Last week the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence presented one of its highest awards to Laura Brown, an advocate from the Family Crisis Center in Great Bend.
Perhaps few people in Topeka were aware of Brown’s good work spanning some 15 years, until her boss, Laura Patzner, nominated her for the Juliene Maska Advocate of the Year Award. But they took note when Patzner wrote, “She works tirelessly, leaving before the sun comes up to reach communities in time for court cases, law enforcement interviews, school appointments and to provide supportive services, assist with protection orders and advocate with community partners on behalf of survivors, arriving home long after the sun sets.”
This probably isn’t a job that lends itself to a lot of heartwarming stories Ms. Brown can share at family get togethers. The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey showed, in 2011, that nearly 1 in 5 women has been raped at some time in her life. One in 4 women and about 1 in 7 men have been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime. Most women who were raped were 25 years old or younger and more than one-quarter of male rape victims were first raped when they were 10 years old or younger. The violence has no age limit, but young people are particularly vulnerable.
The Violence Against Women Act helps entities such as the Family Crisis Center exist. VAWA provides funding for community violence prevention programs; protections for victims who are evicted from their homes because of events related to domestic violence or stalking; rape crisis centers, hotlines and other victim assistance; programs to meet the needs of immigrant women, women of different races or ethnicities, and victims with disabilities; legal aid for survivors of violence; and services for children and teens.
Recent sexual assaults reported in Barton County remind us that survivors are among us, and that is why people like Laura Brown are so important.

Susan Thacker