At one time, PA led the country in comprehensive response to child and adult survivors of sexual assault, abuse, harassment, and trafficking. Over the past 6 years, demand for services rose, while state and federal support for these programs fell. To put is plainly, RAPE RISES, WHILE VICTIM SERVICES FALL. We need your help to stop the crisis.
Pennsylvania’s 47 rape crisis centers provide lifesaving services to all 67 counties, including counseling, medical advocacy, legal accompaniment, prevention education, and 24/7 crisis response. Adult and child survivors need this safety net, but state and federal legislators keep cutting holes in it.
At SARCC, the sexual assault center providing life-saving support to survivors in Lebanon and Schuylkill counties, have provided direct services support to over 1,100 victims in the last year, where 40% of those victims were children . Prevention education support had ventured out to over 15,000 residents. This local, 40+ year old nonprofit had to manage all of that only with half the staff that it had in 2022.
We cannot afford to keep cutting access to victim services. Mental health providers routinely refer to SARCC for targeted support for sexual trauma. Law enforcement officers ask for victim advocates to provide support at interviews. Child Advocacy Centers refer children and their parents for trauma therapy. Restoring funding needs for SA victim services strengthens individuals’ public safety and community stability.
The reality is, sexual offenders often reoffend when crimes go unreported or when sexual assault cases fall through the cracks. By helping victims navigate the process, advocates increase the likelihood that offenders are identified, prosecuted, and incapacitated. Sexual assault center response provides a tried and tested crime-prevention strategy that protects families and communities.
Centers need $3.5 million to increase advocate salaries by $5.85 per hour to meet DHS requirements projected for PCAR contracts in 2028. They need an additional $4.5 million to restore access to trauma therapy following federal funding cuts.
It’s not just a direct services problem either. Sexual assault and abuse are preventable, according to the CDC. Unfortunately, 80% of sexual assault centers don’t have enough funding to invest in prevention services in their communities. Centers need $2.8 million to make access to prevention services comprehensive.
Adequate funding is a smart, cost-effective use of public dollars. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The lifetime cost of rape, according to the CDC (DeGue) is $122,461. That means in PA, in one year, the 26,500 victims served at sexual assault programs serve will accrue a total cost of $3,245,216,500. Comparatively, PCAR is asking for an investment in victim services and prevention of $23 million annually. Invest now, so we don’t have to keep accruing the costs of ongoing violence.
