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 New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, Inc. (NMCSAP). Over 36 months, NMCSAP will implement a sexual assault victim services project across several rural counties in New Mexico. Key activities include:

1. Facilitating sexual assault response teams to enhance services for child, youth, and adult survivors, with a focus on underserved populations.

2. Providing counseling, advocacy, legal assistance, and other long- and short-term services to adult and minor sexual assault survivors in rural communities, including immigration support.

3. Developing education and prevention strategies targeting child, youth, and adult sexual assault.

NMCSAP is partnering with local service providers Sexual Assault Services of Northwest NM, La Pion Sexual Assault Recovery Services of Southern NM, and Robertas Place Inc. to deliver these project activities across the rural regions of Cibola, Hidalgo, Luna, McKinley, Rio Arriba, Sierra, and San Juan counties.

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, new mexico coalition of sexual assault programs, INC., in partnership with sexual assault services of northwest NM, LA pion sexual assault recovery services of southern NM, and robertas place INC., will implement a sexual assault victim services project for the rural new mexico counties of cibola, hidalgo, luna, mckinley, RIO arriba, sierra, and rural areas of SAN juan county. Specific activities will include: 1) facilitating sexual assault response teams to address best practices to serve survivors of child, youth, and adult sexual assault, with an emphasis on underserved populations; 2) providingcounseling, advocacy, legal assistance, and other long-term and short-term survivor and population specific services to adult and minor survivors of sexual assault in rural communities, including assistance in immigration matters; and 3) developing education and prevention strategies directed toward child, youth, and adult sexual assault. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.