Over $1.7M to Combat Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence
Hagåtña, Guam – Survivors of sexual assault on Guam will see more services in the coming year with the awarding of $146,128 from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) Sexual Assault Services Formula Grant Program (SASP) to the Governor’s Community Outreach Federal Programs Office (GCOFPO). Guam’s SASP funding has steadily increased since the Rape Survivor Child Custody Act (P.L. 35-091) in June 2020. Before the passage of the RSCCA, Guam’s SASP award hovered around $65,000. Guam’s 2022 SASP award is over $20,000 more than its 2021 award of $125,497.
“We now have more than double the regular funding allotment to provide survivors of sexual assault improved access to medical care, crisis intervention, advocacy and counseling,” said Governor Lou Leon Guerrero. “This increased funding will build on our administration’s efforts to better address the needs of sexual assault survivors and support their healing journey. Our ultimate goal is to eliminate sexual assault and domestic violence on our island through impactful education outreach initiatives and compassion-based campaigns encouraging respect for persons of all genders.”
The increase in SASP funding is in conjunction with the 2022 OVW Services*Training*Officers*Prosecutors (STOP) formula grant award of $671,837, which provides services for victims of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, as well as training for law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judicial officers who handle these cases. The GCOFPO has received OVW STOP and SASP formula grants annually since 1995. This funding provides services to victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, as well as specific amounts of funding to assist police officers and prosecutors with the effective handling of these often very sensitive cases.
“Additionally, our Federal Programs Office was awarded a three-year, nearly $900,000 OVW Improving Criminal Justice Responses (ICJR) grant designed to train more nurses and physicians to be able to conduct sexual assault examinations for prosecution purposes,” said Lt. Governor Josh Tenorio. “This grant also provides funding for exam equipment and for victim interview equipment for the Guam Police Department and for additional prosecutor and support staff for the Office of the Attorney General.”
For more information, or if you are a non-profit organization looking to apply for grant funding to combat sexual assault and/or domestic violence, contact the GCO-FPO, or Administrator Jayne Flores, at 475-9162 or email gcofpo@guam.gov.
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