About SACASA

The Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault offers a full range of services to victims of sexual assault in Pima County and throughout Southern Arizona. We serve primary and secondary victims and survivors of recent and past sexual assault, and provide sexual assault education and awareness to the general community.

The mission of the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault is to reduce the trauma and incidence of sexual assault by providing treatment and promoting prevention of sexual abuse, incest, molestation and rape.

Since 1973, the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault has provided these services to communities in Southern Arizona.

Today, the Center is the largest provider of sexual assault services in the state of Arizona and the only organization in the state that provides the full continuum of sexual assault services.

SACASA’s programs and services would not be possible without the support of its many supporters. Click here to donate today.

SACASA is a program of CODAC Health, Recovery & Wellness, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

>> News & Media
>> Facts about Sexual & Relationship Violence in Arizona
>> SACASA's History
>> References

Facts about Sexual & Relationship Violence in Arizona

  • One out of five adult women in Arizona (363, 000 in 2003) have been victims of one or more completed forcible rapes 1 during their lifetime (Ruggiero & Kilpatrick, 2003).
  • Three percent of adult men in the US have experienced an attempted or completed sexual assault 2 in their lifetime (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2006). The number of male survivors of sexual assault and abuse in Arizona is unknown.
  • 83% of women and 77% of men were raped by a spouse or romantic partner, family member, or acquaintance (ibid.).
  • Only 2 out of 5 people report their sexual assault to law enforcement (Rand, 2009).
  • In 2007, among Arizona youth in ninth through twelfth grades, 13% of girls and 7% of boys report ever experiencing sexual contact against their will (Arizona Department of Education, 2008).
  • In 2007, among Arizona youth in ninth through twelfth grades, 12% of girls and boys replied “yes” to the question, “During the past 12 months, did your boyfriend or girlfriend ever hit, slap, or physically hurt you on purpose?” (ibid.).

1 Forcible rape is defined by the Uniform Crime Reports as vaginal penetration of a female forcibly and against her will. Other sex offenses are not included in this data.

2 Sexual assault is defined by Arizona law as engaging in sexual intercourse or oral sexual contact with any person without consent.

SACASA’s History
The Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault has been providing services to victims and survivors of sexual assault and their families since 1973. The agency was started by a group of local women who observed that women were the victims of sexual aggression and sexual violence on the streets and in their homes, and that women were also victims of sexual harassment in schools and workplaces. The group began serving women in the community who presented following public talks given by the grass-roots founders.

In 1974, this grass-roots coalition formalized its operations and became a corporation under the name Coalition of Women’s Agencies. A 24-hour crisis line was established at the University of Arizona Women’s Center under the name Women Against Rape and a volunteer structure was put in place.

In 1978, the Coalition of Women’s Agencies and Women Against Rape united as the Tucson Rape Crisis Center. Due to the expansion of services throughout Southern Arizona, the name was changed in 1991 to the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault. Over the years, the 24/7 crisis hotline, offering services in both English and Spanish, has remained a core service. Other valuable programs have been added, including professional mental health services, medical forensic examinations and evidence collection, and community education.

Today SACASA is the largest provider of sexual assault services in the state of Arizona and the only organization in the state that provides the full continuum of sexual assault services. SACASA works in partnership with numerous other service providers (e.g., law enforcement and prosecution, hospitals, educational entities) to promote justice for victims and survivors and to promote healing from the trauma of sexual assault.

On April 1, 2015, SACASA became a program of CODAC Health, Recovery & Wellness, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

References
Arizona Department of Education (2008). 2007 Arizona Youth Risk Behavior Survey Trend Report. Available online at http://www.ade.az.gov/sa/health/matrix/2007AZBHTrend%20Report.pdf.

Rand, M.R. (2009) Criminal Victimization, 2008: the National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin. Rockville, MD: Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice.

Ruggiero, K.J. & Kilpatrick, D.G. (2003). Rape in Arizona: A report to the state. Charleston, SC: National Violence Against Women Prevention Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina.

Tjaden, P. & Thoennes, N. (2006). Extent, Nature, and Consequences of Rape Victimization : Findings From the National Violence Against Women Survey, Rep. No. NCJ 210346. Rockville, MD: Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice.