Former MIIS student named director
SALINAS>> A woman inspired by feminist leaders at the Monterey Institute of International studies and who for a long time has fought against sexism and sexual violence has been named executive director of the Monterey County Rape Crisis Center.
Lauren DaSilva took the reins of the center in January after serving as deputy director since 2014, where she worked directly with clients, headed up volunteer training, wrote grants and managed staff. She interned at the center while she studied at MIIS and began full-time after earning her master’s degree in public administration. She came to Monterey from Madera where she volunteered in several roles in support of sexual assault survivors and was a sexual assault counselor. Today, she said she is fortunate to work for an organization that’s goals are so closely aligned with her own sets of values.
Da Silva in a recent conversation with MIIS graduate student Anna Navran, said she was inspired by feminist leaders she found at MIIS, including faculty members Pushpa Iyer, Mahabat Baimyrzaeva and Nükhet Kardam, all of whom are nationally recognized for their work in areas involving women’s rights.
Monday, which was International Women’s Day, DaSilva said the center has seen increases in the number of people seeking support following a sexual assault. While outreach and community education have played a role by making county residents, including children, more aware of the help the center provides, it’s also attributed to the increased services.
Once a survivor makes it through the immediate crisis, the center staff or volunteers will accompany survivors to forensic medical exams, interviews with law enforcement and the district attorney, and court hearings for sexual assault and child abuse-related cases.
Group and individual counseling with licensed therapists or registered interns is available to survivors and significant others.
Sexual assault claims as its victims many different people. Roughly 20% of the center’s clients are men and 35% are children under the age of 18. Many survivors belong to the LGBTQ community and may identify as multiple genders.
National studies have shown the sexual violence rate is higher for the LGBTQ community, as well as for people of color. DaSilva stressed that the center is multilingual and multicultural. Roughly 60% of the center’s clients were Latinx, while 22% were white.
Prevention education in the 2019-2020 school year included 1,633 kindergarten, 1,720 third grade; 1,615 sixth grade students for a total of 4,975 students and 169 parents.
The pandemic has brought several challenges to the work of the center. In-person responses have transitioned to phone or video with secure Zoom calls and telehealth platforms.
DaSilva says she is proud of the way the organization pivoted its services and points to the fact that they are still serving the same number of survivors as they did before COVID-19.
“I am most proud of articulating a set of values, for myself and for our collective work and landing on how to make those values felt by our clients and the community.”