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January 2016 Community Education E-bulletin
Welcome to the January 2016 edition of Hope House's Community Education E-bulletin!
1. Baraboo High School T-Shirt Design Competition
8. Faith Communities' Section
Baraboo High School T-Shirt Design Competition
The Advisory Committee for Hope House's Rape Prevention Education sub-grant is planning a design competition at Baraboo High School (BHS)! Throughout February, Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, BHS students can submit original artwork that celebrates a culture of consent and emphasizes the importance of respect in relationships. The top design will be printed on t-shirts so students and community members can wear their support! "Like" Hope House's Facebook page to stay updated and see sneak previews of submitted designs.
Hope House Donation Needs
Bathrooms: Toilet bowl cleaner, Toilet paper, Deodorant, Disposable razors, Small garbage cans with bags, Nail clippers, Cleaning supplies such as Lysol disinfecting spray and floor cleaner, Clorox wipes, Hairspray, Bleach, Bathroom rugs and bath mats
Kitchen: Paper towels, Ziploc bags, Silverware, Tupperware, Small mason jars, Dishwasher soap, 13-Gallon garbage bags, Brush for cleaning bottles, Sip cups, Saran wrap, Aluminum foil
Food and Beverages: Meat, Fresh fruit and vegetables, Yogurt, Cheese, Canned soup, Snack items (crackers, granola bars, etc.), Fruit juice, Milk
Laundry: Powder laundry detergent, Dryer sheets, Fabric softener sheets
Misc: Vacuum, New white full/twin bed sheets, Double stroller, Baby wipes, Band-Aids, Diapers and pull-ups, Pocket-sized calendars, Baby bottles, Umbrellas, Hangers, Weather radio, Journals, Exercise balls, Yoga/exercise DVDs, Relaxation CDs, Baby thermometer, CD players, Regular light bulbs
13 Black Women on How an Oklahoma City Police Officer Terrorized Their Neighborhood: "These questions are underscored in the testimony of 13 black women in Oklahoma City who accused former police officer Daniel Holtzclaw of several instances of sexual assault and rape. Thursday night, a jury found Holtzclaw guilty on 18 out of 36 charges of burglary, indecent exposure, stalking, sexual battery, forcible oral sodomy, and rape after 40 hours of deliberation"…Read more…Read related articles: Daniel Holtzclaw: Former Oklahoma City Police Officer Guilty of Rape, Oklahoma City Ex-Cop's Convictions a Rare Triumph for Rape Victims, and Daniel Holtzclaw's Accusers Teach Us A Lot About Rape Culture
Montgomery County DA Charges Bill Cosby in 2004 Sexual Assault: "The criminal investigation into Cosby was reopened in July after new evidence was learned, according to Montgomery County prosecutor Kevin Steele. These developments highlight several important facts about sexual assault: Delayed disclosures of sexual violence are normal and common"…Read more…Read related article: Bill Cosby Charged in Sexual Assault Case
I Left My Pimp at 19 and Started an Organization That Serves Sexually Exploited Young Women: "Even though we were from different cultures and different continents, I knew what it was like to grow up in a home filled with violence, substance abuse, and to learn distorted lessons about love and family. I knew what it was like to be broke and homeless, longing for love and security. To be so very vulnerable to the lure of the commercial sex industry and open to the false promises of a pimp. I knew what it felt like when the girls would say they were trapped, that they didn't believe there was a future for them and that they would never be able to do anything else. And I knew the pain of confusing love with fear, and security with control. What I also knew (that many of the girls didn't know yet) was how hard it is to leave, to start from scratch, to heal from the trauma, and to begin to feel like you actually belonged in the 'square' world"…Read more
UW-Madison Now Under Federal Investigation for Handling of Three Sex Assault Cases: "The instigation of a new probe last month means the University of Wisconsin-Madison is under federal investigation for its handling of three sexual violence cases, among the highest for any college campus in the nation"…Read more
"Silent Consent" Photo Series By Miklos Kiss Highlights Violence Against Women & Demonstrates The Complexities Of Consent: "Instead of assuming that only 'no' means 'no,' new affirmative consent standards are dictating that only 'yes' means 'yes' — and that's a good thing. But what happens when a 'yes' is not enthusiastic, but rather given under pressure, coercion, or threat? Miklos Kiss' "Silent Consent" photography series examines situations around the world where 'yes' does not mean 'yes' because women are not allowed to say 'no'"…Read more
9 Lessons I've Learned As A Rape Crisis Counselor That Are Applicable To Everyday Life: "This lesson is also known as 'showing up.' It's 90 percent of the emergency room advocate's role. I was once called in for a survivor who hadn't slept for more than a day, because immediately after her attack, police and family members stepped in to start investigating. By the time I got there, she didn't want to tell her story again — she just wanted to sleep. So she slept. I read a magazine next to her and made sure no one came in the room whom she hadn't okayed. She could rest knowing that she was safe for those few hours. That was the best way her ER stay could have gone"…Read more
Activists Welcome China's 1st Domestic Violence Law: "Xinhua said the law defines domestic violence as physical, psychological and other harm inflicted by family members with beatings and verbal threats listed as examples. It protects married partners, children and the elderly, as well as cohabiting heterosexual couples. People in immediate danger can file for a personal protection order that can require the abuser to move out of the home and the court must rule within 72 hours. Longtime campaigner Feng Yuan welcomed the law, but said it doesn't protect gay partners or state clearly whether sexual violence is covered"…Read more
This Comedian Made A Brave Reveal On Instagram: She Was Raped By Her Ex: "'I've had an amazing year and you've seen the highlights here, so these photos are an uncommon thing to share but not an uncommon issue,' Stelling captioned a disturbing photo of her bruised limbs. 'There are many reasons not to make an abusive relationship public, mostly fear. Scared of what people will think, scared it makes me look weak or unprofessional. When friends or comics ask why we broke up it's not easy or comfortable to reply; it doesn't seem like the appropriate thing to say at a stand-up show, a party or a wedding. It's embarrassing. I feel stupid. After being verbally, physically abused and raped, I dated him for two more months. It's not simple'"…Read more
