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SALT LAKE, Utah (ABC4 Utah) --  Amidst high-profile sexual assault allegations in the workplace, many cases still go unreported. There are local agencies that can walk you through the steps on how to file a grievance with your employer.

Some are saying this is a watershed moment. The Rape Recovery Center says they've had a 76 percent increase in calls into their crisis line last month.

Mara Haight, Rape Recovery Center Executive Director, "False reporting is rare. About 90% of survivors are not reporting. If we embolden people to share their case, that number will continue to increase. It won't mean more people are being assaulted it means more people are speaking out."

But how do you go about doing that?

One of the first calls could be to the Rape Recovery Center.

"Our first concern is how are you feeling? How are you doing? What do you want right now? If reporting to police is not what you feel comfortable with, we'll help them. It might be an advocate that helps you contact the HR representative. We'll help you find the words, what to say," said Haight.
 
Turner Bitton, the Executive Director at the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault or UCASA has been taking calls from employers and training organizations on safe work environments.

"We've had calls from ski resorts to non-profit organizations and government agencies reaching out for training," Bitton.

Bitton says it starts with strong leadership and a commitment to a safe working environment, training and policies in place on how to file a human resources complaint.
 
And for the survivor, knowing the resources available is key.

"We want to give you all the information and choices that you need to make a decision that feels empowering to you," said Haight. 

There are nearly a dozen resources community based sexual violence services in Utah.

Free and confidential victim support is available 24 hours a day at 888-421-1100.

This piece first appeared on good4utah.com. Click here to read the original article.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4 Utah) An 11 year run from the law comes to an end for a former Utah corrections officer.

US Marshals captured William Lawrence in Hawaii Monday.

While working in the Utah State prison, Lawrence handcuffed a young woman to a bed and used his badge to force her to have sex. Before sentencing, Lawrence fled, eluding police since 2006.

"I was so excited that justice had finally been served," Turner Bitton said, executive director for Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault (UCASA).

The 41-year-old is accused of using his law enforcement background to hide from officers.

US Marshals from Utah finally caught up to him while eating lunch at a Kauai McDonalds, where he had been living under a new identity.

"We were pretty excited. We couldn't work fast enough to uncover more things about this individual, this new person that we had learned of. There were a lot of high fives up on the 4th floor," said US Marshal Supervisor Deputy Derryl Spencer.

Advocates at UCASA said the cold-case arrest reaffirms sexual assault victims that justice will be served.

"The thing that I think it speaks the most to is the fact that there are dedicated professionals working to balance the scales of justice," Bitton said.

Free and confidential help and support for victims and survivors of sexual assault or harassment is available via phone 24/7 at 1-888-421-1100 or online at UCASA.org/resources.

Spencer said possible charges could be filed against anyone who helped hide Lawrence while he eluded law enforcement.

This piece first appeared on Good4Utah.com. Click here to read the original article.

SOUTH SALT LAKE Utah (ABC4 Utah) -  It took seven years, but a rape victim now knows the man who allegedly raped her.

Thursday, the Salt Lake District Attorney's office filed charges against 53-year-old David Zachary Swigart related to the 2010 sexual assault.

"This case could be construed as a cold case and based on the evidence of this case, the charges are warranted," said Sim Gill, Salt Lake County District Attorney. 

According to Gill, police knew who the suspect was.  He said the problem was finding the victim which police did last year.

In 2010, police began investigating the rape allegations. According to the charges and a search warrant, the 18-year-old was walking along 3300 South near 600 East.
That's when a man forced her to a nearby parking lot.  There, he threatened to kill the teen, raped her and left.  For seven years, the case remain unsolved.

"What I'm happy to see is that it looks like justice is about to be served," said Turner Bitton, executive director with the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault (UCASA).

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Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault Executive Director Turner Bitton talks about local programs to help those who are facing sexual violence.  He also speaks about UCASA's program 'Start by Believing'  that teaches the community how to recognize and help a victim.

For more information about UCASA, visit ucasa.org. For immediate support, you can always reach The Utah's 24-hour Sexual Violence Crisis Line at (888) 421-1100.

Click here to watch the video and read the original article on Fox 13's The Place.

The words #MeToo flooded Turner Bitton’s feed as he scrolled through social media. He estimated roughly two-thirds of women and a fair number of men he knew used the viral hashtag meant to identify sexual assault victims.

As executive director of the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault, or UCASA, Bitton is no stranger to the fact that sexual abuse plagues American society, but even he was surprised at the number of people who spoke out using the hashtag.

“One of the things that this campaign in particular has done is really shown the scope of the issue. … it gives people an idea of how big the scope of the problem is,” Bitton said.

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A year after Brigham Young University began offering amnesty from Honor Code investigations to students who report sexual assaults, the “huge culture of fear” has eased, senior Tinesha Zandamela believes 

But changing the climate on campus — including seeing a widespread understanding of consent — will take more time and more conversations, said Zandamela, a member of the Young Emerging Leaders Advisory Council for the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault (UCASA).

“We have hundreds and hundreds of students, maybe thousands, who don’t believe that sexual assault actually even happens on this campus or that it’s just this rarity and we don’t need to talk about it,” she said.

“So until we do talk about it more and be a little bit more loud and constant with our message and with more education,” she said, “I don’t think that too much is going to change.”

Tiffany Turley, the school’s new full-time Title IX coordinator, said the university has received more sexual assault reports in the first few weeks of classes than it saw in fall semester last year.

Her office, charged with swiftly responding to and resolving complaints of sexual violence, has provided 60 training sessions to students and faculty already this semester, Turley said.

“I think people just might not have known what Title IX was before, so with all the trainings that we’re doing, the awareness campaigns … people know there is a place on campus where they can go and get help,” she said.

She said the reports are “significant” but declined to provide a specific figure.

“The number of reports is really what kind of helps us sleep at night,” she said, “and know that while every day we go home and wonder, ‘What more could we do?’ we know that what we’re doing now is heading in the right direction and it’s making a difference to our students.

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(KUTV) Social media continues to blow up with the “Me Too” campaign, spreading awareness about sexual harassment and assault.

All of this movement on social media is now having an effect here in Utah. More people are talking about their experiences with sexual violence, and they're reaching out to places that can help.

Turner Bitton, executive director of the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said his organization has seen a spike in people asking for help and seeking resources.

“This morning I had 11 emails,” said Bitton. “Folks are reaching out not just about sexual violence but also about sexual harassment.”

It's the outgrowth of the explosive story involving Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. As his accusers have come forward, so have people across the world to share their own stories.

The coalition is now helping those sexual assault survivors find services and helping others prevent violence in the first place.

“One of the emails that was in my inbox this morning was, I want to do a training on sexual harassment, I want to do a training about professionalism in the workplace,” said Bitton.

All this is helping bring some positivity out of the pain of this difficult issue.

“We’ve really seen not only businesses but survivors, folks from around the state reaching out, wanting to engage in this issue,” Bitton said. “It’s very, very gratifying.”

To find resources for sexual assault survivors and for more information, visit UCASA.org/resources.

Sexual assault victims can also call the 24/7 Sexual Violence Crisis Line at 1-888-421-1100.

This piece originally appeared on KUTV 2news. Click here to read the original article. 

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