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.
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center is developing a mobile application to provide sexual violence prevention content to teens and adults.
We will be hosting virtual focus groups to gather input about the features you would like to see in this app. The focus groups will be facilitated by CRCC staff. Participant feedback will be compiled anonymously.
Incentives: Each participant will receive a $25 VISA gift card.
Date: Wednesday, March 3, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Location: The focus group will be conducted virtually on Zoom. Participants will be contacted via email with the Zoom link.
Questions? Please email Kim Haggerty at kimh@clevelandrcc.org.
Encourage them to apply for Youth 360, Cleveland Rape Crisis Center’s Youth Advisory and Leadership Alliance. Youth 360 members will receive a $25 gift card for their participation in a youth focus group.
Relationships portrayed in the media can give teens a confusing picture of what a supportive, loving relationship looks like. As a parent, teacher, or caring adult, you can support them as they navigate their first dating experiences. Read the characteristics below to help your teen or students understand what a healthy relationship looks like, and how to know when a relationship is unhealthy.
We’re here to support you. Text or call the Crisis and Support Hotline anytime of the day or night at (216) 619-6192 or (440) 423-2020, or chat online.
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center today announced that Teresa Stafford has been promoted to Chief Program Officer. In her role, Stafford will oversee all Cleveland Rape Crisis Center programs, including clinical, advocacy and 24-hour services; case management; and prevention, education and community outreach.
“During her years of service at Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, Teresa has had a profound impact on the lives of survivors,” said Sondra Miller, President and CEO of Cleveland Rape Crisis Center. “From provoking systems changes to making sure each individual survivor is supported throughout their journey, she is the strongest of strong advocates and we are so excited to welcome her into this new role.”
Stafford is uniquely qualified for this role with her decade of experience at Cleveland Rape Crisis Center in direct service and program leadership positions, including Victim Advocate, Director of Victim Advocacy, Sr. Director of Victim Services and Outreach and Chief Advocacy Officer.
“I am humbled to take on this new role,” said Stafford. “I will continue to advance Cleveland Rape Crisis Center’s mission while ensuring our services are timely, and programming is innovative and meets the needs of all survivors in our community.”
Stafford is a nationally sought-after speaker and trainer with unduplicated expertise. She has held leadership roles with numerous community coalitions, task forces and advisory boards, including a term as President of the Board of Directors of the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence. She has received numerous awards, including Cleveland Rape Crisis Center’s Peter A Demarco Extraordinary Service Award, National Sexual Violence Resource Center Visionary Award, and the Ohio Attorney General’s Robert Denton Special Achievement Award.
Ms. Stafford is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., and holds a degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Tiffin University.
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About Cleveland Rape Crisis Center
The mission of Cleveland Rape Crisis Center is to support survivors of rape and sexual abuse, promote healing and prevention, and advocate for social change. In 2020, the Center provided counseling, advocacy and crisis intervention services to 10,000 rape and sexual abuse survivors and reached thousands more through its prevention, education and training programs in Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake counties. For more information, visit clevelandrapecrisis.org or call 216-619-6194. The Center’s 24-hour Crisis & Support Hotline is 216-619-6192 (call/text) or clevelandrapecrisis.org/chat.
By Keyna Smith, Director of Anti-Human Trafficking and Advocacy
CLEVELAND — January is a time to start anew. But January is also a time to remember some of our community’s most vulnerable individuals, as it is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. According to the Ohio Department of Health, human trafficking is “one of the fastest-growing criminal industries in the world,” with more than $35 billion illegally acquired annually. ODH says that cases have been reported in every state and that Ohio has ranked as high as fifth among all states in total reported human trafficking cases.
You may ask, what exactly is human trafficking? The textbook definition is the exploitation of a person through force, fraud or coercion, and the most common types are sex and labor trafficking. Sex trafficking is when sex is exchanged for something the individual needs or wants, such as food, shelter, money or drugs by way of physical or emotional force, manipulation or false promises for a better way of life, education or glamour. Labor trafficking is when individuals are forced to work for little to no pay, and sometimes there is an intersection between labor and sex trafficking.
