Sexual Assault

The Sexual Assault Spoke seeks to significantly reduce sexual violence in our state by uniting individuals and organizations to educate, empower, and activate Utahns in this cause. Sexual assault and rape result in significant individual societal costs including negative short- and long-term physical, psychological, and emotional effects. Research reports that Utah ranks poorly (43 of 51) in terms of the prevalence of rape victimization among women and that we are 9th of the 50 US states for the number of rapes per capita. Further, only 11.8% of individuals who have experienced rape or sexual assault in Utah reported the crime to law enforcement. Things need to change in Utah! To learn more, check out the resource box below.

Spoke Leaders

Liliana Olvera-Arbon

Executive Director, UCASA
Website

Liliana Olvera-Arbon is the Executive Director of the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault. She has over 10 years’ experience working in social services and envisions a world free of gender-based violence.

Julie Valentine

Professor, University of Utah
LinkedIn Profile

Dr. Julie L. Valentine joined the University of Utah College of Nursing in October 2023 as a Professor. Her ultimate professional objective is to significantly reduce instances of sexual and gender-based violence.

Bethany Crisp

Systems Director, UCASA
LinkedIn Profile

Bethany Crisp is the Systems Director for the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault and works to create systems change for victims of sexual assault in Utah through policy, training, and technical assistance. She has been a sexual assault victim advocate with a Utah rape crisis program for over six years.

Bold Vision & Goals

To make Utah a place where more girls and women can thrive, the Sexual Assault spoke leaders and partners have crafted the vision and goals below.

Vision: Significantly decrease the prevalence of sexual assault in Utah and substantially increase the resources and support for survivors.

Goals:

Decrease Utahn’s high rate of rape from 59.5 per 100,000 inhabitants (6th worst in nation) in 2022 to 50.0 by 2026 and to 40.0 per 100,000 by 2030. (Note: Most rapes in Utah are not reported, but as Utah’s culture changes so the women feel they will be believed and that action will be taken, there will most likely be a temporary increase in reporting.) [Metric Dashboard]
Increase the number of programs that are meeting the “minimum standard of care” to have 100% compliance by 2026. [Metric Dashboard]
Increase the number of ongoing victim service activities by direct providers in Utah by 10% in 2026 and by 25% in 2030. (Note: This may seem counterintuitive as we are seeking to decrease sexual assault, however an increase in services provided will reflect increased awareness and understanding of what sexual assault is and knowledge of the services programs have to offer.) [Metric Dashboard]
Increase ongoing state funding for sexual assault prevention to $2.0 million by 2026 and $3.5 million by 2030 [Metric Dashboard]
Shift Utahns’ agreement (understanding and perceptions) in the following areas [Metric Dashboard]:
1. I don’t think sexual assault is a big problem in Utah. [Decrease agreement by 5% by 2026 and 15% by 2030]
2. Any unwanted sexual contact or behavior is sexual assault. [Increase agreement by 5% by 2026 and 10% by 2030]
3. I don’t think there is much I can do about sexual assault in my community. [Decrease agreement by 10% by 2026 and 20% by 2030]
4. I know where to find sexual assault resources in my community. [Increase by 10% by 2026 and 30% by 2030]
Support the goals and efforts in collaborating spokes: Child Sexual Abuse, Domestic Violence, and Sexual Harassment & Gender-Based Discrimination.

Thriving Statement: Women and girls thrive when they can live lives free from sexual violence.

Resources

Spoke Resources:

Research:

Partner Organizations:

Partners

Sub-Spokes and Working Groups

Start By Believing Campaign Sub-spoke: Sherry Huang (PhD Student, University of Utah) & Julie Valentine (Professor, University of Utah)
Sexual Assault Response Teams Working Group: Comprised of professionals who work with victims of sexual assault to help them navigate the medical, legal, university, and other processes and procedures. (Not open to the public.)
Sexual Assault Subcommittee of Utah Victim Services Commission Working Group: Liliana Olvera-Arbon (Executive Director, UCASA) & Yolanda Francisco (Executive Director, Restoring Ancestral Winds) (Not open to the public.)
UCASA LGBTQIA+ Council Working Group: Andi Tremonte (Program Development Director, UCASA) (Not open to the public.)
UCASA Policy Working Group (Not open to the public.)

What You Can Do

Educate yourself about the importance of believing and supporting sexual assault survivors by checking out Utah’s Start by Believing campaign This campaign is part of an End Violence Against Women International initiative.

Take the Start by Believing Pledge to join the movement and support survivors. Learn more about how sexual assault is a significant social, criminal justice, and healthcare issue in Utah.

Share your commitment to Start by Believing by posting a monthly social media graphic with #SBBUtah, #bwfutah, and #bwfsexualassault. Encourage others to take the Start by Believing Pledge and share their commitment as well.

Get Engaged: Ways to get engaged include learning about sexual violence in your community and encouraging your workplace, community organization, or club to hold a sexual violence prevention training; being a leader in your community by starting a conversation with your family and friends about consent and encouraging education on consent in your circles; and volunteering with UCASA or a local rape crisis center. Thank you for your interest!

Danielle Rosales

Spoke Coordinator
LinkedIn Profile
danielle.rosales30@gmail.com