13 Portraits Show Domestic Violence Survivors Will Not Be Defined By Their Abuse: "Created by artist Chantal Barlow, the Unconventional Apology Project features 13 portraits of domestic violence survivors or women who know someone who has experienced some form of abuse. Instead of shooting somber portraits of victims, Barlow took photos of survivors laughing and smiling to show that these women will not be defined by their abuse"…Read more
Groundbreaking New Domestic Abuse Laws Could Turn Emotional Abuse and Mind Games into Crimes: "The Scottish Government has launched a consultation looking at how best to take forward plans to create a specific new offence of domestic abuse. This could see the law expanded to take in a range of actions which are not currently classed as being criminal, such as depriving someone of their liberty, isolating them from loved ones and controlling their access to money"…Read more
Tipping the Scales: The Resilience Game: [From Harvard University] "In this interactive feature, you will learn how the choices we make can help children and the community as a whole become more resilient in the face of serious challenges. Negative events can occur at any moment, and it's your job to choose positive events to counteract these negatives"…Read more and play
Financial Abuse of the Elderly: Sometimes Unnoticed, Always Predatory: "With 10,000 people turning 65 every day for the next decade, a growing pool of retirees are susceptible to such exploitation. As many as one in 20 older adults said they were financially mistreated in the recent past, according to a study financed by the Justice Department…Even when the sums are large, cases like Ms. Cooper's are often difficult to prosecute because of their legal complexity and because the exploitation goes unnoticed or continues for long periods. Money seeps out of savings and retirement funds so slowly it draws attention only after it is too late"…Read more…Read related article: What Banks Are Doing to Halt Elder Abuse
Justice Department Issues Guidance on Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias in Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence: "The guidance, through a series of detailed case examples, advises law enforcement agencies to incorporate the following principles into clear policies, comprehensive training and effective supervision protocols: Recognize and address biases, assumptions and stereotypes about victims. Treat all victims with respect and employ interviewing tactics that encourage a victim to participate and provide facts about the incident. Investigate sexual assault or domestic violence complaints thoroughly and effectively. Appropriately classify reports of sexual assault or domestic violence. Refer victims to appropriate services. Properly identify the assailant in domestic violence incidents. Hold officers who commit sexual assault or domestic violence accountable"…Read more
How Did Social Media Get So Vicious?: "When you spot a woman getting attacked or unfairly criticized, consider writing on her feed a simple 'ouch' or 'Please, have respect.' Those words, especially 'ouch,' put a troll on notice, says Southworth—without, most likely, inciting him or her to turn on you. She also urges you to get your male buddies to do the same. 'There's such power in men holding other men accountable,'…The point: Remind people #letsbehuman. Making direct contact worked for Alanah Pearce, a 22-year-old gaming journalist. After getting the message 'i'll rape u if i ever see u c—t' on Facebook, she started sleuthing and discovered the message had been sent by a teenage boy. So she did what most of us would do in real life: She told his mom. 'I was wondering if you might be interested in discussing [this] with him,' she messaged. The mom responded…Afterward, the boy stopped harassing Pearce"…Read more
Deck The Gals With Neon Duct Tape: Photographer Declares "Peace On Earth" By Silencing Women In Family's Holiday Photo: "Certainly it's in poor taste, but hopefully the little girls are not suffering from ripping off the painful duct tape, or the utterly bizarre experience of being tied up with Christmas lights, or from hearing the message: 'Actually, the world is more pleasant when your voice isn't in it.' Because that is the overall message and theme of this photo – women are better silent and unmoving than talking and taking action. That is what these girl are being told, even if you think this joke is 'cute'"…Read more
Watch A Reporter Shut Down R. Kelly's Sexist On-Air Tantrum: "R. Kelly got a bit miffed Monday afternoon when HuffPost Live host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani questioned the artist about how the sexual assault allegations against him impact the way fans consume his music. Kelly was so affronted by the line of questioning that he up and left the studio -- but not before he commented on Modarressy-Tehrani's appearance, wondered whether she knew what the word 'deposition' meant and questioned her level of intelligence"…Read more
Why You Should Always Buy the Men's Version of Almost Anything: "The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs compared nearly 800 products with female and male versions — meaning they were practically identical except for the gender-specific packaging — and uncovered a persistent surcharge for one of the sexes. Controlling for quality, items marketed to girls and women cost an average 7 percent more than similar products aimed at boys and men"…Read more
"What Did It Mean to 'Be a Man' in 2015?": "2015 was the year that masculinity became a global topic of conversation. To further the dialogue, The Representation Project focused our fourth annual video retrospective on the state of masculinity. Check out 'What did it mean to 'be a man' in 2015?' above and share positive examples of masculinity with #Unmasked"…Watch the video here
Man accused of sex offense commits suicide: "Police say the body of David J. Knoble was found Dec. 30 at his residence in the 400 block of South Park Street in Reedsburg. Knoble was wanted by authorities for allegedly sexually assaulting an underage parishioner while serving as the music director at a Reedsburg church. The charges were filed Dec. 29 in Sauk County Circuit Court"…Read more
