SARC educates Airmen on Sexual Assault

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Christopher A. Marasky
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  April has been designated Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Sexual Assault Response Coordinators from various Okinawa bases are holding a number of events to raise awareness.

Providing information not only to victims but to the general population is an important part of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program, and Sexual Assault Awareness Month is a key time to spread the message to the various bases.

The SAPR Office has sponsored a number of events including symposiums, a 5K run and a traveling booth displayed at bases all over the island. But the effort to get the information to the population is a never-ending process, said Capt. Donna Barbeyto, 18th Wing Sexual Assault Response Coordinator.

"This doesn't stop after the month of April," she said. "We're constantly out there giving briefings and making people aware of the facts."

Information about the processes involved with sexual assault response is vitally important, as one of the hardest things for a person to do is to come forward after being the victim of a sexual assault, said Captain Barbeyto.

"We make sure the victim is taken care of," she said. "The SARC's role is to coordinate with the other agencies on base to provide the victim the services they need."

The Department of Defense defines sexual assault as "intentional sexual conduct, characterized by use of force, physical threat or abuse of authority or when the victim does not or cannot consent."

In fiscal year 2007, there were 2,688 cases of sexual assault reported by Department of Defense personnel, with 601 cases coming from Air Force members.

"The Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program is there as one method for victims of sexual assault to report the incident," said Captain Barbeyto. "The Sexual Assault Response Coordinator serves as the primary point of contact to provide assistance to the victim."

When military members report a sexual assault, they have the option to report the crime as "restricted" in which case assistance is provided to the victim and evidence can be collected, without a criminal case being opened until the victim chooses.

Members can only file a restricted report if they report the crime to a healthcare professional, a SARC or a victim advocate. A crime reported to anyone else becomes "unrestricted" and an official investigation will automatically be started.

One particular service the SAPR Office provides is the victim advocacy program, which allows trained volunteers to assist victims with the process, said Master Sgt. Maxine Davis, 18th WG SARC superintendent.

"The victim advocates help the victim on the road to recovery," she said. "We provide crisis-intervention and all the information that they will need. We assist them with the legal, medical and counseling process. Although we are not counselors, we assist them with getting the assistance they need."

While they are trained to assist victims, neither the SARC nor victim advocates are medically qualified to tend to the victim's medical needs, said Captain Barbeyto.

"We are non-clinical, so we don't have a medical license," she said. "We do have DoD sexual assault victim advocacy training and are certified to help a victim, to know the processes and provide the information the victims need to make informed decisions."

For more information on the SAPR or victim advocate programs, or to learn about more events being offered as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, contact the Kadena SARC at 634-3791 or 634-3734. To receive help, call the 24-7 SARC hotline at 634-SARC (7272).