About the Author

Kristin Littel has provided extensive technical assistance on issues relating to violence against women, including information gathering, writing, editing, product development, and meeting planning and facilitation. She was a victim advocate for many years, holding positions of executive director of a rape crisis center, co-coordinator of a sexual assault unit in a mental health agency, support group facilitator, and volunteer advocate for sexual assault and domestic violence victims. Since 1996, Littel has consulted with a variety of governmental and nongovernmental agencies. These include the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime and Office on Violence Against Women, the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs, the STOP Grants Technical Assistance Project of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the Center for Sex Offender Management, the Sexual Assault Resource Service, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, the Resource Sharing Project of the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Ending Violence Against Women International, the National Network to End Domestic Violence, and the Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault.