NONPROFIT

Supporting Survivors.

For almost 50 years, the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA) emergency crisis line has offered support to sexual assault and abuse survivors and the people around them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

It’s part of an extraordinary legacy for the organization, which got its start in 1969 as an effort between criminal justice, health, mental health, and other professions that came together to address the needs of those that had been sexually assaulted.

“Today, MOCSA continues to be the sole rape crisis center serving the greater Kanas City metro area, and we have a unique service model that focuses not only on advocacy and response and support, but also education and prevention, as well,” explains President and CEO Julie Donelon. “We look at it from a very holistic point of view to impact the issue and change the culture in our city.”

SERVING THE COMMUNITY

MOCSA serves Kansas City through three major programs: advocacy, counseling, and education and prevention.

In addition to the emergency crisis line, which is always answered by a live person, MOCSA also provides hospital advocacy, sending a staff member or volunteer to offer support or intervention while survivors undergo sexual assault exams at area hospitals. The organization’s advocacy efforts continue, whether a survivor goes through the criminal justice process, wants help navigating a school’s Title IX procedures, or needs assistance breaking a lease to get out of an unsafe situation.

“Survivors often feel like they’re to blame, like they’ve done something wrong,” Donelon says. “They’ve seen how other survivors are treated when they come forward, through the news stories or the media or from reactions from friends and family that they’ve heard, and so a lot of times, they’re just very uncertain of what to do and who to tell, because they’re very vulnerable. They understand that likely their character will be attacked, but not that of the perpetrator’s. We want to make sure that we do everything to allow the victims to come forward and get the support that they need while they work their way through that whole process.”

MOCSA offers counseling programs for those 4 years and up who have been impacted by child sexual abuse, as well as adult survivors of child sexual abuse, and adult and adolescent survivors of sexual violence. Additionally, the nonprofit works in more than 30 area school districts providing education and awareness programming for preschoolers through college students, as well as to community and professional groups. MOCSA also delivers Safe Bar training in

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bars and restaurants throughout the community to help educate staff about how to respond when they see dangerous situations.

The organization’s impact is considerable. The education and prevention department serves 65,000 annually. In 2019, MOCSA saw 1,500 individuals for counseling services, and it assists 1,400 annually through advocacy efforts, in addition to answering about 5,500 calls per year on the crisis line.

During the pandemic, MOCSA shifted to offering services remotely, including counseling and hospital visits. Donelon says her team has also noticed a shift in community need during this unprecedented time: More people are dealing with relationship violence as sheltering in place is encouraged and access to social support systems is limited. Sadly, child sexual abuse cases are also on the rise, since many children don’t have the access they once did to trusted adults outside their home they can confide in.

CHANGING THE CULTURE

Despite the troubling times we are in, there is cause for hope. Donelon says she has seen a dramatic shift in attitudes regarding sexual assault during her 25 years working in the advocacy space.

“It has gone from people not talking about it, people keeping it a secret and being ashamed and embarrassed about it, to having open conversations,” she says. “I’m just so optimistic because we’ve come some far in those 25 years I’ve been in the field, and I’ve been able to see the progress. I’m really eager for the next 25 and to see what more progress we can make.”

Unfortunately, Donelon says myths about sexual assault are still pervasive in our society: That the victim was “asking” to be assaulted because of how she/he was dressed or behaving; that rapists are strangers that strike in isolated locations; and that only women can be victims.

“I think the biggest challenge is changing the community’s perception about sexual violence,” Donelon says. “People often think sexual violence is something that happens to other people. But we know that sexual violence can happen to anyone, and does. The people that we work with, these survivors, are children, are mothers and fathers, are brothers and sisters, are family members, are friends and colleagues. Nobody is immune from it, and I think it’s really important that people understand it’s not just something that happens to other people. Because of that, we all have a role to play in preventing sexual violence and responding to it.”

To learn more about MOCSA, access the organization’s services, or offer financial or volunteer support, visit mocsa.org.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelsey Cipolla is a local writer, editor, and social media specialist. Kelsey has covered everything from the Kansas City culinary scene to home design, health, fitness trends, hidden gems, and nonprofit in the Kansas City community.