April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. has signed the declaration proclaiming April 2006 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

The Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault
commemorates Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM)

In collaboration with ASUU, the University of Utah Women's Resource Center, The Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault (UCASA) is delighted to host filmmaker Byron Hurt and the screening of "Beyond Beats and Rhymes: A Documentary about Manhood in Hip-Hop Culture".

Byron and his film recently appeared at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. The movie presents images, samples and interviews that expose and take apart the structures of violence, hyper-aggression, and misogyny present in much of today's culture.

An anti-sexism activist, Byron has also worked for Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) for the Marine Corps where he held trainings, workshops, and lectures for U.S. Marines, fraternity brothers, coaches, activists, and teachers. Byron stresses the need to educate boys and men in the African-American community, in particular, about what it means to be male in our society. Encouraging such discussion, he believes, has the possibility to spark important social change.

You are invited to screen

Beyond Beats and Rhymes
A Documentary about Manhood in Hip-Hop Culture
with filmmaker Byron Hurt

Thursday, April 6th
seven o'clock
social and behavioral bldg. auditorium
University of Utah

a panel discussion will follow the April 6th screening

Friday, April 7th
two o'clock
social and behavioral bldg. auditorium
University of Utah

This event is free and open to the public. For more information about this event or the Coalition's Utah Men Against Sexual Violence Program, please contact 801.746.0404 or info@ucasa.org

Break the Silence, Break the Cycle, Join the Movement

The Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault hosts the

4th Annual SAAM Awards Ceremony and Reception

Special keynote address delivered by Ned Searle, Director of the Governor's Office on Violence Against Women and Families

To honor the people who make contributions to the anti-sexual violence movement. 2006 SAAM Award recipients:

Jan Call, St. George Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner
Debra Daniels, University of Utah Women's Resource Center
James Festi, CWCIC Rape Crisis Volunteer
Melissa Larsen, Community Abuse Prevention Services Agency (CAPSA)
Annie Nebeker Christensen, University of Utah Student Affairs
Heidi Nestel, Utah Crime Victims Legal Clinic
Paul Parker, Salt Lake County Deputy District Attorney/Leader of Special Victims Unit
Gary Scheller, Utah Office of Crime Victim Reparations

2006 National Award for Outstanding Advocacy and Community Work in Ending Sexual Violence:

Robert Judd, Utah Department of Corrections

You are invited to attend

Tuesday, April 11th
The City Library
4th floor conference room
210 East 410 South
Salt Lake City
noon until two o'clock

kindly rsvp on or before April 7th 801.746.0404 or RSVP. This event is free and open to service providers throughout the state.

UCASA's 2006 Rape and Sexual Violence Research Report

In preparation for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, UCASA produced its first annual compendium of research on issues related to rape, sexual assault and sexual violence. :report

Take the Rape Recovery Center Community Survey

The Rape Recovery Center (RRC) staff and volunteers have been working to build their capacity to meet community needs. The RRC is interested in your perceptions of the services that they are currently providing. The RRC's ability to assess its progress, take steps to ensure they are fulfilling their mission and representing their philosophy in their work, and providing a high standard of care for all victims of sexual violence in Salt Lake County will be determined directly by your participation and input. Please take approximately 10 minutes and offer your valuable insight. This survey will be close on Wednesday, April 12th. :survey

Web Forum: Promising Practices for Assisting Victims of Sexual Assault Through a Multidisciplinary Response
Conference Call Presenters: Dr. Patricia Speck and Salley Laskey
Host: OVC
April 7th, noon

To coincide with SAAM, OVC will host a Web Forum session with Dr. Patricia Speck and Sally Laskey to discuss promising practices for assisting victims of sexual assault through a multidisciplinary response. Dr. Speck has practiced as a forensic nurse and family nurse practitioner for more than 20 years and has served as a consultant for victim service organizations on how to prevent, identify, and treat sexual and domestic violence between individuals, in families, and in communities. Ms. Laskey is the Associate Director of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center and manages several national technical assistance projects that focus on developing and enhancing victim-centered multidisciplinary responses to sexual violence.

