NETWORK AGAINST SEXUAL VIOLENCE DISCUSSED AT SAFE HOUSE FOR WOMEN

Fifteen Southeast Missouri domestic-violence-shelter representatives heard a presentation about the newly formed Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence during a meeting Friday at the Safe House for Women.

Tammy Gwaltney, president of SEMO-NASV, made the presentation to members of the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic Violence who were in town for a regional meeting. The MCADV is a state organization whose goal is to relay information and resources regarding domestic and sexual-violence issues.

Gwaltney said SEMO-NASV was organized in 1997 to bring together a coalition of community members concerned with the lack of coordinated services for children who have been sexually abused and adults who have been sexually assaulted. The network advocates providing medical and counseling services to victims and their families as well as assisting them through the legal process, she said.

Also, the network hopes to develop a child-advocacy center and integrated interviewing process that would avoid multiple interviews, which often retraumatize victims of sexual violence, she said.

"We want a single point of entry for sexual-violence victims," she said. "If a victim has a bad initial response to the crisis, she's going to lose courage. We want to educate the public and help dispel the myths and misperceptions about whose fault it is."

SEMO-NASV, a not-for-profit organization, has a certified nurse examiner and medical equipment to provide exams for adult and child victims of sexual violence. Gwaltney said the organization's services are available to other communities for replication or use.

"This network was formed so that all the players are at the table to make sure women and children don't fall through the cracks when it comes to reporting sexual violence," she said. "It's going to take all of us to make an impact on our communities so that we can help the people we work with."

Safe House shelter director Bonnie Gerecke said the meeting, which is held several times each year, was attended by shelter employees from Farmington, Perryville, Cape Girardeau, East Prairie, Poplar Bluff and Malden. The regional meetings are important so that the appropriate people know about services they can benefit from, such as those provided by SEMO-NASV, she said.

"It's important we hear about things like the network because we can all access that now," she said. "It just all works together so well."