PSA Reminds Sexual Assault Survivors They are not Alone

A new Public Service Announcement (PSA) video under Project Mālama Kākou aims to reach sexual assault survivors who may feel isolated, sharing caring and victim-centered support and information services.

The PSA is hosted online at ag.hawaii.gov/hisaki and will be distributed through social media, email and other channels. The video (shown below) features Attorney General Doug Chin representing law enforcement and Ms. Chelsea Crapser, Director of Crisis and Prevention Services of the YWCA of Kaua‘i, representing victim support providers.

“This public service announcement is an important next step for reaching out to sexual assault survivors,” said Attorney General Chin. “We recently launched the Project Mālama Kākou website to let survivors know they are not alone and there is information and support available for them.”

Attorney General Chin and the state of Hawai‘i’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (Hawai‘i SAKI) team announced the new PSA as an initiative of Project Mālama Kākou. Project Mālama Kākou was enacted under Act 207 in 2016 to improve the care and sensitivity provided to sexual assault victims by service providers.

“As service providers, it is our sincere hope that every individual knows there are support services and resources available 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Crapser in a joint statement with Renae Hamilton-Cambeilh, executive director of the YWCA of Kaua‘i. “The Mālama Kākou Project is the result of collaboration to better serve sex assault survivors by implementing a new process for statewide testing of Sex Assault Kits. This process allows police, prosecutors, advocates and victim counselors to work together to provide comprehensive support. We are grateful for the collaborative spirit of this group, but most of all, we acknowledge the strength of every survivor who has come forward.”