- The mission of the Sexual Assault Services Program is to provide intervention, advocacy, accompaniment, support services, and related assistance for adult, youth, and child victims of sexual assault, family and household members of victims, and those collaterally affected by the sexual assault.
- Congress and victim advocates recognized the need to focus on sexual assault in order to address the national prevalence of sexual assault, lack of available direct intervention and related assistance services, and unique aspects of sexual assault trauma from which victims must heal.
Mississippi’s nine (9) sexual assault centers provide core services to the sexual assault survivor and family members free of charge. (link to crisis centers) This includes:
- 24-hour hotline services providing crisis intervention services and referral
- Accompaniment and advocacy through medical, criminal justice, and social support systems, (including medical facilities, police, and court proceedings)
- Crisis intervention, short-term individual and group support services, and comprehensive service coordination and supervision to assist sexual assault victims and family or household members
- Information and referrals to assist the sexual victim and family or household members
- Community-based, linguistically and culturally specific services and support mechanism, including outreach activities for underserved communities
- The development and distribution of materials on issues related to the services described above