While these definitions give a glimpse into what the issue is, it doesn’t explain why traffickers decide to force someone to do these things. The answer? It’s all about power, control and financial gain. Traffickers exploit individuals’ trust and make false promises and inflict severe and long-term physical and psychological trauma for their own financial gain.
Human trafficking thrives in the shadows of our community, where survivors feel unseen. However, survivors actually live in the open in the same communities in which they are being exploited.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made those shadows bigger and darker. People have lost their power, control and financial stability, so we fear that human trafficking is on the rise and survivors are not being seen or heard.
Want to learn more about human trafficking?
RSVP today for an upcoming Human Trafficking Identification and Awareness Training.
The Cleveland Rape Crisis Center is launching a counseling program for Black survivors of sexual assault who are in the middle of legal action.
The center will use a curriculum created by Cleveland-area psychologist Tyffani Dent specifically designed for African Americans. Sessions will aim to address both the trauma of sexual assault and the community pressure survivors often feel to not help to send a Black man to prison.
“A lot of times, they don’t trust the system even as a victim,” said Cleveland Rape Crisis Center Chief Advocacy Officer Teresa Stafford. “We want to make sure they have that additional support and can get the justice that they are seeking.”
For every sexual assault reported, about 15 more are never brought to the police because of the circumstances Black women face, Stafford said.
“They have additional pressure sometimes when they’re engaging with the criminal justice system, especially if their perpetrator is from the same race or ethnic group as they are from,” said Stafford.
Dear Friend:
This is urgent. Survivors of rape, sexual abuse, and human trafficking are reaching out for help more than ever before.
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center needs your help as we seek funding to support our core services through the Cuyahoga County budget process. Your voice can make a difference.
Thank you for advocating for survivors in our community.
Sondra Miller
President & CEO
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center
Not sure who your Council member is? Look it up here.
County Executive Armond Budish: abudish@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 443-7181
Council President Dan Brady: dbrady@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2014
Councilwoman Nan Baker: nbaker@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2047
Councilwoman Shontel Brown: sbrown@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2023
Councilwoman Yvonne Conwell: yconwell@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2017
Councilman Michael Gallagher: mjgallagher@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2015
Councilman Pernel Jones, Jr.: pjones@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2019
Councilman Dale Miller: damiller@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2011
Councilman Jack Schron: jschron@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2016
Councilwoman Sunny Simon: ssimon@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2035
Councilwoman Cheryl Stephens: clstephens@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2022
Councilman Scott Tuma: stuma@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2013
Dear Friend:
Yesterday, I joined Attorney General Dave Yost and statewide anti-human trafficking partners to announce the results of the largest anti-human trafficking operation in Ohio’s history. Operation Autumn Hope identified over 100 trafficking survivors and Cleveland Rape Crisis Center’s team of Advocates provided survivors with support and access to healing services.
Since our agency was founded in 1974, even before we had the term ‘human trafficking,’ survivors of sex trafficking have trusted us with their stories and healing journeys. We know that now, in the COVID-19 pandemic, far too many women, children, and men in our community remain vulnerable to human trafficking.
That’s why I’m emailing you today, to ask for your help. Please contact your Cuyahoga County Council member and Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish today, asking them to approve county funding for Cleveland Rape Crisis Center.
We’ve provided sample messages and contact information below.
Thank you for supporting survivors.
Sondra Miller
President & CEO
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center
Not sure who your Council member is? Look it up here.
County Executive Armond Budish: abudish@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 443-7181
Council President Dan Brady: dbrady@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2014
Councilwoman Nan Baker: nbaker@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2047
Councilwoman Shontel Brown: sbrown@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2023
Councilwoman Yvonne Conwell: yconwell@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2017
Councilman Michael Gallagher: mjgallagher@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2015
Councilman Pernel Jones, Jr.: pjones@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2019
Councilman Dale Miller: damiller@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2011
Councilman Jack Schron: jschron@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2016
Councilwoman Sunny Simon: ssimon@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2035
Councilwoman Cheryl Stephens: clstephens@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2022
Councilman Scott Tuma: stuma@cuyahogacounty.us, (216) 698-2013
