ENOLA, Pa., Aug. 30, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This year's National Sexual Assault Conference (NSAC) will be held in Washington, D.C. from August 31 to September 2, focusing on the theme "Hopeful Future, Honored Past." Professionals with expertise in all areas of sexual violence prevention and response will gather and engage in a dialogue on emerging issues and best practices in the field. Debuting at NSAC is the inaugural report on the state of sexual violence in the U.S. issued by Raliance, a new national partnership led by NSVRC, the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault-PreventConnect (CALCASA) and the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV). A record-breaking 1,600 sexual violence prevention professionals, advocates, survivors and others are expected to attend this year's conference.
Keynote speakers will include Jonathan Saltzman, member of The Boston Globe's Spotlight investigative team; ME Hart, CEO of Hart Learning Group; Steven Starr, father, filmmaker and activist; and Tracy D. Wright, TA provider and Communities of Color Leadership Project Coordinator.
NSAC, an annual conference, will be hosted this year by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) and the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR). This event provides opportunities to learn from professionals with expertise in areas including trauma-informed care, technology-facilitated services, social media and activism, men's role in sexual assault prevention and culturally relevant services that meet the needs of underserved communities. Attendees will participate in over twenty tracks and mini-tracks focusing on topics including campus sexual violence, military sexual assault, the media as a prevention tool and more.
This year's conference is sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Office on Violence Against Women, the National Football League (NFL) and the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma (IVAT). Raliance's report, entitled "Ending Sexual Violence in One Generation: A Progress Report for the U.S.," will be available at the conference.
For more information about the 2016 National Sexual Assault Conference, visit www.nsvrc.org/nsac.
Next year's conference will be held in Dallas, Texas from June 7-9, 2017.
ABOUT PCAR
Founded in 1975, Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape advocates for the rights and needs of sexual assault victims and works to end sexual violence. PCAR partners with a network of rape crisis programs to bring help, hope and healing around issues of sexual violence to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. To learn more, visit www.pcar.org.
ABOUT NSVRC
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) is the leading nonprofit in providing information and tools to prevent and respond to sexual violence. NSVRC translates research and trends into best practices that help individuals, communities and service providers achieve real and lasting change. The center also works with the media to promote informed reporting. Every April, NSVRC leads Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), a campaign to educate and engage the public in addressing this widespread issue. NSVRC is also one of the three founding organizations of Raliance, a national, collaborative initiative dedicated to ending sexual violence in one generation. The organization was chartered in 2000 by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To learn more, visit www.nsvrc.org.
ABOUT RALIANCE
Raliance serves as the central hub for effective allocation and distribution of programmatic funding in sexual violence prevention and as the go-to resource for policymakers, advocates, service providers and the media. Raliance is funded through a $10 million multiyear commitment from the National Football League. The name was inspired by the entity's intent to rally engagement from stakeholders and align goals and resources behind its overarching mission of putting a stop to sexual violence once and for all. Learn more at Raliance.org.