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

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, LE flore county child advocacy, in partnership with leflore county child advocacy network, womens crisis services, and district 16 district attorney, will implement a sexual assault project for the oklahoma counties of leflore and latimer. Specific activities will include: 1) decreasing the recidivism rate and successful investigations of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in rural communities through a full-time investigator and a full-time prosecutor; 2) expanding access to concrete services in rural communities to increase the long-term freedom of victims and educate the community on healthy relationships and stalking through a full-time advocate; and 3) increasing the health and well-being of women and children in rural communities by dealing directly and immediately with sexual assault (adult/children) cases through a sane nurse practitioner. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.