The Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA) was created in 1988. When the rape crisis centers in Mississippi, several of which have been in existence since the 1970’s, banded together to form MCASA. They felt that a statewide effort dedicated solely to expanding education, training, and public awareness was needed to address sexual violence in our society.
Rape crisis center programs are located in Biloxi, Columbus, Greenville, Hattiesburg, Jackson, Meridian, Natchez, Oxford and Tupelo. All agencies provide services without discrimination regarding race, ethnicity, disability, or marital status. Each program is responsible for large geographical areas, including both rural and urban locales, and depends heavily on local support and volunteers.
The coalition is determined to serve and address underserved, at-risk populations: people with disabilities, women of color, migrant poultry workers, adolescent, college-age women, and victims in rural communities. MCASA provides education, training, public awareness, information referrals and requests, resource library and speakers’ bureau for the state, community and member programs.