One of the most exciting projects currently underway at EVAW International is the “Making a Difference” project, supported with generous funding by the William H. Donner Foundation. This innovative project is being undertaken jointly with Canadian professionals, with coordinated funding provided by the Donner Canadian Foundation.
 
Background
The stated purpose of the project is to "Make a Difference" by challenging the legal process in both the U.S. and Canada to more effectively prosecute sexual offenders. It is clear based on existing research that the criminal justice systems in the U.S. and Canada -- as in other countries -- are less likely to prosecute incidents of sexual assault if there is relationship between the victim and the accused, there is no sign of physical injury, and the suspect is not otherwise associated with criminal activity. However, these three characteristics are in fact typical for most adult sexual assaults.

• In fact, the research unequivocally documents that the vast majority of sexual assault crimes are committed by a person who is known to the victim, who is not otherwise associated with criminal activity, and who does not leave any evidence of physical injury on the victim.
   

• Therefore, the most frequent type of sexual assault is typically treated with leniency, while atypical sexual assault perpetrators are the ones who are likely to be held accountable for their crimes (i.e., those who are strangers, associated with criminal activity, and physically injure their victim).

The "Making a Difference" project was designed to address this problem, by facilitating reform in the U.S. and Canadian legal systems to challenge the status quo and more effectively prosecute incidents of adult sexual assault.
 
Working Together .. Across Disciplines, Communities, and Countries
From its inception, project staff envisioned a strategy for "Making a Difference" by facilitating reform in the U.S. and Canadian legal systems to challenge the status quo. The vision was that multi-disciplinary teams from 8 U.S. communities and 8 Canadian communities would become partners in a joint effort to work together collaboratively and set new national standards in each country for effectively prosecuting sex offenders, particularly ones whose crimes do not fit the stereotype of sexual assault.
 
In Phase I of the project (September 2003 to December 2004), community teams from each country thus joined together for a 3-day training conference (one hosted in each country). The training conferences were designed to provide an initial forum for participant communities to share strategies, highlight their challenges and successes, and coordinate their activities. More detailed information is available on the Making a Difference conference and the participating communities in both countries.
 
Grant funding was also awarded during Phase I for EVAW International to evaluate the success of the two conferences in achieving its stated objectives, and to carefully design the strategy for continued funding to support reform efforts in the 16 participating communities (8 in the U.S. and 8 in Canada). Detailed information is available both on the findings of the evaluation of the U.S. conference the reform efforts that are currently underway in each of the 8 U.S. communities. Similar work is planned for the Canadian teams, with the Donner Canadian Foundation currently preparing to hire a coordinator for the Making a Difference Project in Canada. One of the first tasks for this project coordinator will be to conduct a needs assessment in the 8 participating Canadian communities to determine the specific objectives and priorities for technical assistance to improve the prosecution of sexual assault.
 
Phase II was then conceptualized as supporting the project goals in an ongoing way, by providing various forms of technical assistance, including on-site training workshops, coordinated communication between the team members, and data collection efforts to document the success of any reform efforts. This second phase is now currently underway in the U.S., with funding provided by the William H. Donner Foundation from February 2005 to January 2006. Coordinated logistical planning is also taking place in Canada, in communication with the Donner Canadian Foundation.
 
While Phase II of the project involves providing various forms of technical assistance to the professionals in participating communities, the centerpiece of this phase may be the ambitious data collection effort that agencies are undertaking, with centralized coordination by the staff of EVAW International. The power and utility of this data simply cannot be overstated. While prior research has reported findings based on similar kinds of data from individual agencies or disciplines, never before has any research project attempted to collect this level of detailed information from the entire spectrum of agencies involved in sexual assault response -- including law enforcement, prosecution, forensic medicine, advocacy, and victim services. With such data in hand, EVAW International will be able to provide a detailed picture of the basic characteristics of sexual assault in these 16 communities in two countries, as seen by various agencies (e.g., law enforcement, prosecution, forensic medicine, and victim advocacy).
 
For example, analysis of this data will allow us to better understand how many sexual assault victims report their crime to law enforcement, and how the characteristics of their assaults determine whether their case will proceed through the entire criminal justice system to prosecution and conviction. We will even be able to link this analysis with comparable detail on the number of sexual assault victims seeking help from advocacy and other victim service organizations, and whether the characteristics of their crimes are similar or different to those reported to law enforcement and subsequently processed through the criminal justice system. Detailed information is available on the data collection efforts, including the basic research design and the research materials that are available for use by any interested professionals. 
 
Phase III of project activities will then be proposed to the William H. Donner Foundation at the end of 2005, with the hope that continued funding from February 2006 to January 2007 will allow the staff of EVAW International to provide ongoing technical assistance including additional on-site training workshops. This third phase will also allow the communities on both countries to continue to collect detailed data on their sexual assault case loads, with centralized coordination by EVAW International. Based on the original vision of the Making a Difference Project, it is expected that this ongoing data collection will reveal a variety of important indicators of reform, such as the following:

• More “typical” victims of sexual assault coming forward to seek help from victim service agencies and/or report their crime to law enforcement. (By “typical” victims, we mean those that are perpetrated by a non-stranger, who do not have a prior criminal record, and who do not use a weapon or inflict physical injury on the victim).
   

• Better collection of evidence by law enforcement and prosecution, and increased victim support in “typical” cases of sexual assault where consent is the probable defense.
   

• Increased communication and coordination among stakeholders from the various agencies involved in an integrated community response, including strategic planning to overcome obstacles and barriers to challenging the status quo.
   

• Better community education about the realistic dynamics of sexual assault and common responses of victims, and countering the notion that false reporting is widespread.
   

• Improved preparation for anticipating standard legal arguments and countering with techniques such as the use of expert witnesses to better convey the realistic dynamics of sexual assault crimes to judges and jurors.

With ongoing data collection and analysis, the staff of EVAW International will be able to test these hypotheses and others – to better understand how a cadre of dedicated professionals are currently Making a Difference in the 16 participating communities in 2 countries.