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3/18/2016 <br /> <br />Ramsey County: A Start by Believing Community <br />Initiative Summary <br /> <br />Name of Event: Ramsey County: A Start by Believing Community initiative <br /> <br />Event Purpose Observe Sexual Awareness Month by introducing Start by Believing Ramsey County initiative <br /> <br />Executive Summary: By this initiative, Ramsey County is taking the lead in starting an important conversation <br />in our community about sexual violence and why there is such a gap between National survey data on those <br />who are victims of rape and those who are held accountable. It is estimated that 1 in 6 women and 1 and 33 <br />men are the victims of sexual violence. Only a fraction of these cases are ever reported to law enforcement <br />and subsequently prosecuted. Ramsey County: A Start by Believing Community is a community initiative to <br />create a culture where victims feel more empowered to report their abuse and to develop an infrastructure of <br />response that is properly informed and trained about trauma and eliminates unintentional human biases. <br />Ramsey County: A Start by Believing Community is a combined initiative among the Ramsey County Attorney’s <br />Office, Ramsey County-St. Paul Public Health Department, local law enforcement agencies and community <br />advocacy groups. <br /> <br />Desired Outcome - Victims <br /> Report abuse <br />o Upon reporting, victims are met with compassion and an “I believe” culture by law enforcement <br />agents, prosecutors, community groups and the community as a whole <br />o The “I believe” culture encourages more victims to report <br />o Additional victim reporters equate to holding more abusers accountable by the criminal justice <br />system which increases public safety in our community <br /> Eliminate victim recantation as the “I believe” culture increases the awareness of community advocacy <br />groups and their work to support victims through the legal process and beyond to heal their lives <br /> Increase victim connection with community advocacy groups. Such groups support victims from <br />reporting to healing. Advocacy groups offer free and confidential services for victims of sexual violence, <br />their partners, families, friends and other concerns persons and as well as basic life needs, housing, <br />food, etc. <br /> <br />Desired Outcome – Law Enforcement Agencies – increase positive victim response <br /> officers assigned to sexual abuse cases, and new hires, to engage in training, provided by outside <br />County source, as to how to respond and maintain desired interaction with victims <br />o consider internal trainings (officers speaking to officers) <br /> practice the Start by Believing Ramsey County in all cases with sexual abuse victims <br /> write and adopt resolutions promising to continue believing victims, upon victim’s report and <br />throughout the process in which the Office is involved <br />o Ramsey County Attorney’s Office and Public Health will provide a template <br />o display framed resolution in the Office <br /> communicate to the community the Office’s dedication to increase officers’ positive “I believe” <br />response to sexual abuse victims, especially at the time of report. <br />o Examples: discussing the Start by Believing Ramsey County initiative at community events such <br />as speaking engagements national night out, etc.