Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska -- “Our goal is to eliminate and eradicate sexual assault, but also [to] help the victims, whether it’s through Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention, or Standing Together Against Rape,” said Army Master Sgt. Lisa King, SAPR noncommissioned officer in charge, 673d Air Base Wing.
The three organizations work together to make this community safer while providing help and support for individuals in need.
“JBER and STAR want to see the same result; sexual violence to go down,” said Danielle Mohr, STAR community educator. “Ultimately, we just want any clients of JBER or STAR to find the resource that works best for them.”
More than five months ago a switch to a joint hotline gave JBER one number to call for both SHARP and SAPR if anyone experienced sexual harassment, sexual assault or crisis. JBER now has 15 credentialed victim advocates who volunteer their time to answer the hotlines and educate the base.
An alternative route for service members who don’t want to involve the military is to call STAR, King said. They have a very similar set up; victim advocates provide counseling and support all the way through the process.
Many Soldiers and Airmen volunteer their time as victim advocates for both their respective branch and STAR, working after-hours, on the weekend and even during holidays.
Training is important, because new victim advocates must learn, and current advocates must remain credentialed, King said. Recently, Green Dot has been used to train installation leadership, victim advocates, and for all annual and pre-deployment training.
Green Dot is a preventative strategy aimed at power-based violence, such as sexual assault, dating violence, abuse and bullying through increased bystander intervention.
“We are partnered really well with STAR and have a good working relationship,” King said. “They provide community education for us as well as man outreach booths with us. Overall, we are doing really well educating people on reporting and the option to go restricted.”
When speaking to a victim advocate, the client has the choice to make their case restricted or unrestricted. Restricted reporting discloses the crime to a select few and allows a victim to receive medical treatment and counseling without starting an official investigation process. Unrestricted reporting provides the same medical treatment and counseling, but officially starts an investigation.
Senior Airman Katrina Kappele, 673d Contracting Squadron contracting specialist and victim advocate since Nov. 30, volunteers her time to teach and lead SAPR briefings across base. She has already spoken at the First Term Airmen Center, newcomer’s briefings, and several squadrons.
“I’m nervous before every [brief] because it is such an important thing, and I try to make it more involving, but it is a little tough at times considering the subject,” Kappele said. “I think we like to pretend it can’t happen to someone we know or ourselves, so we just pretend it doesn’t happen.”
“My really good friend, in technical school, was sexually assaulted, and ever since then I wanted to help make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Kappele said. “Had I known [the perpetrator] was a creep, I could’ve prevented it.”
Danielle Mohr, STAR community educator, teaches age-appropriate material to kids, adults, businesses, military units and community members about healthy relationships, consent, bystander intervention, sexual assault, mandated reporting and more.
“For years, we have concentrated on telling the victims ‘well, if you don’t dress a certain way then this won’t happen …’ or ‘if you don’t go out and drink, that will keep you safer …’ and we’ve also focused on the people who harm, by telling them not to rape or assault others,” Mohr said. “Really, these methods have proved ineffective, because we are victim blaming and accusing people of harming when, in fact, we know most people [aren’t the problem].
“So focusing on the bystander, bringing in someone to intervene, during power-based personal violence, gets the whole community involved to say ‘we don’t tolerate violence,’” Mohr said.
There are options for the victim of any sexual-based crimes:
-
Call the joint hotline or STAR to make a restricted or unrestricted report
-
Access medical care through the emergency room or your primary care manager
-
Talk to a chaplain for private counsel and 100-percent confidentiality
-
Contact law enforcement to make an unrestricted report
-
Inform your chain of command, who are obligated to make an unrestricted report
-
If a report is made involving a person 17 or younger, the cases will be directed to the JBER Family Advocacy Program, Office of Children’s Services or Adult Protective Services
To reach a victim advocate, call the 24-hour joint hotline at 384-7272, the 24-hour STAR crisis line at 276-7273, or the STAR toll-free crisis line at (800) 478-8999.