This presents complex challenges for SARTs, especially when needs exceed available resources. Responders also indicated that they lack the funding they need to meet victims' basic needs (e.g., food, housing) and to increase accessibility for individuals with disabilities.Īs the diversity of our Nation grows, so do the needs of its sexual assault survivors. SARTs in rural areas expressed a need to reach victims in remote areas and establish protocols that match existing resources. Other teams mentioned a need for tools to help them serve nontraditional students on campus and develop strategies for reaching off-campus students. Responses included the need for additional staffing, training, and a broad range of multilingual and multicultural tools.įor example, teams serving American Indian victims needed more tribal advocates. The National Needs Assessment of Sexual Assault Response Teams surveyed communities about resources that teams require to effectively meet the needs of underserved and unserved communities. Serving diverse populations within a SART jurisdiction could include meeting specific needs for low-income families, older adults, individuals attending institutions of higher education, persons living on tribal land, individuals living in rural or multijurisdictional regions, immigrants, individuals with cognitive or physical disabilities, individuals living within military installations, national or international tourists, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender individuals. Culturally sensitive SART responses should include a heightened awareness of how victims' environments shape their healing. Meeting victims' needs is far more difficult if their rights and access to services are complicated by geographic isolation, language barriers, cultural intolerance, disability, and/or lack of social support.
#Radio silence synonym how to#
To provide successful culturally specific care, you must consider how to meet this population's diverse needs and how to reach out to a diverse community. population, followed by African Americans at 14.5 percent, Asian Americans at 8 percent, and all other races at 5 percent. Hispanics/Latinos will make up 25 percent of the U.S. By 2050, the white, non-Hispanic population will comprise only 50 percent of the population.People older than age 5 with physical and mental challenges constitute the single largest minority population (more than 49 million individuals).The Census also reports that more than 15 percent of gay and lesbian families live outside major metropolitan areas. Census reported more than 600,000 gay and lesbian families living in the United States. By 2012, workers age 55 and older will make up 19 percent of the labor force, compared with 14 percent in 2002.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, senior citizens make up the fastest growing segment of the workforce.More than 50 percent of those populations speak Spanish. population speaks a language other than English at home. population is growing and changing dramatically, with shifts in its cultural diversity that require new approaches in service delivery. Behavior patterns can include thought, communication, language, beliefs, values, practices, customs, courtesies, rituals, roles, and relationships. Culture does not simply refer to ethnicity or race, but rather to integrated patterns of human behavior. Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Victims.Īn essential part of a victim-centered SART response involves providing competent, culturally congruent care.This section reviews how to provide culturally congruent care and how to serve specific types of victims: To support the cultural heritage of sexual assault victims, you need to know why some sexual assault victims are underserved. The purpose of cross-cultural service delivery is to affirm and preserve victims' traditions and values in an effective, appropriate, and respectful manner. "No universal formula to meet the needs of all underserved populations exists, because each group is unique." 1 However, you can improve your approach by looking carefully at the needs of specific populations.Įthnic and cultural groups have distinct histories, values, and traditions.
Victims vary by social class, spiritual beliefs, physical and mental abilities, sexual orientation, gender, age, literacy, and previous victimizations. It does not distinguish between racial, ethnic, or cultural backgrounds.