Sexual Assault Awareness Month Calendar – April 2018
March 29, 2018
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month The following is a list of events taking place in Northeast Ohio during Sexual Assault Awareness Month which Cleveland Rape Crisis Center is either hosting, partnering to present, or participating in, to raise awareness about rape and sexual abuse in our community. Monday, April 2, 2018 Tri-C Metropolitan...continue
Watch: Sondra Miller – “I Am Evidence” (WKYC)
March 16, 2018
President & CEO Sondra Miller joins WKYC’s We The People to speak about untested rape kits in Cuyahoga County and the upcoming film I Am Evidence. This video was originally published by WKYC at http://www.wkyc.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/we-the-people/sondra-miller-i-am-evidence/95-529211052...continue
Human Trafficking is an Often-Invisible Community Problem (Star Beacon)
March 5, 2018
“JEFFERSON — ‘It happens here, and it happens in plain sight,’ Teresa Stafford, senior director of victim services and outreach at Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, said Thursday during the ‘Human Trafficking: Under the Radar in Our Community‘ training at Jefferson Area High School. “The seminar for counselors, social workers, law enforcement personnel and medical professionals...continue
Cleveland Sex Crimes Unit Faces Scrutiny (Cleveland.com)
March 3, 2018
“CLEVELAND, Ohio – In 2002, Cleveland officials announced a plan to turn around the police department’s troubled sex crimes unit. “The promises came weeks after The Plain Dealer reported on an internal investigation that showed years of mounting problems in the unit: uninvestigated cases, staggering workloads and supervisory lapses. “Department and city leaders pledged to staff the...continue
No Consequences if Rape Kits Not Submitted Within 30 Days (News 5)
February 27, 2018
“CLEVELAND – News 5 first broke the story over six years ago – learning nearly 14,000 rape kits had been sitting on shelves untested, some dating back to the 1970’s. “Just last week, the Ohio Attorney General announced the backlog of rape kits had been cleared. News 5 has since learned that’s not entirely true – the Cleveland...continue
Completed Testing of 13,931 Rape Kits Signals Progress (Cleveland.com)
February 23, 2018
“The testing of nearly 14,000 formerly shelved Ohio rape kits is complete. “The unprecedented undertaking already has changed the culture and will have a lasting impact on how police understand and investigate rape, Attorney General Mike DeWine said. “In 2011, when DeWine first asked departments to start sending untested kits, which dated back decades, it...continue
Cleveland Police Failed to Send Recent Rape Kits for Testing (Cleveland.com)
February 14, 2018
“CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland police failed over three years to send hundreds of rape kits collected from sexual assault victims to a lab for testing, in violation of state law. “An Ohio law that took effect in 2015 requires rape kits to be sent to a lab within 30 days. “The department discovered in...continue
Ohio Ranks Fourth in the Country for Human Trafficking Cases (Cleveland 19 News)
January 18, 2018
“CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) – Ohio ranks fourth in the nation for human trafficking. “In a recent report from the Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, more than 300 people in the state were victims of sex trafficking, about 25 were trafficked for hard labor, and another eight were trafficked for both purposes. “‘On the service, it sounds...continue