Victim Advocates

Importance of Rape Crisis and Recovery Center Advocates

Advocates work as trauma-informed staff or volunteers for the 17 Rape Crisis and Recovery Centers that are member programs of the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA). These individuals advocate for the best interests of survivors through immediate crisis intervention and provide ongoing support to survivors and their loved ones. Their experience, specialized training, and access to MCASA member program resources allow them to address a wide range of survivor needs.

Advocates can support survivors with various needs, including:

• Initial crisis intervention via hotline services;
• Understanding the trauma of sexual assault;
• Understanding the legal process;
• Accompaniment and emotional support for survivors during a sexual assault forensic exam (SAFE);
• Follow-up crisis intervention and ongoing counseling;
• Application for victim compensation;
• Providing resources for financial stability.

Advocate Resources

• Essential Reading and SAFE National Protocols
• Hope Behind Bars: An Advocate’s Guide to Helping Survivors of Sexual Abuse in Detention from Just Detention
• National Immigrant Women's Advocacy Project
• Polaris Project's Comprehensive Human Trafficking Assessment
• Resources for Advocacy Programs from the Resource Sharing Project
• Resources for Advocates: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Survivors of Sexual Violence from the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence
• The Advocate’s Guide: Working With Parents Of Children Who Have Been Sexually Assaulted from NSVRC
• Starting the Economic Conversation: An Advocacy Guide from the Center for Survivor Agency & Justice