knew that across the country and around the world, law enforcement was not receiving the training they need to do a better job working these cases.  I also believe that most law enforcement officers join their Departments because they want to help people.  I believe that most work hard to do the best job they can, and most are good people who sacrifice a lot to do a job that many people don’t understand, appreciate, or care to do themselves.  However, I found that law enforcement professionals often either didn’t receive any training about sex crimes -- or if they did receive training, it gave information that is the exact opposite of the training they should be receiving (e.g., training on stranger sexual assault versus non-stranger sexual assault, interview and interrogation of suspects and not training on interviewing victims especially those who have been impacted by traumatic crimes).  The truth is this work is a calling for me, and one that I am not always thrilled with.  If I had known anything about non-profits, I would never have started one.  

There are many days that I think I was absolutely nuts, but our 10^th year anniversary for EVAWI is coming up in just a few months, and I am really proud of our many accomplishments.  We just finished our 2011 Annual Report, and I encourage you to take a look if you are interested in hearing more about our many activities this last year.  One I am most proud of is the Start by Believing campaign.

The idea of the Start by Believing campaign had been a dream of mine for a very long time.  Based on my 30 years of experience as an Officer, Detective, Sergeant and training many officers and other professionals across the country, I came to realize that even when the patrol officer, detective and the prosecutor do everything right, we are often limited in our ability to successfully hold perpetrators accountable because in the end, your neighbors, mother, brother, cousins, and friends are the people sitting on our juries.  All of these people bring their own personal experience and misconceptions about sexual violence to the courtroom.  Those of us in the field know how difficult it is to take sexual assault cases to court and how very difficult it is to secure a conviction.   We know that victims of sexual assault are often at least partially blamed for their sexual assault based on perceptions of the amount of risk they might have been taking at the time of the sexual assault.  I have found that if you asked the average citizen if in fact they would blame a victim of sexual assault for a rape if she had been drinking alcohol under age, they would most likely say no.  Yet, we know this is exactly what happens across the country at many different levels -- at the point of the first disclosure, medical and mental health consultations, the initial report, the detective’s follow-up investigation, the prosecutor’s charging decision and ultimately the jury.

The intent of the Start by Believing campaign is to change our response to sexual violence by focusing on connecting professionals and strengthening the community’s response to violence against women on every level, including the professionals tasked with responding to victims and across society as a whole.  If you have not yet visited the Start by Believing web site at www.startbybelieving.org  please do.  I am hopeful that you’ll take the next step and make your own personal pledge to start by believing.

Joanne Archambault,
Executive Director & Founder, EVAWI

VAWA Days of Action

From National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women:

We need to push Congress to act on VAWA before it’s too late! 

Here are some actions you can take on June 26^th:

ACTION 1: Please contact House and Senate leadership with this message:

I urge you to pass a bipartisan VAWA reauthorization bill, like S.1925, that protects ALL victims of violence-doing nothing is not an option. VAWA has positively impacted me/my community in the following way: _______________.  By reauthorizing a bipartisan VAWA reauthorization bill like S. 1925 that protects all victims of violence, VAWA programs and services can continue to serve victims and make our communities safer.

·         Speaker John Boehner (R-OH),  (202) 225-0600

·         Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA),  (202) 225-4000

·         Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA),  (202) 225-0100

·         Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV),  (202) 224-3542

·         Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY),  (202) 225-2541

·         Chair of the Democratic Conference Senator Chuck Schumer,  (202) 224-6542

ACTION 2: Participate in the national week of action for VAWA!

On June 26^th, a rally on Capitol Hill will launch the national VAWA Days of Action campaign that will last until July 4^th.  We call upon you to organize vigils, rallies and local actions in your communities and at your Congressional District offices to tell Congress that victims cannot wait and a VAWA that mirrors S. 1925 must be reauthorized. Now is the time to show Congress how important VAWA is to victims, survivors and advocates across the country.  Organize your members, friends, families and everyone you know who cares about domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking to stand up and speak out.  Start your local planning efforts today!

You can follow the National Task Force on twitter at @NTFVAWA and “like” their Facebook page where you can find a toolkit and other action and information items. Don’t forget to tweet about VAWA using the hashtags #ReauthorizeVAWA, #RealVAWA and #VAWA.

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LaVar Arrington Speaks Out about Sandusky Case

Last week, I read this article in the Washington Post by former Penn State football player LaVar Arrington about the Sandusky case. In this article, Arrington reflects on knowing one of the victims involved in the case, and more specifically, how he now feels about not knowing what this young man was going through.

This one quote in particular really spoke to me: “I will never just wonder why a child is mad. I will never just assume ever again. I will always ask, and let them know that it’s okay to tell the truth about why they are upset.”

Most victims of sexual abuse don’t come right out and say what is happening to them. They may, or may not, exhibit certain behaviors as a result of the abuse. In this article, Arrington points out that this particular victim always seemed mad or distant.

What struck me about this particular article related to the Sandusky case – and there have been plenty of articles about this case – was the honest reflection of an athlete and the sense that those of us in the field sometimes say – “he (Arrington) gets it”!

When you work in the field of violence against women, you realize quickly that some people share your views, and some don’t. The ones that “don’t get it” are quick to make victim blaming comments, downplay instances of abuse, question why some victims delay in their reporting, or chalk this case up to a quest for financial gain.

