CCASA

Upon my first interest in the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, I thought the organization’s main goal was sexual assault prevention. This excited me because some of my interests as a Human Services student are around counseling the perpetrators of sexual offenses. I feel that to be against sexual assault is to address its source. After Alex talked to our class about CCASA, I realized that my expectation was not very founded in the organization. CCASA’s main objectives are to promote awareness and aid to victims of sexual assault. Part of me was let down and I began to rethink my potential involvement in the organization.

I had to step outside of myself for a moment to understand why an organization against sexual assault mainly promotes help, healing, awareness, and policy. There needs to be immediate action when it comes to the problem of sexual assault. This is not an organization focused on research and new finds, things I feel that may be more of a focus for me. CCASA steps in now and says we are here to help those affected find life again and bring justice for those who have experienced pain. If that is how we are to tackle the issue of sexual assault today, then so be it!

I am currently working on a project for CCASA to review, update and source their state-wide publication. I still have my own ideas about how counseling and awareness can help prevent sexual assault but I have continued admiration for CCASA’s contribution to solving an overwhelming problem.

I now expect my participation in CCASA’s work to better shape my understanding of empathy, my favorite word and the declared theme of my blog. I have to be honest, as backwards as this may sound, I have always felt more empathy for those convicted of a crime than for those who are victims. This does not mean that I have no empathy for victims, I just believe something in my nature draws me to people experiencing a different sort of pain, a harder pain to understand. I do not believe that people are inherently evil, I believe that the combination of situations in people’s lives shape their decisions. To feel guilt and regret and even worse, to feel nothing after causing another pain, can deteriorate a human being. I tend to thing that perpetrators face more challenges than victims. This leads me to have fewer thoughts about justice.

I am hoping that my involvement with CCASA will bring me more understanding of the victims and their process after an assault, as well as the importance of pursuing justice. People should be held accountable for their actions and that is the legal systems job. I want to remember that conviction can be the start of something new, not simply the end of one tyrant.