RAPE CRISIS
Our 24-hour crisis line provides immediate crisis intervention for victims of sexual assault. Trained staff and volunteers are available to assist child, adolescent and adult sexual abuse and assault survivors, their friends and family members with emotional support, information, and referrals.
24-hour crisis line
(912) 283-0987 or (800) 656-4673
What to do following a rape or sexual assault
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Get to a safe place
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Do not clean up, bathe or brush your teeth
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Call 911 or call our Crisis Line at (912) 283-0987 for forensic examination and evidence collection
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Only go to the Emergency Room if you need emergency medical treatment
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We provide treatment in the event that sexually transmitted infections are a concern
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You will be encouraged to follow up with counseling, provided by Satilla Advocacy Service
(800) 656-4673
VICTIM ADVOCACY
Counseling and emotional support
Our program provides counseling and emotional support to victims and their families who would like to continue their healing. Referrals to other practitioners are made when appropriate or requested.
Evidence exams
Our Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) and advocates work closely with law enforcement to provide sexual abuse evidence collection in a warm, caring, private atmosphere with emotional support for survivors and their families.
Emergency assistance
We can provide basics such as clothing after the medical exam, crisis support for the victim and his or her family, assistance in filing state crime victims compensation claims and help in securing safe shelter if needed.
Accompaniment
Satilla Advocacy Services has trained staff and volunteers who provide accompaniment and advocacy for survivors and their families through medical exams, criminal investigations, and court proceedings.
If you become a victim, it was not your fault. No one asks to be raped, nor do they deserve it. Tell someone – it is the first step to recovery.
CHILD ADVOCACY
Child advocacy services
The effects of abuse can be dramatic and long lasting. Low self-esteem, isolation, depression and guilt are just a few of the hurdles these children must face and overcome. The effects are even more drastic when the abuser is a family member or someone whom the child should expect to be protective and nurturing.
Some of these children must be separated from their families for their own protection or they are rejected by their families for reporting the abuse. They often feel they have lost everything and everybody that meant anything to them. Even those children that remain in a supportive family environment require help to start the healing process.
Opened in 2001 by Satilla Advocacy Services, the Child Advocacy Center is a centralized location where families can go to receive support and/or counseling for children.
In this warm, child-friendly atmosphere, the center helps children and adolescents heal from abuse, supports families who have been impacted by abuse, and works to break the cycle of abusew for future generations.
The Child Advocacy Program employs a multidisciplinary approach to the investigations, prosecution and treatment of child sexual and severe physical abuse cases. This includes children 19 years of age and under. Our center provides the following:
- Videotaped interviews of child sexual abuse victims in safe, child-friendly surroundings to avoid multiple interviews, reduce the trauma of disclosure and preserve statements for court purposes.
- Crisis intervention and emotional support for victims and non-offending family members as well as access to the victim’s compensation system.
- Therapy services, offered on-site or through referral, to help child victims begin the healing process.
- Forensic medical exams, utilizing specialized equipment necessary for accurate diagnoses.
- Interdisciplinary review of cases by teams of professionals, including law enforcement, child protective services, prosecution, medical, mental health, victim assistance and child advocacy.
No single agency, individual or discipline has all the knowledge, skills or resources to provide the assistance needed for abused children and their families. At the Child Advocacy Center, the combined wisdom and professional knowledge of child protective services, law enforcement, prosecution, medical and mental health professionals results in a more complete and effective response system.
PREVENTION EDUCATION
Schools
SAS offers the following age-appropriate prevention curriculum in schools.
- Bullying/Violence Prevention
- Sexual Assault Prevention
- radKIDS – Personal Empowerment
- Internet Safety
- Dating Violence
- College Safety
- A.F.E Training (Women Only)
- Human Trafficking Prevention
- And more
Community
Awareness and prevention is provided year-round to schools, clubs, organizations, community health fairs, law enforcement, physicians, churches and parent groups. The same lessens as listed above are utilized as well as trainings for self-defense, advocacy (working with sexual assault victims), S.A.F.E, Darkness to Light Stewards of Children, child abuse prevention, and more.
