About The Task Force
Task Force History
Seeing a lack of improvement in sexual assault response as a concern, a group of victim advocates organized a 1999 statewide multidisciplinary gathering to assess how Oregon addresses adolescent and adult sexual assault. In May of 1999, 130 people spent two days at the Sexual Assault Summit assessing needs and identifying strategies for meeting them.
The top issues identified as keys to improvement in the response to sexual assault are: the need for adequate, specific, and quality training for responders; more financial resources to improve local response; adequate, specific, consistent and useful data; and closer and more cooperative local collaboration in the response to sexual assault.
In July 1999, Summit organizers held a follow-up meeting in conjunction with the Oregon District Attorney Association conference. It was at this meeting that Attorney General Myers responded to requests from participants to organize a statewide effort and thus the Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force was formed. Since its formation the Task Force has established annual priorities in order to meet its objectives.
Three year goals
1. To provide leadership in Oregon for the efforts of improving the prevention of and response to sexual assault.
2. To provide high quality training to responders, professionals, and those concerned with the prevention of sexual assault.
3. To identify and promote Best Practices and Promising Practices in support of effective sexual assault intervention, response and prevention efforts.
4. To provide a structure to ensure that Oregon's efforts to improve the response to and the prevention of sexual assault are collaborative, multi-disciplinary, and diverse.
5. To be Oregon's clearinghouse and communication center for information relating to sexual assault.
6. To determine, promote, and implement statewide efforts to prevent sexual assault and sexual violence in Oregon.
7. To determine, promote, respond to, and implement effective public policy and legislation in the interests of effective sexual assault response, intervention, and prevention efforts.
8. To provide a voice for victims of sexual assault in Oregon.
9. To promote funding and other resources in support of statewide and local efforts to respond to and prevent sexual assault and sexual violence.
10. To identify and work with local, regional, tribal, statewide, other states, and national organizations and entities who share an interest in sexual assault prevention, response or intervention.
11. To develop and support the existence, training, practice, and certification of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners.
12. To be a resource and a provider of expertise in all areas of sexual assault response, intervention, and prevention.
13. To develop and implement an effective research, data collection, and evaluation plan relating to issues of sexual assault in Oregon.
14. To shift attention of our work toward addressing the behavior of those responsible for perpetrating sexual assault.
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