Visit the OVC Web Forum now at http://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ovcproviderforum to submit questions for Dr. Speck and Ms. Laskey and return on April 7 at 2 p.m. (eastern time) for the live discussion.

2006 Legislative Session Update

HB 10 Domestic Violence and Dating Violence Amendments, sponsored by Representative David Litvack (D)
Position: Support
Status: Failed. With a vote of 36 in support and 39 in opposition, it did not pass in the House

This bill would have expanded eligibilty for protective orders to non-cohabitating dating violence victims and required law enforcement and courts to provide services.

HB 30 Emancipation of a Minor, sponsored by Representative RosalindMcGee (D)
Position: Support
Status: Passed and signed into law

This bill creates a procedure by which a minor 16 years of age or older may petition the juvenile court for a declaration of emancipation.

HB 56 Sex Offender Registration Amendments, sponsored by Representative Susan Lawrence (R)
Position: Neutral
Status: Passed and signed into law

This bill requires the registration of a sex offender who is committed to the Division of Juvenile Justice Services for secure confinement and who remains in the division's custody 30 days prior to the offender's 21st birthday. This bill modifies the responsibilities of the Division of Juvenile Justice Services to require that the division register a sex offender with the Department of Corrections prior to the offender's release from custody; amends sex offender registration law to include those who have been adjudicated delinquent for one of the specified offenses and remain in the custody of the division 30 days prior to their 21st birthday; requires lifetime registration if an offender who is convicted as an adult has been previously convicted or required to register as a sex offender; and requires the Division of Juvenile Justice Services to provide the following information when available: crimes for which the offender was adjudicated delinquent; and a description of the sex offender's primary and secondary targets.

HB 61 Criminal Penalty for Animal Cruelty, sponsored by Representative Scott Wyatt (R)
Position: Support
Status: Failed. Enacting clause struck.

HB 85 Abortion by a Minor - Parental Notification and Consent, sponsored by Representative Kerry Gibson (R) and co-sponsored by 56 others
Position: Opposed
Status: Passed with overwhelming support and signed into law

This bill requires that a parent of a minor who seeks an abortion must be notified and give consent before an abortion may be performed. UCASA's most urgent concern with this new law specifically centers upon the danger that a notification and consent requirement may pose to young victims of incest or sexual assault who seek abortions. The bill does provide a judicial bypass option of the consent requirement in certain cases. This means that a young victim of sexual abuse may petition the court to have waived the requirement that she have her parent(s) explicit permission to have an abortion. However, it provides no such option for the notification requirement. Rather, if a minor has two parents or guardians, notification must be given to the non-abusing parent or guardian. For example, if a pregnant girl reports that her father has sexually abused her, the court may rule first that she is not required to get permission from her parents to have an abortion. Then the court may rule that the physician does not have to notify her father of the intended abortion. However, the court must order that the girl's mother receive notification (assuming certain circumstances apply) before the physician performs an abortion. Thus, even if a judge opts to bypass the requirement for parental consent, barring a serious medical emergency parental notification must be provided.

Supporters of this bill argued that the notification requirement is not dangerous because it allows that only the non-abusing parent be notified in such cases and not the abuser. UCASA maintains that this may leave a young victim of sexual assault too vulnerable to the possibility that the abusing parent or a parent who may be complicit in the abuse may find out that their victim has become pregnant and seeks an abortion. As Representative Susan Lawrence (R) said in a House floor debate, "…it seems to me that if they still have to notify the parent we haven't protected that minor at all."

