The 2023 Maryland Legislative Session has been incredibly busy with important legislation moving through both the House of Delegates and the Senate as we near the end of session on Monday, April 10th. Thank you to everyone who has called, emailed, testified, and advocated to your elected officials to support survivors in Maryland and improve our prevention and response to sexual violence. We encourage you to continue to make your voice heard as final votes are held in Annapolis. We will provide an in depth update in our 2023 Legislative Report in the coming weeks.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), an annual opportunity to reflect on our work to prevent sexual violence. This year, MCASA is uplifting the stories of advocates, service providers, preventionists, and educators in Maryland on why they do this work. We will be sharing responses to the prompt ‘'I am raising awareness because....' across our social media platforms throughout the month to highlight the work of dedicated folks in sexual violence prevention and response. We will also be launching a new MCASA On the Go SAAM podcast series, with new episodes releasing each week in April. Check out MCASA’s Prevention Corner and our SAAM Page for more updates on this year’s SAAM activities.
In this month’s edition of Frontline, we continue our PREA Series with an in depth discussion of the PREA Standards and their protections for LGBTI survivors in our Survivor Safety column. In addition, we explore the impact of sporting events on sexual assault on campus in our College Consortium column. Next, we discuss the harm of non-consensual image sharing and highlight a new tool to support youth survivors with image removal. Finally, we are excited to highlight the incredible work of TurnAround, Inc. in this edition’s Program Spotlight.
We invite you to join us in our efforts to end sexual violence this SAAM. Becoming a member is an excellent way to support survivors in Maryland and support our legislative efforts. You can also make a donation and help us serve Maryland survivors.
Stay strong,
Lisae
Lisae Jordan, Esq.
Executive Director & Counsel
Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault
