Expanding Access to Sexual Assault Forensic Examinations in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta Region of Alaska

OVC FY24

Expanding Access to Sexual Assault Forensic Examinations

Tundra Women’s Coalition (TWC)

Proposal Abstract

The purpose of TWC’s Expanding Access to Sexual Assault Forensic Examinations project is to increase the number of trained and certified medical providers who can perform adult and child forensics examinations and evidence collection after sexual assaults. 

The primary activities of this project will be to recruit, train, and support six to ten medical providers at the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC) to receive SAFE training, get certified, and provide SAFEs in a variety of different settings including in the regional hospital, through Telesafe services in the sub regional community clinics, and itinerant providers who have mobile kits and travel to village clinics.  It will also facilitate YKHC to fully participate in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta region’s Multi-Disciplinary Team which promotes trauma-informed best practices services for survivors of sexual assault. 

The expected primary outcome of the project will be survivors having a choice about their most comfortable setting for reporting and receiving an examination.  Choice and agency is the beginning of healing for survivors.  Another outcome will be high quality examinations from well-trained and supported SAFE providers.  Best practices from a well-functioning MDT are critical to lessening the trauma from having to engage with systems that spotlight the incident of violence in order to investigate, provide services, and ideally prosecute. 

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region of Western Alaska is the service area.  This includes Bethel, the hub community which is home to approximately 6,500 people, and the 56 village communities stretched over an area the size of Oregon with a population of about 20,000 ranging from communities of 30 to communities of over 1,000.  The intended beneficiaries are the people of the YK Delta region who are almost entirely Alaska Native including Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Athabascan people.  However, anyone reporting the crime of sexual assault will be seen regardless of ethnicity or other factors.  The vast majority of people who report sexual assault in the region identity as Alaska Native. 

YKHC is the subreceipient of this project and will carry out the majority of the project activities.  YKHC works closely with TWC, the culturally specific organization that leads both the adult and child response to sexual violence.