Groups bring suicide out of the shadows: "Among the participating coalitions is Prevent Suicide Columbia County, which formed in 2013… The Sauk Prairie School District is taking the lead in forming a new suicide prevention subgroup out of its existing Sauk Prairie Wellness Alliance, an organization formed this year to bring awareness to mental health issues in the community… Like Sauk Prairie, Mauston High School had a student commit suicide in the past year"…Read more
Daniel Coughlin, 52, of Lyndon Station, was found guilty of two counts of first degree sexual assault of a child and three counts of second degree sexual assault of a child…Read more
Christopher Donahou, 26, of Reedsburg, is facing felony charges for the abuse of mother and her 2-year-old child…Read more
David Schlough, 61, of Baraboo, has been charged with false imprisonment and misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and operating a firearm while intoxicated…Read more
The "Rude" Behavior I'm Teaching My Kids {Sexual Abuse Prevention}: "I have to teach them to trust their gut when they feel something they can't put into words – and I have to be willing to trust it, too. And that means no matter who you are, my kids don't have to give you a hug or kiss if they don't want to. For ANY reason. Ever. The holiday season means more outings, more celebrations, more family gatherings, more crowds – more people in general…Children should not be forced to give or receive physical affection if they are not comfortable with it. What's at stake is so much more serious than being labeled 'rude' or Aunt Mildred's hurt feelings over being rejected by a 2-year-old. Why? Because 90% of children who are victims of sexual abuse know their abuser"…Read more
How Common Are Bullying and Fighting among High Schoolers?: "In 2013, US high school students took the CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey. This infographic outlines some of the findings related to bullying and fighting"…View the infographic
Why High School Students Don't Intervene to Stop Dating Violence: "The overwhelmingly majority of teens witness dating aggression or sexual violence among their peers, but many choose not to intervene — sometimes because they want to avoid drama, sometimes because they want to fuel drama, and sometimes because they're afraid of second-guessing a more popular kid…Teens also gave examples of how they had stepped in to shield friends from unwanted advances, or to show aggressive girls and boys that their interest was unrequited"…Read more
A Chilling Message About Sexism From Daughters To Their Dads: "Warning: The below video contains content that may be triggering to some readers. 'Dear Daddy... I know you already try harder than Superman…but I need to ask you a favor. Warning: It's about boys.' That's how a powerful new video called '#DearDaddy' begins. Created by the Norwegian charity organization CARE, the five-minute video follows young women from birth to adulthood and uses a powerful narrative to illustrate the various forms of sexual assault, domestic violence and everyday sexism so many women experience throughout their lives"…Read more
SafeBAE Title IX PSA: Please watch this new 2-minute video on middle and high school students' rights under Title IX and share with teens, parents of teens, and those that work with teens.
Free Faith Trust Institute Webinar on Jan. 6: Human Trafficking and the Role of the Faith Community: "Human trafficking is modern slavery. It is a complex, multi-billion dollar system that traps vulnerable people and economically exploits them. Women and children in our cities and towns are being forced into the sex trade. Join us for an examination of this issue, and how you and your faith community can make a difference in the lives of those in need. The abolition movement has been re-born, and we can each play a role in ending slavery. Robert Beiser, Executive Director of Seattle Against Slavery, will discuss how a coalition of grassroots activists have taken on the mission to end human trafficking, one city at a time." Time:1-2 pm CT Register for this online presentation.
November 2015 Community Education E-bulletin
Welcome to the November 2015 edition of Hope House's Community Education E-bulletin!
1. Hope House Receives New Grant
2. October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month
11. Training Opportunities
Hope House Receives Grant and Invites You to Join the Advisory Committee
Hope House is excited to announce that we were one of two organizations in the state awarded the Rape Prevention Education sub-grant through the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault. With this funding, we created a new position, the Prevention Project Coordinator and hired Robin Bariel this October. She will work closely with Baraboo High School to help plan and implement classroom and extracurricular education that gives students the skills to build healthy relationships. She will coordinate school staff training, facilitate parent and community education, foster a coalition, and influence policy and organizational practices.
To ensure success of the project, the grant requires input from school staff, parents, students, and other community members. Hope House would like to invite you to actively participate on an advisory committee to provide feedback and guidance on how we can best work towards eliminating risk factors for sexual violence at Baraboo High School. The first meeting will be Monday, November 9 from 6 - 7:30 pm at East Elementary School in Baraboo. If interested in attending or wanting to learn more, please contact Robin at 608-356-9123 or email her here.
October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM)
Wow, what a month! Staff, volunteers, and community members were quite busy raising awareness of domestic violence in our service area. We released our I Am a Survivor video, held a luncheon on the impact of domestic violence on children, raised awareness at three local high school football games, put up community displays, staffed awareness booths at Juneau County Women's Night Out and the Sharing Suppers in Portage, Endeavor and Mauston, participated in Ho-Chunk's DVAM walk at the House of Wellness, and more. Local businesses, such as Fantastic Sams in Baraboo and Health Source Chiropractic in Baraboo, held promotions benefiting Hope House, and Culver's in Lake Delton had a donation jar with awareness cards. WRPQ in Baraboo ran DVAM PSAs and local law enforcement had NO MORE magnets on their squad cars. Thank you to everyone who helped raise awareness this October!
