Prevention Services
Since 1996, rape crisis centers have developed education programs for elementary, middle, high school, and college students, as well as training and educational programs for community agencies. During the 2002-2003fiscal year, approximately 58,654elementary, middle, high, and college students statewide received prevention education, including presentations on sexual assault, healthy relationships, sexual harassment, and dating/intimate partner violence. Currently, prevention programming is available through local rape crisis centers in 109 of the state's 159 counties.

Crisis Services
Twenty-one community based rape crisis programs provide a continuum of services to victims of sexual assault, including a 24-hour crisis hotlines, crisis counseling, long-term counseling and support, criminal justice advocacy, and hospital accompaniment. During the 2002-2003 fiscal year, rape crisis programs assisted 1,503 persons who were either recently assaulted or assaulted in the past. Currently, these services are available in 109 of the state's 159 counties.

Other Activities
The Violence Against Women (VAW) education and awareness media campaign was launched in 2003. The campaign targeted adolescents, young adults, and their parents through research, advertising/news media relations, youth outreach, and educational packets regarding sexual violence prevention. . Twenty-two radio stations over a ten-week period aired 5,263 spots across six key markets reaching approximately 21 million people Sixteen community newspapers and a wide variety of college newspapers representing all key geographic areas of the state ran ads reaching approximately two million people. In addition, a Town Hall Meeting was conducted in collaboration with WSB-TV targeting teens (12-17) and their families to increase awareness and prevention of sexual violence, A website was created in collaboraton with the Georgia Network to End Sexual Assault (GNESA) to support the media campaign. In addition, a poster board and a CD of the radio spot were also created and distributed to other Public Health agencies including Youth Development Coordinators statewide.

• The Family Health Branch, Office of Women's Health Services collaborates on domestic violence issues and holds an ex-officio position on the Governor's Commission on Family Violence.
• Two Public Health districts are involved in the planning and implementation of comprehensive violence against women services.

Training

• The Violence Against Women Program has hosted a comprehensive 2-day Sexual Assault Advocate/Counselor Training as a pilot for The Federal Office of Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center

Prevention Planning

• The Division of Public Health (DPH) received a grant from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to conduct a needs assessment for VAW intervention and prevention work in the state and to develop a strategic plan for sustaining and enhancing this work. Members of the Injury Prevention Section, and, VAW program, and a representative from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council worked together to provide leadership for this project.
• The VAW program, in collaboration with the Division of Family and Children Services, The Division of Aging Services, and Georgia Legal Services is participating in the development of local level planning groups to provide county-by-county training for public health on assessment and availability of community resources for Elder Abuse, Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence.