Cleveland Rape Crisis Center

By Mary Sue Convery

Working in the struggle against rape has its rewards, but it can often become a frustrating experience filled with anger as we witness women's pain in such an intimate way. At times one is overwhelmed with the amount of violence which is so much a part of our lives. This acute awareness can drain us of the energy we need to fight back. Thus, it is important .for us periodically to look back at the achievements we have gained.

On February 4, the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center celebrated its 6th birthday. It was a time for reflection as well as celebration. The Center has survived a year in which future funding threatened the Center's continued existence. The foundation money which initially financed the organization ended and we were forced to seek new funding sources. Thanks to the strong community response and support, we made it through and are still here gaining more strength.

Carie Zander, Volunteer Coordinator and one of the founding mothers of the Rape Crisis Center, shares some of her reflections on these past 6 years. The following are a few of her reactions and musings of those early days.

How does the last year compare with the previous years at the Center?

Qyears,

It's incredible that we've existed for 6 years, since the odds were against our existing for more than 3 years. The Center started when no one cared about rape, when there were too few people who would involve themselves and no money.

I remember when police wouldn't even talk to us when we met women at the hospitals. They saw us only as The Radicals. When Marion Kasheski from the Sheriff's Department, and Fran White at University Hospital were our only community allies. In the beginning we didn't even have ten people who were willing to work the phones; whereas we now fluctuate between 50 and 75 volunteers.

What were some of the growing pains of those early years?

Those who look back at the good old days tend to overlook the hardships and struggles that are inherent in any new organization. There were problems with money, scheduling the phones and emergency advocacy. And at that time we were only covering 25 hours a week, instead of 24 hours a day. Six years ago women who were assaulted were not willing to speak out; few were willing to talk about being raped.

Over the past six years, what are the major changes you have noticed?

We have experienced a great increase in calls. At the end of 1976, the first year we were open 24 hours, we received around 260 calls, compared to 1979 when we had approximately 1,200 victim calls.

Our knowledge about rape has grown immensely. When the Center first began we were plodding our way through unknown territories. As a result we learned that educating the community to what rape is was just as important as answering the phone. It was our means to effect change in institutions as well as preventing rape.

Police now will not only speak with us but will seek us out to provide training. We've witnessed more cases going to court and a greater community interest in seeing more prosecution. Hospitals have gained a new awareness of the impact of rape. There is now a willingness to develop protocols for the treatment of rape victims. Nurses are far more supportive and have become strong allies of ours. In fact the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing co-sponsored threc seminars with the Center on rape.

When the Center began, rape counseling was considered the province of the professionals, and yet there was little knowledge about rape and little willingness to deal with it. The big change is that the

human service professions are willing to admit they have had little knowledge and are willing to learn from non-professionals who have learned through experience.

What do you look forward to the Center doing in'. this year or the near future?

Well, we still have a need for more volunteers since our herstory has taught us that the calls will continue to increase. But we have a number of big projects we are working on. At present we are assembling an Evidence Collection Kit for the county's 30 hospitals. It has been an uphill struggle in gaining support for its implementation.

This year we began an education project which is targeted in the schools. We hope that by providing information about rape, the attitudes which perpetuate it, and some preventive techniques, we will help prevent future rapes. These are the same goals for another community education project which is focused in the 5th Police District of Cleveland.

The Center is also developing more important information about Family Rape, and we hope to be able to produce a brochure and other community resources about it. And we are looking forward to more self-defense classes since we've obtained a permanent space to hold the classes.

Looking back, I can really see the changes that have occurred through similar education projects. We have grown a great deal, but we are at a point of recognizing our limits of growth and maintaining a commitment to our values.

Thank You!

Thank you to all who have participated and shared in the growth of the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, and who contributed to its stability and strength as a force in the women's movement against rape.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED.

The Rape Crisis Center will be conducting a spring. training series beginning April 14 on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 9:30. Volunteers are needed for weekends, evenings, and daytime. All those interested should call 391-3912. Become involved: volunteer and fight back!

Update Payment of Hospital Bills for Rape Victims

Under the Ohio Revised Code, a rape victim does not have to pay for the collection of medical evidence. This means that a rape victim who is examined in a hospital emergency room does not have to pay for the collection of evidence; the city in which the rape took place should pay. Over the past two years, the RCC has been pursuing Cleveland's payment for medical examinations. On May 24, 1979, the Cleveland City Council passed an ordinance to insure such payments.

After a series of meetings with Safety Department members in the Kucinich and Voinovich Administrations, the City of Cleveland is about to begin to pay the medical bills for examinations subsequent to May 24, 1979. At present the RCC is investigating the possibility of getting a special appropriation through Council to pay bills prior to May 24, 1979.

If you have been a victim of rape and have received a bill, call the hospital billing department and ask them to send the bill to the Finance Director of the city in which the rape took place. If you have problems communicating with the billing department, or if the hospital continues to send you bills, call the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center at 391-3912 before you pay any bills.