Here are some resources you may be interested in that came out this year for DVAM:
Private Violence Presents: Why We Stayed: "The question 'why doesn't she just leave' dominates and derails the way we talk about and approach domestic violence. Writer and survivor Beverly Gooden confronted this question head on and ignited a movement with her #WhyIStayed hashtag. Find out more about her story and hear from other survivors in our new short #WhyWeStayed"…Watch the 7-minute clip here
7 Ways to End Domestic Violence for #DVAM2015: "We're nearing the end of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, but that doesn't mean it's too late to get involved! Domestic violence is an issue that affects communities everywhere all year round. There are always opportunities to raise awareness and support survivors. In honor of all survivors, here are 7 ways YOU can #SeeDV and #TakeAStand against domestic violence"…Read more
Director Hannelore Williams Discusses LoveStruck Documentary Webseries: "This week, we sat down with filmmaker Hannelore Williams, director of the forthcoming three part documentary webseries, LoveStruck. In LoveStruck, Williams interviews both survivors and perpetrators of domestic violence, honestly exploring the personal toll of the nationwide epidemic"…Read more
31 of the Most Power Domestic Violence Moments in the Last Year: "This October, for National Domestic Violence Awareness Month let's look back at the many newsworthy and heart-wrenching domestic violence moments from this past year that informed, enraged, and inspired us all to bring greater awareness to this issue"…Read more
Kitchen: Paper towels, Ziploc bags, Tupperware, Small mason jars, Dishwasher soap, 13-Gallon garbage bags, Silverware, Brush for cleaning bottles, Sip cups, Saran wrap, Aluminum foil
Misc: Pack 'n Play, Vacuum, New white full/twin bed sheets, Double stroller, Baby wipes, Band-Aids, Diapers and pull-ups, Pocket-sized calendars, Strollers, Baby bottles, Umbrellas, Hangers, Weather radio, Journals, Exercise balls, Yoga/exercise DVDs, Relaxation CDs, Baby thermometer, CD players, Regular light bulbs
Domestic Violence
Fire Company Uses Purple Truck to Focus on Domestic Violence: "A central Pennsylvania volunteer fire company is using a purple fire truck to raise awareness of domestic violence. The Newburg Fire Company in Logan Township uses the truck in parades and other public events, but it's no longer used to fight fires"…Read more
Purple Goes With Your Pink Ribbon: Domestic Violence Is a Women's Health Issue: "The negative effects of abuse reach far beyond visible injuries. Verbal and emotional abuse affect the psychological and physical health of victims; economic abuse forces dependence on the abuser, limiting access to money and outside support. Reproductive coercion restricts women's reproductive health choices. Rape and sexual abuse deprive victims of their right to sexual agency. These forms of abuse, which leave no mark and are easily disguised by the abusers, can nonetheless be as difficult to escape as physical violence and, moreover, have a statistically significant effect on women's health"…Read more
NFL's Problem Isn't Too Many Abusers; It's Too Few Terry Bradshaws Speaking Out: "Bradshaw gets what so many around the league don't: that the NFL doesn't have a woman problem, it has a man problem, and it's going to take famous men shunning other men to change it…That's why what Bradshaw did on 'Fox NFL Sunday' was so important: In a searing rant, the Hall of Famer tore into Hardy for his apparent lack of remorse for assaulting a woman, and also laid into owner Jones as an 'enabler'"…Read more
Florida Judge Jails Domestic Abuse Victim for Not Testifying: "The judge asked the woman to explain herself during a contempt of court hearing on July 30 for failing to appear to testify against Brennan the week before. The woman apologized, saying she had been 'dealing with depression' and anxiety since the abuse incident. But the judge responds, 'You think you have anxiety now? You haven't seen anxiety.' The woman said she took a domestic abuse class and had asked that the charges be dropped. 'I'm trying to move on with my life,' she said. 'I'm homeless now. I'm living with my parents. I'm just not in a good place right now.' After a bit of back and forth, Collins found the woman in contempt of court and sentenced her to three days in county jail. 'I have a 1-year-old son and I'm trying to care of him by myself,' the victim said, sobbing. 'I'm begging you, please, please don't'"…Read more
CHVRCHES Lead Singer Lauren Mayberry Opens Up about Abusive Relationships, and How She Got Out: "I would have been the first person to tell a friend she needed to end that relationship if the roles had been reversed, but I always made excuses and didn't view what was happening to me as 'abuse' because he had never physically hurt me — only those few times where it seemed like he was hinting at it but then took it back"…Read more
NNEDV Appalled by NFL Decision to Fine Player for Raising Awareness about Domestic Violence: "'While we understand the need for standard player uniforms, a nearly $6,000 fine seems excessive,' said Kim Gandy, NNEDV President & CEO. 'This amount could help a local program put up nearly 30 victims in a hotel if their shelter was full. It could serve as the down payment on a new, safe apartment for a dozen survivors. It is unconscionable that the NFL would choose to further line its pockets when all William Gay did was wear purple shoes to honor his mother, who was tragically killed by Gay's stepfather'"…Read more
After Ray Rice, The NFL Pledged Millions To Fight Domestic Violence. Here's How The Money Was Spent: "One year later, ThinkProgress checked up on these initiatives, and confirmed that the NFL has indeed devoted millions of dollars and a significant amount of time to trying to figure out how to address domestic violence, both within the league and among the public. But while that money and time is being put to good use on a national scale, the local domestic violence and sexual assault centers that provide direct service work — the ones that the national groups rely on for the on-the-ground assistance — are still struggling to stay afloat. And while the NFL is trying to address its internal issues through training and regulations, changing the culture of the league is far easier said than done, particularly with the same leadership intact"…Read more
Woman Says She Was Fired For Getting Beat Up By Her Boyfriend. She's Not Alone: "While the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) gives any employee at a company with 50 or more employees the right to take unpaid leave for a medical issue, which victims can use to recover from injuries, they often need to take leave for a much wider number of issues: going to court appearances, meeting with lawyers or the police, getting counseling, switching locks or even moving locations to stay safe. None of that is covered by the FMLA, and only 15 states require leave for victims to take care of those needs"…Read more
