The rural domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking program (rural program) is authorized by 34 U.S.C. 12341

The U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women awarded a $950,000 Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program grant to the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence (KCSDV). The 36-month grant will enable KCSDV, in partnership with Janas Campaign, Inc., to implement a comprehensive SANE/SART project to improve responses to sexual assault in 94 rural counties in Kansas. Key activities include:

1. Increasing the capacity of rural advocacy programs to serve sexual assault survivors through training and collaboration development.
2. Coordinating trainings for rural law enforcement on responding to sexual assault.
3. Expanding the number of trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners and Sexual Assault Response Teams in rural communities.
4. Delivering evidence-based prevention education programs on sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and healthy relationships in schools and post-secondary institutions across rural Kansas.

The grant will also provide sub-awards to Janas Campaign, Inc. to conduct public awareness and training initiatives focused on sexual violence prevention and healthy relationships in rural Kansas schools and youth programs.

Rural program funds are used to support programs that: 1) identify, assess, and appropriately respond to child, youth, and adult victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in rural communities; 2) establish and expand victim services in rural communities to child, youth, and adult victims; 3) increase the safety and well-being of women and children in rural communities, by (a) dealing directly and immediately with domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking; and (b) creating and implementing strategies to increase awareness and prevent these crimes; and 4) develop, expand, implement, and improve the quality of sexual assault forensic medical examination or sexual assault nurse examiner programs. Grantees must use at least one of the following strategies in implementing their projects: 1) implement, expand, and establish cooperative efforts and projects among law enforcement officers, prosecutors, victim service providers, and other related parties to investigate and prosecute incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; 2) provide treatment, counseling, advocacy, legal assistance, and other long-term and short-term victim and population specific services to adult and minor victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in rural communities; 3) work in cooperation with the community to develop education and prevention strategies directed toward such issues; 4) develop, enlarge, or strengthen programs addressing sexual assault; and 5) develop programs and strategies that focus on the specific needs of victims of who reside in remote rural and geographically isolated areas. With this continuation rural domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking grant award, kansas coalition against sexual & domestic violence, in partnership with janas campaign, will implement a sane/sart project for 94 fully rural counties in kansas. Specific activities will include: 1) increasing the capacity of rural, dual kansas advocacy programs to reach and meet the needs of survivors of sexual assault through intensive TA, training, and collaboration development; 2) coordinating, developing, and conducting three trainings for rural law enforcement officers on responding to sexual assault; 3) collaborating with rural advocacy programs to provide TA to law enforcement in their rural communities; 4) providing TA to law enforcement officers in rural communities; 5) expanding the number and effectiveness of sanes and sarts in rural communities by increasing the number of trained, qualified sexual assault nurse examiners and specially trained nurses in rural communities, including emergency department personnel; 6) developing or strengthening rural sarts to include law enforcement, prosecutors, victim advocates, and other allied professionals; 7) increasing the number and strength of collaborations between rural advocacy programs, law enforcement and criminal justice and human service providers that focus on improving responses to rural survivors; 8) increasing rural advocacy programs capacity for working with survivors from underserved communities; 9) improving language access for rural survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking; 10) improving responses to native survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking; 11) delivering 25 school or youth-based educational programs, utilizing evidence-based prevention strategies for the prevention of sexual assault in rural communities in KS; 12) delivering 25 school or youth-based educational programs utilizing evidence-based prevention strategies for the prevention of dating and domestic violence and stalking in rural communities in KS; and 13) delivering 10 awareness/educational programs, outreach events, or trainings covering sexual violence, dating violence, stalking, and healthy relationships in post-secondary education institutions. Products and deliverables will include training curricula, model policies and procedures as needed, and publication of brochures and materials in other languages as needed. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.