Conference Puts Believing Victims First When Helping Sexual Assault Victims

Citizens Against Physical and Sexual Abuse (CAPSA) is partnering with the Utah Department of Health and Utah State University to educate educators and youth leaders about preventing and responding to dating violence, bullying, sexual assault and abuse through a community conference called “Start by Believing.”

“This conference is designed to bring together middle school and high school administrators, educators and community youth leaders to provide concrete information about how to advocate for our youths’safety inside and outside of the classroom,” said Shellie Lusk, prevention educator and conference coordinator for CAPSA.

The conference theme, “Start by Believing,” references one of the reasons that victims do not report sexual assault to an authority–fear they will not be believed or supported.

“After a sexual assault, victims often turn to someone they trust first, and that’s often a teacher or youth leader,” said Lusk. “If victims are doubted or blamed initially, they may never tell anyone else. They won’t get the help they need, and they won’t report the crime. This cycle of silence keeps victims from healing and perpetrators from facing justice.”

The Start by Believing Conference takes place Friday, March 10 on the USU campus. The conference is free, but space is limited to first 200 people to register. Educators from Logan City, Cache County and Rich County will be awarded Teacher Relicensure Accreditation, and state and nationally recognized experts will discuss:

• Appropriate responses when a youth report
• How to report abuse through proper and legal channels
• Bystander intervention
• Bullying and cyberbullying
• Establishing a supportive classroom environment

CAPSA has led such efforts at a local level for more than 15 years. Each year, CAPSA reaches more than 3,000 students in middle and high schools in Logan City and the Cache County and Rich School Districts.

CAPSA and USU’s Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information office have partnered in providing emotional services and advocacy to students on the issue of sexual assault and dating violence for years. USU also introduced several new sexual assault prevention messaging campaigns on campus this year, which CAPSA will be sharing through local schools.

“We recognize that the attitudes and confusion about consent that can lead to sexual assault begin earlier than college,” said USU President Noelle Cockett. “It’s essential that we partner with our local schools to help address these issues before students even graduate high school.”

The conference theme, Start by Believing, also ties in with an international effort to support victims of sexual assault, which has been backed by the state of Utah. The 2015 Utah State Legislature designated the first Wednesday in April as Start by Believing Day.

Conference attendees will also receive a special USU game day shirt. For more information or to register, visit http://capsa.org/conference.

Contact: James Boyd, CAPSA Development Director, james@capsa.org
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