HB 90 Criminal Penalties Amendment, sponsored by Representative David Litvak (D)
Position: Support
Status: Passed and signed into law

This bill modifies the Criminal Code provisions regarding offenses committed with the intent to intimidate or terrorize a person and provides for consideration in sentencing regarding offenses that cause public harm. This bill: amends the current law regarding the intent to intimidate or terrorize to include offenses that have the effect of causing a person to reasonably fear to exercise rights under the state and federal constitutions and laws; provides that the listed misdemeanor offenses are increased by one misdemeanor level rather than imposing any felony penalty; provides that in sentencing for an offense, the judge or the Board of Pardons and Parole shall consider as an aggravating circumstance the effect of the offense in causing public harm and community unrest; and clarifies that the provisions of this bill do not affect or limit any exercise of constitutional rights, including freedom of expression.

HB 102 Sentencing for First Degree Felony Murder, sponsored by Representative Lorie Fowlke (R)
Position: Support
Status: Passed unanimously and signed into law

This bill, known as "Lori's Law" in honor of Lori Hacking, modifies the Criminal Code regarding first degree murder and provides that the minimum prison term for first degree murder is 15 years, and establishes a defendant's "position of trust" as an aggravating factor in sentencing murder offenses. This bill adds the offense of felony discharge of a weapon or firearm from a vehicle to the list of predicate offenses, the commission of which in the course of committing a homicide is an element of first degree felony murder; amends the sentence for first degree murder to increase the minimum term from five years to 15 years; and adds as an aggravating factor, when determining imprisonment for specified homicide offenses, that the defendant held a position of trust in relation to the victim.

HB 148 Parent and Child Amendments, sponsored by Representative LaVar Christensen (R)
Position: Oppose
Status: Passed the House and Senate but vetoed by the governor

This bill defines "in loco parentis" as a voluntary and temporary delegation of parental authority. If this bill had not been vetoed by the governor, a court would no longer be permitted to grant caretaking rights to non-biological parents. Also, children being raised by non-biological parents may have lost their rights to continued financial and emotional support. This bill could have possibly effected grandparents and/or step-parents. This bill codified the definition of in loco parentis, which is a common law concept meaning "in the place of a parent."

HB 158 Sex Offender Amendments, sponsored by Representative Brad Dee (R)
Position: Neutral
Status: Passed and signed into law

This bill provides that an applicant for a driver license or identification card shall indicate on the application whether the applicant is required to register as a sex offender and requires the Driver License Division to keep on its computerized records the applicant's indication whether the applicant is required to register as a sex offender.

It makes it a class A misdemeanor if a person knowingly fails to comply with the driver license or identification card indication or license surrender provisions for registered sex offenders; prohibits sex offenders from obtaining a reduction of the offender's conviction while registration requirements exist; provides that a sex offender convicted in any other state shall register with the Department of Corrections within ten days after entering the state; and shall register with the Department of Corrections within five days of every change of the sex offender's place of habitation or vehicle or education information; requires an agency in the state that registers certain sex offenders to notify the offender of the duty to comply with the driver license or identification surrender and application provisions; extends the registration requirements for certain offenses from ten years to lifetime; amends the penalty for failing to register for certain sex offenders.

HB 161 Sexual Offenses Against Children, sponsored by Representative Paul Ray (R)
Position: Supported
Status: Passed and signed into law

This bill increases minimum sentencing requirements for repeat sex offenders who commit sex offenses against children.

HB 170 Prosecution and Prevention of Child Pornography Offenses, sponsored by Representative Ron Bigelow (R)
Position: Supported
Status: Passed and signed into law

This bill provides state funding for education programs to help prevent the sexual exploitation of children, with grants to be administered by the State Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ). It also provides for an Internet Crimes Against Children unit within the Attorney General's office, funding for the Children's Justice Center Medical Assessment Program, and other resources for the Attorney General's office for the prosecution of crimes involving sexual exploitation of children.

HB 208 Aggravated Murder Amendment, sponsored by Representative Scott Wyatt (R)
Position: Supported
Status: Passed and signed into law

This bill modifies the Criminal Code regarding aggravated murder and clarifies that a murder becomes the offense of aggravated murder if committed incident to an act, course of conduct, or criminal episode during which the defendant also committed another specified crime, such as robbery, arson, or a sexual offense.