Rihanna Wants You to Stop Reminding Her about Chris Brown's Domestic Abuse Against Her: "Speaking to Vanity Fair magazine, Rihanna explained that she felt that victims of abuse are being continually punished every time the subject is brought up. 'I just never understood that, like how the victim gets punished over and over,' Ri said. 'It's in the past, and I don't want to say 'Get over it,' because it's a very serious thing that is still relevant; it's still real. A lot of women, a lot of young girls, are still going through it. A lot of young boys too"…Read more
Hope Solo Again Will Face Charges after Reversal of Earlier Court Decision: "Hope Solo, the star goalie who led the U.S. soccer team to the Women's World Cup title in July, will again face domestic violence charges after a Washington state appeals court on Friday reversed a lower court's decision to dismiss a case in which she was alleged to have beaten up her nephew and half-sister"…Read more
Wisconsin Department of Justice Awarded Grant Funding to Eliminate Untested Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Kits: "'This money will go a long way to bring justice to survivors of sexual assault,' said Schimel. 'We owe it to those who had the courage to report a sexual assault and underwent a sexual assault forensic exam, to now test their kits, investigate their cases, and hold their perpetrators accountable. With these grants we will save others from becoming victims and we will make our communities safer'"…Read the news release here
Fans Unite Through #RaiseTheBanner, #NotMyNHL to Raise Awareness of Sexual Assault: "The Blackhawks raised the championship banner, as they are allowed to do, but the occasion felt hollow to many in the wake of the Patrick Kane rape allegations. The feeling of hollowness transitioned to one of rage and disgust as Kane proceeded to participate in the hooking the banner to the scaffolding to raise it to the rafters…Fans exercised their right to protest the ceremony by using the hashtag created by the Blackhawks, #RaiseTheBanner, and adding an hashtag #NotMyNHL, to discuss the topic of sexual assault"…Read more
Inside the White House's New Movement to Prevent Sexual Assault on College Campuses: "In order to aid parents and incoming freshman when it comes to gathering that information, 'It's on Us' suggests asking every school being considered the following questions"…Read more
More Than 150 People Arrested in Nationwide Sex Trafficking Sting: "The youngest victim was 12 years old. The effort, which is now in its ninth year, was spearheaded by the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, along with local law enforcement"…Read more
Sheriff to Staff: Stop Arresting Children on Prostitution Charges, Stop Saying 'Child Prostitute': "'They are child victims and survivors of rape,' McDonnell wrote in a letter to his employees. 'We must remember that children cannot consent to sex under any circumstance'…Wednesday's news conference came a day after the L.A. County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a motion declaring 'that there is no such thing as a 'child prostitute.' McDonnell said that he has instructed his employees to stop using the terms 'child prostitute' and 'underage prostitution.' Using those terms, McDonnell said, strips responsibility from the traffickers and the people who pay to have sex with children. 'Buyers,' he said, 'should be viewed as child molesters and predators'"…Read more
Film Shines A 'Spotlight' On Boston's Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal: "In 2001, a team of reporters at the Boston Globe began investigating reports of child sexual abuse by Catholic priests. The 'Spotlight' team, as it was known, eventually revealed that the abuse had been happening for decades — and that church leaders in Boston had been aware of it and had been involved in covering it up…Now, the new film, Spotlight, chronicles the investigation that brought the scandal to light"…Read more
Owen Labrie Sentenced to One Year in Jail for Luring, Sexual Assault of a Minor: "Owen Labrie, 20, has been sentenced to one year in jail for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old classmate at the elite St. Paul's School in New Hampshire. In a statement delivered by video in court Thursday, the victim said she still suffers from flashbacks and said the St. Paul's community showed her a stunning lack of compassion after the assault: 'No one understood'"…Read more
Surge in Sexual Assaults on Airplanes: "FBI Supervisory Special Agent Drew Ptasienski, who investigated the case, said victims of similar assaults have also pretended to sleep through the attacks. Ptasienski said, 'Victims are so shocked they're being assaulted, it takes them awhile to process it'…He said there's a pattern to the crimes, in many cases happening on red-eye, overnight flights"…Read more
Community Raises $33K for Victim of Brutal Unsolved Bike Path Assault: "A community in need of healing has readily opened its heart and its wallet to the 33-year-old woman viciously attacked in September on a Near East Side bike path — a crime that remains unsolved with no identified suspects. In little more than a month, more than $33,000 has been raised for the Isthmus resident and UW-Madison graduate student, who is now out of the hospital but has a long, uncertain road to recovery ahead of her"…Read more
Should All Rapists Go to Prison?: "In the spring of 2014, in the State of Indiana v. David Wise, Wise was convicted of rape and five felony counts of criminal deviate conduct. Each charge carried a sentence of 20 years, and the prosecutor in the trial went after a 49-year sentence. However, the outcome of the trial was such that Wise didn't even up spending a minute in prison: Judge Kurt Eisgruber sentenced Boardman's rapist to eight years house arrest and told the Indiana mother of two to 'figure out a way to forgive him'"…Read more
Bill Cosby Faces Criminal Charges for Alleged Sexual Assault in L.A.: "The LAPD has turned over the results of its investigation into a 2008 sexual assault allegation against Bill Cosby to the Los Angeles County District Attorney for possible criminal charges and the case is under review, a D.A. spokesperson confirmed Thursday…Goins is only one of many to speak out against Cosby and accuse the comedian of sexual assault — however, her accusations are of the most recent, with many other allegations of sexual assault occurring in the '70s and '80s, which are unlikely to face prosecution because of legal restrictions"…Read more…Read related article: Bill Cosby Faces New Sexual Assault Accusations As Three More Women Step Forward
