The Rape Treatment Center

https://www.uclahealth.org/medical-services/rtc.org

Founded in 1974, the Rape Treatment Center (RTC) is nationally recognized for its pioneering work on behalf of rape victims and sexually abused children and its exemplary treatment, prevention, and education programs. The RTC mission is to provide free expert, comprehensive, and compassionate care for child and adult victims of rape and sexual abuse 24 hours a day, including highly specialized emergency medical treatment and forensic examinations, crisis intervention, long-term professional counseling, advocacy, accompaniment, information and referral, and other support services. The Rape Treatment Center will use our grant of $20,000.00 to purchase 2 state-of-the-art, high definition digital recording systems to enhance their ability to diagnose, document, and treat traumatic injuries in sexually abused children. High definition photographic evidence enables jurors to see the physical realities of sexual abuse trauma. In addition, providing visible evidence of sexual abuse can, in some cases, help resolve criminal prosecutions earlier in the process, saving the child from the added stress and trauma that is sometimes associated with testimony in court. Successful prosecutions not only protect the child who has been victimized; but may also prevent other children in our community from being sexually assaulted by the same offenders.