HB 212 DNA Database Amendments, sponsored by Representative J. Stuart Adams (R)
Position: Supported
Status: Passed and signed into law

This bill modifies the Public Safety Code regarding collection of DNA specimens and requires that all persons convicted of a class A misdemeanor provide a DNA specimen, rather than only those persons convicted of class A misdemeanor attempted burglary or sexual abuse of a minor.

HB 318 Sex Offender Registration Revisions, sponsored by Representative David Clark (R)
Position: Neutral
Status: Failed, yet provisions can be found in HB 158 which passed

This bill would have made changes to sex offender registration requirements. This bill would have required a sex offender from outside Utah to register within 12 hours of entering Utah, regardless of his length of stay. HB 158 requires any person who is required to register in another state or by the United States to register with the state if the person is in the state for ten days. HB 158 incorporates several other provisions of HB 318. HB 158 extends notification requirements to offenders working in all educational institutions and requires the state to maintain the registry on the Internet and index it by surname and postal codes.

HB 379 Amendments to Sexually Explicit Business and Escort Service Fund, sponsored by Representative Tim Cosgrove (D)
Position: Supported
Status: Failed (despite broad support in the House of Representatives)

This bill would have diverted 10% of the monies from the Sexually Explicit Business Fund from the Department of Corrections to the State Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ) for use in developing, implementing and maintaining a statewide strategy to address sexual violence issues in the state. While this bill received broad support in the House of Representatives, unfortunately it did not pass the Senate. This funding would have marked the only state monies allocated for the prevention of sexual assault of adult victims.

SB 7 Child Protection Amendments, sponsored by Senator Greg Bell (R)
Position: Supported
Status: Passed and signed into law

According to bill's sponsor, Senator Bell, prior to the passage of this bill Utah law governing how and when a child may be taken into protective custody was unclear with regard to parental rights. This bill describes the circumstances and procedures under which a child may be taken into protective custody and requires an expedited hearing process be held within 72 hours if requested by the parent or guardian.

SB 106 Uniform Interstate Enforcement of Protection Orders Act, sponsored by Senator Lyle Hillyard (R)?
Position: Support
Status: Passed and signed into law

This bill requires that the terms of foreign orders of protection be enforced, even if Utah law does not provide for such terms, as long as the foreign order was obtained by due process.

SB 167 Juvenile Offenses - Diversion Amendment, sponsored by Senator Patrice Arent (D)
Position: Supported
Status: Passed and signed into law

Prior to this bill becoming law Utah's criminal procedure prohibited the courts from using diversions in certain cases, including any case involving sex offenses against a child under the age of 14. This prohibition applied equally to children and adult offenders. (Here the term "diversion" refers to an act by the court which diverts the prosecution of a charge if agreed upon terms are met by the defendant. In a juvenile case such terms may include counseling, following rules and attending school, according to the bill's sponsor, Senator Arent.) This new law gives the juvenile court the option to use diversions in cases involving children who have engaged in "mutually welcome" sexual activity, when the age difference between the children is no greater than two years. Sen. Arent cited a case involving consensual sex between a boy and a girl, 14- and 13-years-old. After the girl became pregnant, both children were prosecuted and found guilty of a sex offense. While this case occurred before the passage of this bill, the diversion option will allow for other, more appropriate courses of action beyond formal adjudication in future cases like this one.

Volunteer Registration for the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline is Open

The first online training course will begin Monday, April 3rd. RAINN would like to thank those centers that have returned their Partnership Agreements and encourage everyone who would like to be a part of the Online Hotline to get your Partnership Agreements in so that your volunteers can register while there is still space available in the upcoming training course. For any questions about the registration process please :email Jen Wilson, National Volunteer Coordinator.