To schedule classes, contact us at (912) 285-7355.
She knows the rapist
She is at home
She is single
She doesn’t expect to be a victim
She is of any lifestyle, age or race
She may be someone you know
He’s been planning the rape
He’s is not a sex-craved maniac
He commits rape to feel powerful
He will probably rape again
He may not consider himself a rapist
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Practice personal safety awareness. Always pay close attention to your surroundings, and trust your instincts. If you think something is wrong, you are right. Avoid dark and isolated surroundings. If confronted, seek help and avoid being taken to an isolated place. For more tips on personal safety awareness, visit our resources page.
Listen
- Stay calm and neutral when talking to your child.
- Pay close attention to your words and actions. Show interest in what your child says and do not react with shock, horror or indifference.
- Don’t offer names of possible offenders or possible acts of abuse.
- Listen to the information, but don’t ask for all the details.
- Don’t videotape or audiotape your conversation with your child.
Support
- Allow your child to tell in his or her own way and in his or her own time.
- Let your child know that you believe what he or she is telling you.
- Tell your child that it is not his or her fault and that he or she is not in trouble.
Do:
- Tell your child he or she will be visiting a safe, comfortable place to speak with a person whose job it is to talk with kids and teenagers.
- Have your child be well rested.
- Give your child permission to talk with the interviewer and let him or her know it is OK to talk about anything.
- Bring the child’s comfort item if that would be helpful.
Don’t:
- Ask your child questions about the situation
- Tell your child what to say
- Promise treats or rewards to your child for talking
- Ask why your child didn’t tell sooner
We provide the following specialized services for children 19 years of age and under at our Child Advocacy Center:
- Videotaped interviews of child sexual abuse victims in a safe, child-friendly environment, in order to collect and preserve statements for court purposes.
- Crisis intervention and emotional support for victims and non-offending family members, as well as access to the victim’s compensation system.
- Therapy services, offered on-site or through referral, to help child victims begin the healing process.
- Forensic medical exams, utilizing specialized equipment necessary for an accurate diagnosis.
- An interdisciplinary review of cases by a team of professionals, including law enforcement officers, child protective services, prosecutors, medical and mental health professionals, and victim assistance and child advocacy professionals.
In addition to counseling and emotional support, specialized child advocacy services, emergency assistance and evidence exams, we also have trained volunteers who can provide accompaniment and advocacy services for survivors and their families through medical exams, criminal investigations, and court proceedings.
We can provide basics such as clothing after the exam, crisis support for the victim and his or her family, assistance in filing state crime victims compensation claims, and help in securing safe shelter, if needed.
- Get to a safe place.
- Call 911.
- Do not clean up, bathe, or brush your teeth.
- Go to the Mayo Clinic Health System in Waycross Emergency Room for treatment of injuries and collection of evidence.
- Medical professionals at the hospital will provide you with treatment in the event of sexually transmitted diseases.
- You will be encouraged to follow up with counseling, which can be provided by Satilla Advocacy Services.
- Follow up medical treatment is recommended. Staff at Satilla Advocacy Services can make these appointments if needed.
Call our Crisis Line at (912) 283-0987
Please call our office for scheduling at 912-285-7355. Topics covered in our presentations range from sexual assault, sexual assault prevention, personal safety, date rape and date rape drugs, and how survivors can get help following a sexual assault.
We can provide counseling and emotional support, evidence exams, emergency assistance, and accompaniment and advocacy for survivors and their families. Specialized services for children are also available. Additionally, in fulfilling our mission to both prevent and raise awareness about sexual assault, we offer prevention education to schools, clubs, religious groups and any organization.
Satilla Advocacy Services is a non-profit organization formed in 1998 to provide services for sexual assault survivors in Ware, Pierce, and surrounding counties. Staff and volunteers are trained in the legal and medical aspects of rape crisis intervention for survivors of all ages.