Newsletter: Spring 2002: Adolescent Victims of Sexual Assault: Seminar in Review

This March the Forensic Healthcare Program held an Advanced Leadership Seminar focused on the care of adolescent sexual assault victims. The purpose of the day was to lay a foundation of the knowledge and skills needed to treat and provide care for this population.

Adolescent victims of sexual assault have been a primary focus at the Alliance this past year. At both Alliance’s Director’s Forum in October of 2002 and the quarterly meeting in January, programs highlighted the need for a coordinated response to the specific needs of this group as a major priority. Teens were identified as a bridge population that brings together child and adult programs, as well as a group that can be lost in the service gaps between these programs.

Over 60 people from hospitals, community programs, criminal justice agencies and other organizations attended the seminar, reflecting the wide-spread interest in this topic. A total of eight presenters addressed aspects of adolescent care, including psychological needs, medical treatment, consent, privacy, risk management, minor’s rights, and the roles of the criminal justice system and family court. Of special concern for participants were minors’ rights and consent, which Rebekah Diller of the NYCLU’s Reproductive Rights Project discussed in detail, and institutional risk management, which was presented by Dr. Gilberto Velez-Domenech, Chief of Adolescent Medicine at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla and Metropolitan Hospital Center in New York City.

Discussion was frank, and each presenter did a wonderful job of relaying her or his own experiences and discussing some of the complexities each had faced. All the presenters enthusiastically fielded the many questions raised by the audience.

What was clear at the end of the day was that much remains to be done for and with this vulnerable population. This was reflected in the comments from attendees, who remarked that this could easily have been much longer conference.

All the presenters deserve special acknowledgement for graciously offering their time and expertise, as does the City Council for funding Forensic Healthcare Program seminars.

In addition, the Alliance thanks the NYCLU, who have permitted us to place their publication "Minors and Rape Crisis Treatment Q&A" on our website, www.nycagainstrape.org, for dissemination to the anti-sexual violence community.

For information on the Forenseic Healthcare Program’s upcoming events, visit our website in the FHP section or call the Alliance at 212.523.4344.

Ms. Towns is the former Director of the Forensic Healthcare Program at The New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault. [[2] more]

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[1]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/newsletter_author_2.html
[2]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/newsletter_author_2.html
[3]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/newsletter_article_1.html
[4]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/newsletter_article_3.html

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