Victim Advocates are an essential part of a community’s sexual assault response. Their purpose is to provide victims’ rights information, resources, and assistance in filling out crime victim-related documents and forms. Victim advocates provide support and encourage the victim to decide what actions to take for themselves.
Victim Advocates in Alaska face many obstacles in their communities due to the lack of access to sexual assault services in their communities, the rural location of their villages, and conflict of interest between families, advocates, and individuals seeking services.
This section provides advocates with a wide range of information and resources to help meet each victim’s needs. The following resources are designed to help Alaska Victim Advocates navigate these challenges so that they can better support survivors of sexual assault.
Safety Planning
The Safety Planning tab guides advocates on how to help a victim develop a personal safety plan. While written safety plan templates are available, it is essential to remember that safety planning is a process, not an end product. Safety planning requires ongoing conversations with victims in which advocates discuss various areas of concern as they arise. Documenting the safety plan helps a victim to remember their safety strategy. But they may choose not to keep the written plan with them as their abuser could discover it and put them in danger.
Sexual Assault Response Team
The Sexual Assault Response Teams (SART) tab provides information victim advocates can use to educate themselves about the purpose of a SART and their specific role on this team.