Hundreds of Officers Lose Licenses Over Sex Misconduct: AP Investigation: "In a yearlong investigation of sexual misconduct by U.S. law enforcement, The Associated Press uncovered about 1,000 officers who lost their badges in a six-year period for rape, sodomy and other sexual assault; sex crimes that included possession of child pornography; or sexual misconduct such as propositioning citizens or having consensual but prohibited on-duty intercourse. The number is unquestionably an undercount because it represents only those officers whose licenses to work in law enforcement were revoked, and not all states take such action. California and New York — with several of the nation's largest law enforcement agencies — offered no records because they have no statewide system to decertify officers for misconduct. And even among states that provided records, some reported no officers removed for sexual misdeeds even though cases were identified via news stories or court records"…Read more
Nebraska Eighth-Graders Turn School's Sidewalks into Display of Positive, Anti-Bullying Messages: "October is National Bullying Prevention Month. This week, eighth grade students at Scott Middle School in Lincoln wrote positive messages on the school's sidewalks to express their feelings as part of a national campaign"…Read more
Anti-bullying Laws Appear to be Working: "Looking at data from more than 60,000 high school students in public and private schools in 25 states, the study found that states that did have anti-bullying laws with at least one Department of Education recommendation saw fewer instances of bullying"…Read more
Mass Killings in the US: Masculinity, Masculinity, Masculinity: "Too many boys are learning that violence and entitlements to domination and control, including, centrally, over girls and women, define become 'a real man.' That's about gender, and the outcomes are grossly misogynistic, whether they use money, knives, fire, laws, or guns and whether or not their stated intent is religiously or racially motivated"…Read more
Friends Don't Ask Their Friends for "Rush Boobs": "I genuinely believe that virtually all fraternity men don't want their mothers, girlfriends, sisters, and women friends to be raped. That just isn't enough anymore. Many of these young men would proudly pin on a white ribbon pledging they are against rape or host a 5K to benefit a local rape crisis center. That just isn't enough anymore. We have raised enough awareness, and we need real action...Moving toward culture change will require these young men to question tradition and advocate for structural change. It will require them to listen to women. It will require them to do something revolutionary for men to do: follow"…Read more
Women Share Their Experiences of Rejecting Men's Sexual Advances - and How They Reacted: "Women have been sharing stories about the abuse they have faced after rejecting sexual advances from men. The accounts have been compiled on the When Women Refuse blog. The site was launched after 22-year-old Elliot Rodger killed six people in a drive-by shooting in Santa Barbara in May 2014. In a previous YouTube video, he had complained about being rejected by women and had threatened to take revenge"…Read more
Mysterious New Emoji Keeps an Eye Out for Bullies: "Apple added the emoji to its virtual keyboards as part of the anti-bullying 'I Am a Witness' campaign from the Ad Council, a nonprofit that produces public service messages. The aim is for users to include 'the Witness Emoji' in messages when they see online or text messages that contain hurtful, bullying comments. Other major tech companies, including Google, Facebook, Snapchat and Adobe, are also getting behind the campaign, which was started in honor of National Bullying Prevention Month"…Read more
Harley Tarkenton, 28, and Robert Reick, 28, both of Portage, charged with repeated sexual assault of a woman…Read more
Gregory Heep, 28, of Wisconsin Dells, sentenced to four years in prison for possession of child pornography…Read more
Alexander Kluball, 25, of Reedsburg, transported a minor across state lines for sex trafficking…Read more
Roger Shaw Jr., 36, of Montello has been charged with first degree sexual assault of a child under 12, first degree child sexual assault, child enticement…Read more
Davian Salgado, 25, of Chicago, has been charged with sexual assault of a child under 16 years of age in Juneau County…Read more
Kindness Matters: Transforming Your Classroom and Creating a Bully-Free School: "There's plenty of evidence that science backs up the positive effects of kindness, so let's take a look at five joyful ways that you can transform your classroom"…Read more
NetSmartz's New Video: Split Decisions is NetSmartz's "newest video that shows positive ways for teens to resolve online conflicts...and what happens when they don't. Watch as two girls, Lily and Gabriela, make different decisions that lead them down very different paths. One leads to common ground. The other leads to digital drama. This video is accompanied by a discussion guide and activity cards for middle and high school students."
What Should Parents Know about Instagram?: Check out this article and video from Common Sense Media. They also have similar articles on Snapchat, Tumblr, and Vine.
PACER's Anti-Bullying PSA: "Have you ever felt like the whispers, giggles, note passing, and looks were directed at you or someone you care about? Imagine if all that attention was channeled into positive action. Disney is supporting Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center in hopes of inspiring social change among young people everywhere"…View the 2-minute PSA
From Sticks to Flowers Webinar and Discussion: On November 11 from 2-4:30 pm, the Faith Leaders for Healthy Relationships committee, in conjunction with Hope House, is organizing a viewing of the webinar From Sticks to Flowers with discussion to follow at the Sauk County West Square Building in Baraboo. Many parents insist on hitting their children because they believe God requires it. This webinar explores the basis for this belief and offers concrete suggestions for assisting parents in realizing that abandoning violent forms of discipline does not require them to violate basis tenets of their faith. Group discussion facilitated by Hope House Advocate to follow. Registration is $15 and includes refreshments. Click here to see the registration brochure. Please RSVP by calling Hope House Advocate Natalie at 608-356-9123 or emailing her here. All are welcome to attend!
Five Ways Your Faith Community Can Raise Awareness for Domestic Violence: View the list from We Will Speak Out here
Giving Grace to People in Crisis – the Sequel to Stupid Phrases for People in Crisis: "When I wrote the piece 'Stupid Phrases for People in Crisis,' I had no idea the nerve that I would touch. Sadly, I think it resonated deeply with people because they have heard all the stupid things I mentioned. I was honored to read through the comments; I was saddened by what I read. It makes me believe that we need mandatory workshops in crisis care. But the question remains, what are some good things to say to people in crisis? Here are a few things that I've found tremendously helpful"...Read more
Free Youth Mental Health First Aid Training: On Friday, November 6 from 8 am - 5 pm will be a free Youth Mental Health First Aid training at the Adams-Friendship Area School District Building. For more information and to register, please see the flyer.
