Photo By Cpl. Sabrina Candiaflores | U.S. Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ivan Soto, Officer in Charge of the...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz. (Jan. 24, 2018) – “In my 12 months of being the acting senior enlisted advisor for Headquarters & Headquarters Squadron, I realized there were a lot of Marines that needed to be educated on the programs of the Marine Corps,” stated Texas native, Master Gunnery Sgt. Raymond Perez, Jr., the Uniform Victim Advocate (UVA) and Staff Non-commissioned Officer in Charge of Installation Personnel Administration Center (IPAC). “So I figured not only would I assist the unit but the organization as well.”
UVA’s are well-trained service members that offer necessary support and care to sexual assault victims by providing information on their options and resources to assist them in making informed decisions.
Because the UVA’s are service members as well, the victims are able to relate more with a UVA opposed to a civilian victim advocate. As a result, they are more comfortable and can feel a sense of relief knowing that the UVA can relate to their experiences, because they’ve all been through similar obstacles. With that being said, Perez highlights the fact that, “as UVAs, we’re trained in not just the prevention of sexual assault, but we’re here to guide the victim to the right path. Whether that is legal support, emotional support, or medical support”.
The UVA program is successful because they establish a close bond with the victim.
“It’s important to build that relationship with the victim because one of our duties is to make sure they’re comfortable and that they know that help is there.” Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ivan Soto, the Officer in Charge of the IPAC Outbound Branch and a Chihuahua, Mexico native, emphasizes. “They can call a UVA at any time; that’s why we’re here.”
All UVAs go through the same process to become a certified uniformed victim advocate.
First, they are identified as candidates and fill out their command’s prescreening checklist, which ensures that they have the proper characteristics needed for the job. After attending the week-long training with the station’s Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC), the UVAs will be recognized nationally by the Department of Defense’ Sexual Assault Advocate Certificate Program.
For UVAs to retain their credentials, they must take certain courses throughout the year to help maintain and refresh their knowledge on sexual assault.
“Once you go through the process and you know exactly what every victim goes through, what they deal with, and how they feel, you kind of start seeing things from their perspective and understand how it affects them psychologically,” said Soto.
There is a mutual positive impact between the uniformed victim advocate and the victim, because with each case that comes through the UVA gains more knowledge to better assist and empathize with future victims.
“There’s a big impact when service members or family members come in and talk about situations that are life altering, and I can only imagine what they go through,” said Perez. “But I’m here to provide them guidance and proper directions so they can either seek the justice they want or the medical attention they need to recover.”
Aside from tending to the victims and their needs, the UVA also educates their respective unit on how to properly report and respond to sexual assault cases through annual training. The purpose of conducting this annual training is to bring awareness to sexual assault, so service members can be mindful wherever they go and maintain situational awareness.
On top of being a valuable resource in the Marine Corps, the UVAs take pleasure in helping their fellow service members and Corps.
Perez stated, “For over 26 years, the Marine Corps has done something for me so it’s time for me to give back as well.”
The Marine Corps has a zero tolerance policy for sexual assault, so when it does occur, you should direct the victim into the caring hands of a uniformed victim advocate so that they may give the assistance and resources that the victim will need.
| Date Taken: | 01.24.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 02.12.2018 10:45 |
| Story ID: | 265398 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA , AZ, US |
| Hometown: | CHIHUAHUA, CHH, MX |
| Hometown: | DALLAS, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 95 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, We're Here For You, by Cpl Sabrina Candiaflores, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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