Reunion Online

When a person is sexually assaulted, they may choose to undergo a forensic examination to collect DNA evidence left behind in the assault. The evidence is preserved in a sexual assault evidence collection kit, often referred to as a rape kit.

Each October, we join hundreds of other organizations to recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month. DVAM is an opportunity to deepen our understanding of these issues, share resources, and most importantly, support survivors.

Lyzanne Malfitano has been a hotline shift supervisor at the Chicago Rape Crisis Hotline for five years. She is the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning) staff trainer for the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago 40-Hour Sexual Assault Crisis Intervention Training. She is also a mental health counselor and provides counseling to women and LGBTQ adults at the Chicago Women’s Health Center, focusing on feminist-relational, trauma-informed counseling.

Healing from trauma looks different for every survivor. At Joyful Heart, our healing programs are based on honoring each survivor’s journey.

In June 2017, Texas became the first state in the nation to enact all of Joyful Heart’s six legislative pillars of comprehensive rape kit reform. We asked Ilse Knecht, Joyful Heart’s Director of Policy & Advocacy, what this legislative victory means for our work. Watch a video of her conversation with Christine Show, Digital Platforms Manager.