Domestic Violence in Later Life Conference: This 2nd annual conference will be held November 13 from 9 am - 3:45 pm at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. To learn more and to register, click here.
International Day of the Girl: October 11 was International Day of the Girl. Check out this powerful video where "thirteen girls from 8 countries perform this dynamic rendition of 'Yet' – a poem by British writer and performer Keisha Thompson – to rally girls around the struggle to overcome discrimination, claim their rights and celebrate their futures"…View the video and check out additional resources
October 2015 Community Education E-bulletin
Welcome to the October 2015 edition of Hope House's Community Education E-bulletin!
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM)
Every October we recognize National Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). Hope House staff and volunteers are organizing and participating in several different events and activities this month throughout our five-county service area, which you will find listed below. We also want to share resources and what others are doing regionally and nationally. For more information, including how you get raise awareness this month and beyond, or if you are seeking additional resources and materials, please call Hope House at 608-356-9123 or send us an email.
New Hope House Video
This October we are excited to unveil our video of survivors we've worked with speaking out. We hope you will watch this 5-minute video and share it with others.
Oct. 2 DVAM Football Game at Adams-Friendship High School: Hope House staff will be passing out DVAM informational cards with purple awareness ribbons, staffing a DVAM booth with awareness materials like NO MORE magnets, putting up yard signs with awareness messages, and asking people to take a photo with a sign they fill out that says "I Say NO MORE Because..."
Oct. 6 Ho-Chunk DVAM Walk: Hope House will be participating in Ho-Chunk Nation Domestic Abuse Division's "Love Shouldn't Hurt" community awareness walk on October 6 at the House of Wellness in Baraboo. Everyone is welcome to walk at any time between 10 am and 2 pm, learn information, and have a chance to win prizes. Click here to view the flyer.
Oct. 6 Juneau County Women's Night Out: Hope House will be staffing a DVAM booth at Women's Night Out at Mauston High Scohol.
Oct. 9 DVAM Football Game at Westfield High School: Hope House staff will once again be raising awareness at Westfield High School for their game versus Wisconsin Dells. Staff will be collecting donations, passing out DVAM informational cards with purple awareness ribbons, staffing a DVAM booth with awareness materials like NO MORE magnets, putting up yard signs with awareness messages, and asking people to take a photo with a sign they fill out that says "I Say NO MORE Because..."
Oct. 16 DVAM Football Game at Portage High School vs. Reedsburg High School: Hope House staff will be collecting donations, passing out DVAM informational cards with purple awareness ribbons, staffing a DVAM booth with awareness materials like NO MORE magnets, putting up yard signs with awareness messages, and asking people to take a photo with a sign they fill out that says "I Say NO MORE Because..."
Oct. 16 DVAM Football Game at Wisconsin Dells High School: A Hope House volunteer will once again be handing out DVAM informational cards with purple awareness ribbons and collecting donations.
Oct. 22 #GoPurple: The National Network to End Domestic Violence is promoting #GoPurple on Oct. 22 as a part of their National Week of Action. They are inviting people to wear purple, take a photo, and upload it to social media using the hashtag #GoPurple. Other days they are promoting for this week are Talk to a Friend, Donate/Volunteer, and Call on Congress.
Oct. 24 Interfaith Teen Summit in Madison: Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) in Madison is hosting an Interfaith Teen Summit: Healthy Relationships in a Complicated World for students in grades 7-12 on Oct. 24 from 9 am - 2 pm at the First United Methodist Church, 203 Wisconsin Ave., Madison. For more information, contact alyj@abuseintervention.org.
Oct. 26 Sharing Supper: Hope House staff will be staffing a DVAM booth at the Sharing Supper at Rusch Elementary School in Portage.
Oct. 28 Sharing Supper: Hope House staff will be staffing a DVAM booth at the Sharing Supper at Endeavor Elementary School.
Oct. 29 Luncheon on Children Exposed to Domestic Violence: The Faith Leaders for Healthy Relationships committee, which Hope House is a part of, is organizing a luncheon on children exposed to domestic violence. Jane Straub, the Victim Assistance Specialist at Gunderson National Child Protection Training Center in Minnesota will be presenting. Ms. Straub has been working in violence prevention and intervention field for over 15 years. More information to follow.
Oct. 29 Sharing Supper: Hope House staff will be staffing a DVAM booth at the Sharing Supper at Mauston High School.
Month-Long Events:
Fantastic Sams in Baraboo is donating $3 from every haircut in October to Hope House for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Located at 912 Us Highway 12 in Baraboo. Thank you for your support!
Culver's in Lake Delton has a donation jar for Hope House at their cash register and DVAM informational cards with purple awareness ribbons. Thank you for your support!
Health Source Chiropractic at 701 Ash Street in Baraboo is offering a free consultation, posture analysis and spinal exam (valued at $127) with a $20 donation to Hope House from now until Nov. 7. Call 608-355-7999 to schedule an appointment.
DVAM and NO MORE displays are up at the courthouses in Portage, Mauston, and Montello and at the West Square Building in Baraboo, and the Adams County Community Center.
99.7 WRPQ in Baraboo is running DVAM radio PSAs recorded by Hope House and members of the Sauk County Coordinated Community Response Team.
Local law enforcement agencies and sheriff's departments are putting NO MORE: Together We Can End Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault car magnets on their squad cars.
