SAPR Stand-Down Day June 21 - AF puts spotlight on issue Published June 14, 2013 By Jenny Gordon Robins Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Robins will conduct a Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Stand-Down Day on June 21. The day's events -- directed by the Secretary of Defense and top Air Force leaders -- will include interactive commander's calls and small-group training sessions across the installation. The calls and training will emphasize that sexist behavior, sexual harassment and sexual assault will not be overlooked or ignored; Airmen at all levels, both military and civilian, will be held accountable for their conduct and behavior; and victims of these criminal acts will be treated with dignity and respect, as well as provided the best medical and rehabilitative care available. "The Air Force has taken a lot of actions to make this a better Air Force, to change the culture. This is one such action," said Cindy Graver, Robins' Sexual Assault Response Coordinator. Including next week's stand-down day, those actions include increasing the number of SARC personnel. At Robins, the SARC office will soon grow from two to five. This will include the addition of another fulltime SARC and two full-time victim advocates (in addition to the office's 24 volunteer VAs). A military officer will also be present. "This is huge," said Graver. "This means we can be out more and will be even more accessible." In January, the Air Force also implemented a Special Victim's Council for victims to receive legal representation and advocacy, and last summer, expedited transfers were made available for victims. Among other changes, all investigations related to sexual assault performed are now performed by the Office of Special Investigations, and a comprehensive online access tool for evidence collection has been created, called DSAID, or Defense Sexual Assault Database. In addition, the Air Force Audit Agency is conducting a review of SARC office credentials and qualifications; all SARCs and VAs now have to be credentialed through the National Organization for VictimAssistance. (Robins has already met this requirement.) All civilian and military personnel will also receive refresher training on professional responsibilities, ethics, critical duties and standards, and how violations of the standards impact mission readiness. Graver said she's very much looking forward to the SAPR Stand-Down Day. "Hopefully on June 21 people will walk away feeling they were heard and that others care. That's how you change the culture - one person at a time, one fix at a time," she said.