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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us March 23, 2005 A better response to sexual assault By Judith Rosen Ashland Corrina Scott got it right when speaking of the reported rape on the Greenway saying, "our community needs to get involved." Clearing blackberry bushes is a dramatic sign of change, but there are more substantial things we can do. We like to tell ourselves that assaults like this are "unthinkable," but they're not. Most don't happen in overgrown places by people we don't know. It's hard to take in, but one out of every four women among us will be sexually assaulted during her lifetime. Half will be under 18. Untold numbers of men will be assaulted as well. Yet few victims here will report the crime against them. Even fewer perpetrators will ever face trial or punishment. Here's where you can help. In one month, Jackson County's hospitals, police, district attorneys and victim advocates will bring a new program to the county that will radically change the way sexual assault is treated here: the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program. The SANE program is nationally recognized as the most effective and compassionate means of responding to sexual assault. Nurses specially trained in forensic examination and responding to sexual trauma will offer victims immediate care around the clock. They will meticulously gather evidence and work with teams of advocates, detectives and prosecutors to serve victims immediate and long-term needs. With a SANE program in place, many more victims come forward. More seek follow-up care and report their cases to law enforcement. With stronger evidence, conviction rates rise dramatically and average sentences lengthen. The mother of the reported victim said she could only hope her daughter's suffering might raise awareness of the problem. Before our outrage dies and we go back to our daily lives, let's give her reason to hope. Let's help spread news of the SANE program's coming so that the next person who needs it will know that it's there. If you can give to the Jackson County Sexual Assault Response Team, we'd be grateful. Most other states fund their SANE programs fully. Here in Oregon we will have to depend on community support. To send a donation or get more information, you can contact Susan Moen at Jackson County SART, 43 Morninglight Drive, Ashland, [email protected] or offer support to other area organizations working to confront this problem. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Online Pharmacy Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations Hammocks Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams