The city of Austin announced the launch of a new website and a public service announcement campaign for sexual assault survivors in an Aug. 1 press release.
The website was created in collaboration with the police department, the Austin-Travis County Sexual Assault Response and Resource Team as well as other partner agencies. The campaign aims to provide critical support services to those who have experienced sexual assault, including public service announcements appearing on the radio, digital platforms, physical displays and print ads.
Marcy Alonzo, the response and resource team coordinator, said the new website will make existing resources for sexual assault survivors more accessible.
“What is new and has shifted is that we have centered a one-stop shop,” Alonzo said. “Instead of having to keep up with multiple phone numbers and cards that can be overwhelming, especially when someone has experienced such a serious trauma, this place is a central hub where the survivor is empowered to take the next steps on their journey to healing or justice.”
This campaign is part of the Collective Sex Crimes Response Model Project initiated in early 2023. The project derived from the settlement terms of two lawsuits against the city of Austin and the recommendations published by the Police Executive Research Forum Reported Sexual Assault Comprehensive Evaluation.
The lawsuits against the city of Austin and the Travis County District Attorney’s Office claimed local law enforcement mishandled survivors’ cases, violating their constitutional rights, according to The Austin Chronicle reporting. Hanna Senko, an independent survivor and one of the lead plaintiffs, said one of the elements of the lawsuit settlements was to launch a year-long public service announcement regarding sexual assault. She said after the lawsuits had been settled, she became the model’s project manager to move the recommendations and reform efforts forward.
“I spent many years fighting with a lot of other survivors; fighting the way the system is set up right now and how the criminal justice system isn’t working,” Senko said. “I feel that this work I’m doing right now is some of the most rewarding parts of this journey because I’m actually seeing the changes we fought hard to secure. I’m seeing them getting implemented, and hopefully, that will result in better care and more opportunities for justice for those survivors.”
Texas Sunshines, a UT spirit organization, partners with the Sexual Violence Prevention Association to raise awareness about human trafficking on campus and in the greater Austin community. Roopa Bindingnavele, Texas Sunshines’ philanthropy chair, said the group hosts self-defense classes and a semesterly panel that talks about sexual assault and human trafficking.
“A lot of people just don’t realize how big of a thing (sexual assault) is, especially on college campuses,” said Bindingnavele, a math and Plan II junior. “Honestly, the more I read about it, the more scared I get. It’s just crazy how present it is on our own campuses.”
Alonzo said the Title IX offices at UT, St. Edward’s University, Huston-Tillotson University and Austin Community College have participated in and engaged with the project.
“We want to be accessible to any survivor who needs resources,” Alonzo said. “The universities participating show that they want to make sure that the student community knows that those resources are available to them as well.”
