Soldiers, civilians become sexual assault victim advocates

Story and photos by Capt. Dutch Grove, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs

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SPRINGFIELD, IL (03/14/2014)(readMedia)-- SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – More than 60 Soldiers and department of the Army civilians completed the DoD Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault Prevention (SHARP) and victim advocate course at Camp Lincoln in Springfield, Ill., March 14.

Sgt. Maj. Diane Rogers, of Girard, Ill., Sexual Assault Response Coordinator for the Illinois National Guard, said Soldiers from Illinois and seven other state's National Guard, the U.S. Army Reserves, and the active Army can now help a victim of sexual assault seek help, report the crime and see them through the recovery process.

"A victim of sexual assault can go to these SHARP specialists to get help," said Rogers. "They can help the victim understand the process of reporting it and understand the steps to collect and preserve evidence."

Capt. Meghan Groth-Prepura of Manteno, Ill., the executive officer of the 709th Area Support Medical Company in Peoria said she will immediately use the information she learned in the course in the mandatory, annual SHARP training at her unit.

"In the mandatory briefings we always heard about some of the high-profile cases, but in this course hearing some of the statistics and knowing more about what's going on is eye-opening," said Groth-Prepura. "I have a different outlook now. I've already began planning some changes to my unit's SHARP program, how we will implement some of the prevention techniques, better education and training, and understanding resources available to a victim."

Sgt. 1st Class David Keefer of Charleston, Ill., withthe Illinois National Guard recruiting command in Sullivan, Ill., said he will use what he learned in the course to begin training Soldiers before they ship to basic training.

"We give them their initial SHARP briefings and having this knowledge is going to add to what we teach them in a sense of the urgency the Army is placing on sexual assault awareness and trying to change the culture and climate," said Keefer.

The training included a discussion with a panel of experts in sexual assault response including civilian police investigators, a sexual assault nurse examiner, the Camp Lincoln Provost Marshall, and a Staff Judge Advocate.

Maj. Sarah Smith of Edwardsville, Ill., the Deputy Staff Judge Advocate for the Illinois National Guard said her goal as a panelist was to help the victim advocates understand how much power they have.

"Sometimes they feel that based on their rank or because they're enlisted or at the company level they don't have as much power as they really do," said Smith. "So, I'm hoping the point that 'hey, look you've really got the power' to be a good advocate for the victim of sexual assault is what they walk away with."

Smith said SHARP specialists are critical in helping victims help and punishing perpetrators caught and punished.

"A lot of times victims can be reluctant to report or, at the beginning, may be very ready to report, but once they see how much the process entails, or if they don't have that good victim advocate, they may just want to bail out," said Smith. "A reluctant victim makes your case a lot harder to prove. If these newly trained victim advocates can walk them through the process hand-in-hand, it makes the judge advocate's job much easier."

The Prairie Center Against Sexual Assault has been involved in the Illinois National Guard's SHARP training for several years. Assistant Director Shelley Vaughan participated in the panel and said her goal was to explain her organizations role in responding to sexual assaults and what services it provides in order to better prepare the victim advocates.

"It's interesting to see where some of the barriers are to reporting sexual assaults in different organizations and to compare them," said Vaughan. "But, I would say it has been leaps-and-bounds with how the Illinois National Guard is getting reports and working with the rape crisis centers and it has been a model for other organizations to follow."

Maj. Sarah Smith of Edwardsville, Ill., the Deputy Staff Judge Advocate answers a question during a panel discussion during a Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault Response Program training course at Camp Lincoln in Springfield, Ill., March 13. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt Dutch Grove, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs)

The Prairie Center Against Sexual Assault Assistant Director Shelley Vaughan answers a question during a panel discussion during a Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault Response Program training course at Camp Lincoln in Springfield, Ill., March 13. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt Dutch Grove, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs)

Special Agent Jared Driskill with ISP answers a question during a panel discussion during a Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault Response Program training course at Camp Lincoln in Springfield, Ill., March 13. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt Dutch Grove, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs)