Attorney General's Column: Sexual Assault Awareness Month
The following column is by Attorney General Steve Six:
April 9, 2009 -- The month of April has been designated as Sexual Assault Awareness Month to address one of the most devastating types of victimization occurring in our society today. Often, sex predators prey on the young and vulnerable. Hundreds of thousands of children and teens are sexual abused each year in our nation. While other vulnerable groups-such as the elderly and the disabled-are also targeted by predators .
We have much work to do if we as a state are to effectively address the problem of sexual assault. It will require a multi-faceted approach involving both prevention and intervention efforts. During this past year, my office has increased our efforts to bring offenders to justice and provide victims with quality resources to aid in their recovery.
My staff works with the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Academy, the Highway Patrol, and other agencies to deliver trainings across the state to law enforcement officers on responding to Amber Alerts to better protect child victims. My office also implemented training opportunities to help officers effectively respond to stalking-a behavior that often goes hand-in-hand with sexual assault. And as recent as last week, my office began organizing a statewide Child Abduction Response Team to help recover abducted children as quickly as possible before they can be harmed.
It takes a community effort to stop sexual violence. We all need to increase our efforts to stop this violence, and address it effectively when it happens. We must be good role models for our children and support local programs that assist the victims of sexual assault. As Attorney General, I am committed to preventing this violence and providing additional resources to the victims of crime.
If you have questions about victim services, please contact my office at 1(800) 828-9745. If you or someone you know was the victim of sexual assault, contact the state 24-hour hotline 1-800-END-ABUSE and your local law enforcement immediately.