The ones that “get it” give those in the field excitement and energy, often enough energy to keep us pushing through with this work when it seems like nothing will ever change.

Now, I can’t comment on whether Arrington “gets it” with all aspects of sexual and domestic violence, but it is critical to acknowledge such a response when we see it.



Alison Jones-Lockwood,
Social Media/Outreach Coordinator, EVAWI

Media Story out of Sacramento, CA

A couple months ago, a media story broke in Sacramento, CA about a teenage girl who was detained for twice failing to appear in court to testify against the man who raped her. At the time, EVAWI didn’t have a blog platform to talk about this story. Seeing as we do now, it’s a good time to bring it up as it’s still fresh on the minds of many in the Sacramento area.

This survivor was held for nearly a month. The prosecutor stated the detention was necessary because her testimony was critical to the case. The perpetrator had a long criminal history and is also suspected of raping one other woman.

This story raises several issues. First, a young, female victim who is terrified of testifying isn’t going to be more inclined to participate after being incarcerated. This isn’t going to teach her to trust authorities in the future, especially if she is like many so victims who are unfortunately victimized again.

A second issue is the possibility that this use of power over the victim will cause other victims in the community to feel reluctant to come forward to report a sexual assault. Anytime there is a high profile sexual assault case covered in the media, it can have an impact on the rate of reporting – sometimes positively and sometimes negatively.

It is never ok to treat a victim the way the perpetrator should be treated. The message this ends up sending is that the victim is being punished for being a victim of a crime. Most victims are terrified of testifying. Fear of testifying is understandable – not only does the victim have to re-live the assault in front of numerous strangers, but they are also forced to do so in front of their perpetrator. Victims need validation, encouragement, and support during a difficult time – not punishment for being afraid of a terrifying situation for any person, let alone a 16-year old child.



Alison Jones-Lockwood,
Social Media/Outreach Coordinator, EVAWI

Spotlight on Cuyahoga County, Ohio

Exciting things have been happening in Cleveland, Ohio! The county recently developed a county-wide policy on how to investigate sexual assault cases. This new policy has been approved by the county Police Chiefs’ Association, and it is expected that most of the departments in Cuyahoga County will adapt them. A recent article in The Plain Dealer details the new policy, which is the result of months of work by police, prosecutors, nurses, and victim advocates.

The policy includes detailed instructions on where to take a victim of sexual assault for medical treatment and evidence collection. The policy also informs law enforcement on how the victim may react to the trauma, and how it can impact the investigation.

The goal of the new policy is to have more victims come forward, a result of a more compassionate, consistent approach to sexual assault investigations throughout the county.

At EVAWI, we strongly encourage a coordinated community response to sexual assault. Cleveland professionals offer a wonderful example of how community members can come together to create positive change for victims of sexual assault in the criminal justice system. You can start a dialogue in your own community too! A great place to start is by participating in the OnLine Training Institute , and then taking that information back to your local community response team.

Check out the video on the new policy.




Alison Jones-Lockwood,
Social Media/Outreach Coordinator, EVAWI

OnLine Training Institute is being updated!

Staff at EVAWI has been working on updating the content of several of the OnLine Training Institute (OLTI) modules. The OLTI was developed to bring state-of-the art training to anyone who is interested, on the topic of criminal justice response to sexual assault. One of the many benefits of offering training online is that we can continually update and improve the content.

In the OLTI module on Victim Impact, we incorporated diverse survivor perspectives throughout the module. We felt was more effective than developing a single, stand-alone module on "special victim populations," because we can better integrate the examples into our general understanding of the impact of sexual victimization. It is therefore more likely to be helpful in crafting an effective response.

In the OLTI module on Clearance Methods for Sexual Assault Cases, we updated the Uniform Crime Report’s (UCR) new definition of Forcible Rape, after FBI Director Robert Mueller officially approved a new, more comprehensive, definition of Forcible Rape in December 2011.

In the OLTI Module Effective Victim Advocacy in the Criminal Justice System, many of the resources in the original OLTI training module had become outdated and no longer available, updated and currently available in a different location, or moved to another website.  To ensure that these resources remain accurate, this OLTI training module has now been updated to reflect these changes.

If you haven't already registered for the OLTI, we encourage you to do so. And if you have, you will want to make sure you review the recently updated material.

What will happen to VAWA?

As many of you know, The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA IV) is up for re-authorization this year. VAWA was originally signed into law in 1994, and has since been re-authorized in 2000 and 2005. VAWA is a critical piece of legislation that provides funding for investigation and prosecution for violence against women, as well as funding for sexual assault and domestic violence programs across the country. VAWA, like EVAWI, encourages initiatives that strengthen the community response to violence against women.

New provisions were included this year to add protections for specific populations such as for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) community, Native American community, and immigrant victims of sexual assault.

This year, unlike any previous re-authorization, VAWA has become a forum for political debate. While the Senate overwhelmingly passed the version including the provisions mentioned above, the House passed their own, dramatically different, version last week. The House version does not include the provisions listed above. Both sides are currently refusing to negotiate on each other’s bill. 

Where does this leave us? VAWA actually expired last fall, and many programs are currently relying on temporary funding to keep their doors open.  Many programs are concerned about what this means for continued funding for their much needed services to victims of sexual and domestic violence.