The Online Hotline Volunteer training is a comprehensive online course that utilizes an e-learning environment. An e-learning environment is a website that serves all of the functions that a class would, but online. One of the benefits of such a learning environment is that the training can be completed whenever it is convenient for the volunteer (in the mornings, after work, in the middle of the night, whenever). The training should take about 10-15 hours to complete with additional time (depending on computer speed and capabilities) for computer safety readiness activities. At the end of the training, there will be a test in order to confirm that the material covered in the training has been mastered. After a volunteer has passed the test, they will participate in a role-play so they can become familiar with the application and can participate in hypothetical sessions. Once this has been successfully completed, the volunteer will be recommended for approval to be an Online Hotline Volunteer and begin scheduling their shifts. For any questions about the Online Hotline Volunteer training please :email Jessica Braider, National Training and Research Coordinator.

RAINN knows what a busy month April is for the sexual assault advocacy community. Sexual Assault Awareness Month is a time dedicated to raising awareness of sexual violence and abuse, while promoting its prevention through special events and advocacy. This year, while participating in these events RAINN would like to ask the local RCC's to keep the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline in mind. Please view the :brochure and feel free to print it out and use it at events throughout the month and beyond. It is a great way to garner volunteer interest and support for the NSAOH in your community. Spreading the word about the NSAOH gives advocates a new way to increase the public’s understanding about sexual violence while publicizing a new service opportunity. If you have questions at all regarding the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline please :email Becky Balliet, the Volunteer and RCC Director.

If you would like to be removed from this list, please write to info@ucasa.org

april is sexual assault awareness month and child abuse prevention month

sexual assault prevention and intervention panel
april 4th, noon-1pm
weber state university
layton, utah (801.395.3514)

dr. bernice sandler
"sexual harassment and gender equity in higher education"
utah valley state college
sc 206 b+c
orem, utah
:more information

"Beyond Beats and Rhymes: A Documentary about Manhood in Hip-Hop Culture"

Thursday, April 6th
seven o'clock
social and behavioral bldg. auditorium
University of Utah

Friday, April 7th
two o'clock
social and behavioral bldg. auditorium
University of Utah
:more information

sexual assault awareness month (saam) awards ceremony
april 11th
:more information

"walk a mile in her shoes"
utah state university
tsc patio
logan, utah
april 12, 10am-2pm
:more information

"drawing the line": sexual harassment and college students, by dave ottley
utah state university
logan, utah
april 12, 2:30pm
:more information

trissa fonnesbeck, sexual assault survivor, shares her story
april 12th, 11am-1:30pm
weber state university
shepherd union wildcat theater
ogden, utah (801.626.6090)

"take back the night" rally and march
university of utah
women's resource center
salt lake city, utah
april 13, 7pm
:more information

hill air force base luncheon and sexual assault awareness panel
april 19th, 11am-1:30pm
club hill
hill air force base, utah
:more information

national day to end sexual violence
april 6th

strength in unity
national crime victims rights week
april 23rd - 29th

rape recovery center
salt lake city, utah
may 9th, 10th, 11th, 16th, 17th and 18th, 5:30-9:30pm, may 13th and 20th, 9am-5pm
:more information :register

canyon creek crisis center
cedar city, utah
tentative dates/times: september 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 28th, 29th, 30th, 8am-5pm
:more information :register

ucasa trainings meet the continuing education requirements for social work.

utah iafn chapter meeting
southern utah university
april 8th, 12:30pm-4:00pm
cedar city, utah
:more information :register

19th annual crime victims conference
april 20th-21st
south towne exposition center
sandy, utah
:more information

utah victim assistance academy
june 19th-23rd
weber state university
ogden, utah
:more information :register

utah domestic violence council 12th annual treatment providers conference
august 23rd-25th
university park marriott hotel
salt lake city, utah
:more information

4th national sart/sane conference
tampa, florida
may 30-june1, 2007
:more information