Mission Statement
The Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CCASA) is a membership organization promoting safety, justice, and healing for survivors while working toward the elimination of sexual violence.
Our Vision
Colorado communities believe and support survivors, hold perpetrators accountable, and take action to end sexual violence.
Our Core Values
Anti-oppression and Social Justice/change – CCASA recognizes that sexual assault and oppression are intricately linked and is committed to grappling with the complexities of societal power and privilege in order to create inclusive policy and practices.
Survivor Focus – CCASA is devoted to listening to the stories of survivors and keeping their needs paramount in all aspects of our organizational work.
Collaboration and Community Engagement – CCASA is committed to creating a culture of collaboration with diverse communities, individuals, agencies, and stakeholders across Colorado. We believe that our mission is best accomplished through a process that prioritizes community input and participation.
Advocacy and Education – CCASA believes that in order to create a society free from sexual violence, we must advocate for survivors and educate our communities on the detrimental effects of sexual assault and the most effective ways to prevent violence from happening in the first place.
Safety and Freedom – CCASA is dedicated to providing leadership and resources for member programs and other sexual assault organizations in order to ensure that victims are safe, empowered, and able to move through the healing process.
Offender Accountability – CCASA believes that in order to protect community and victim safety, as well as prevent future victimization, we must place responsibility for this crime solely on offenders. CCASA recognizes that sexual violence is never the fault of a survivor. Offender accountability includes the commitment to manage offenders in our communities according to policies that reflect current, comprehensive research regarding effectiveness.
Ethical Practices – CCASA strives to ensure that all organizational policies and practices reflect transparency, responsibility, and integrity. We also believe that ethical communication is critical to achieving our mission.
Highlights of CCASA Achievements
1984
CCASA was formed by rape crisis advocates.
1988
Helped make marital rape a crime in Colorado.
1989
Provided statewide training on rural programs and new services.
1990-1993
Advocated for legislation extending the civil statute of limitations for sexual assault from one year to six years, providing an avenue for adult survivors to file civil actions.
1992
Began statewide training on Sexual Assault Exam protocol.
1993
Initiated statewide training on Sexually Transmitted Diseases and HIV/AIDS Protocol.
1995
Led efforts resulting in passage of comprehensive sexual assault victim’s rights legislation.
1995- Present
Helped create the Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW) Project – a statewide training team addressing sexual assault and domestic violence issues in communities.
1996
Advocated for legislation to increase victim safety through identification, prosecution, treatment, monitoring, and incarceration of sex offenders.
1998
Led efforts of Lifetime Supervision for Sex Offenders bill, providing the possibility of supervision of sex offenders by the justice system over the perpetrator’s lifetime.
1999
Led efforts to pass legislation making the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) a child abuse crime in Colorado; in collaboration CDPHE, released the first statewide survey on the prevalence of sexual assault in Colorado.
2002
Led efforts to pass legislation extending Statute of Limitations for reporting childhood sexual abuse and requiring mandatory reporting of abuse for clergy; in collaboration CDPHE, launched the “Stimulate Conversation” Campaign on four Colorado college campuses. This web-based sexual assault prevention campaign, geared towards young men, addresses the confusion, concerns and challenges that suround questions of sexual consent. This program can be accessed at www.whynotask.org.
2003
Hosted the first Colorado statewide conference on sexual assault, entitled “Making Connections: Human Rights, Social Justice, and Prevention and Advocacy.” The conference featured national speakers including Loretta Ross, Executive Director of the National Center for Human Rights Education; Jackson Katz, co-founder, Mentors in Violence Prevention Program, and foremost authority on sexual violence prevention programs for men; Dr. David Lisak, Professor of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, and expert on sex offender tactics; Marc LeBeau, Investigator with FBI and author of “Drug -Facilitated Sexual Assault: A Forensic Handbook”; and Bonnie Campbell, former director of the Violence Against Women Office in Washington, DC.