A NO MORE video PSA created by the Adams County Coordinated Community Response Team, which Hope House is a part of, will be shown before films at the Adams Community Theatre.
WI Domestic Violence Homicide Report: End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin just released their annual homicide report. In 2014, at least 43 people in Wisconsin died as a result of domestic violence - this number includes victim homicides and perpetrator suicides. To view the report, please click here.
The governor's proclamation of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month
More resources available here.
Kitchen: Paper towels, Ziploc bags, Tupperware, Small mason jars, Dishwasher soap, 13-Gallon garbage bags, Silverware, Brush for cleaning bottles, Fruit juice, Sip cups, Milk, Saran wrap, Aluminum foil
New Survey from National Domestic Violence Hotline - "Who Will Help Me?" - Reveals 1 in 4 Domestic Violence Victims Would Not Call the Police for Help: "Victims cite desire for privacy and fear of retaliation as primary reasons for not involving law enforcement"…Read more
Domestic Abuse Victims Paint Black Dots On Hands As Subtle Signal For Help: "But some say that while opening up the conversation to the public is a move in the right direction, publicizing the symbol could put victims at greater risk. 'The idea that survivors can do something in secret, which is then announced to the world, assumes that abusers don't also check Facebook or see the news,' Kim Gandy, president and CEO of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, wrote in an email to HuffPost. 'Secrecy is actually an important element to safety planning for a survivor, which could be jeopardized if the abuser sees the dot, or sees the remnants of it, and knows it is an attempt to get help.' Gandy said encouraging the public to be more responsive to the signs of abuse and keeping hotline numbers handy might be a more effective approach"…Read more
A California Moving Company Will Move Domestic Abuse Victims At No Cost: "'Meathead Movers will work directly with the nonprofit to identify the abusive situations and provide moving services at no cost,' a spokesperson told LA Weekly. 'Not only do these services help the victims of domestic abuse but they directly impact Meathead employees — consisting of predominantly young men who believe that real men don't hit women, real men help those in need.' Meathead Movers, which was founded in 1997 by student athletes, will donate their services on a monthly basis through Good Shepherd"…Read more
This Tattoo Artist Is Covering The Scars Of Domestic Violence Survivors Free Of Charge: "'They become excited, optimistic,' she said. 'It is wonderful to see how their relationship with their bodies changes after they get the tattoos. I follow many of them on Facebook, and I see how, after being ashamed of their scarred bodies, they now post pictures in dresses, and they look happy, changed. It is transformative'"…Read more
Lady Gaga Releases Music Video about Sexual Assault at University: "Lady Gaga released a public-service music video on Friday morning (BST) about university campus sexual assault, to accompany a song for campus rape documentary The Hunting Ground…The singer also said that a portion of proceeds from the song will be donated to organisations working with survivors of rape and sexual assault"…Read more [Note from Hope House: Please be advised that the music video contains scenes depicting sexual assault and can be triggering.]
Ohio State LB Jerome Baker Wants to Change How Athletes Talk about Sexual Violence: "Baker, who by then had committed to Ohio State, capitalized on his fame as a top recruit to get through to his peers…While in the gym, Baker would talk about sexual assault and consent, encouraging his gym mates to join the movement. The group used peer discussions to talk about the obstacles teenagers face when trying to do the right thing. The challenge, the boys say, is that intervening isn't always the popular move, and they recognize that their status as athletes might give them an advantage over other students"…Read more
'The Beginning and End of Rape': A Look at Sarah Deer's Newest Book: "American Indian and Alaska Native women are raped at a rate three to 10 times greater than the national average. Sarah Deer, Mvskoke, an attorney and professor of law who has worked for 20 years to end violence against women, says changing this statistic should be the number one priority of tribal governments because rape is a direct and serious threat to tribal sovereignty. Deer's most recent book,The Beginning and End of Rape: Confronting Sexual Violence in Native America,will be published this fall"…Read more
Tribal Justice: Prosecuting Non-Natives for Sexual Assault on Reservations: "STEPHEN FEE: 'What does this tribal provision in VAWA do to help close that gap?' THERESA POULEY: 'It allows me to treat all domestic violence perpetrators exactly the same, Indian or non-Indian. So I have authority over Indians who commit that crime. This just gives me authority over non-Indians who commit the exact same crime.' STEPHEN FEE: In the past 17 months, the Tulalip tribal prosecutor has brought charges against nine alleged non-Indian domestic violence defendants — five pleaded guilty, two await trial, one was referred to federal prosecutors, and one case was dismissed. But will this new authority actually help stop the crisis of violence against Indian women?"…Read the PBS interview here
Survey: More than 1 in 4 Female Undergrads at UW-Madison Sexually Assaulted: "Officials said 27.6 percent of female undergraduates reported non-consensual penetration or sexual touching in the Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct conducted by the American Association of Universities at 27 universities last spring…Yet only about one-third of UW-Madison students experiencing sexual assault — 26.1 percent of those with incidents of forced penetration and 7.1 percent of those with incidents of forced sexual touching — reported the assaults to officials, the survey found"…Read more
AAU Campus Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct: "The survey was designed to assess the incidence, prevalence and characteristics of incidents of sexual assault and misconduct. It also assessed the overall climate of the campus with respect to perceptions of risk, knowledge of resources available to victims and perceived reactions to an incident of sexual assault or misconduct"…Read the key findings, summary, or full report here
The Many Problems With Campus Sexual Assault Surveys: "This week, I spoke to David Cantor, co-principal investigator of the AAU study. He explained that the 27 campuses he and his colleagues looked at are not nationally representative; the set of schools was relatively large, but it was not randomly selected from the full complement of American universities…While 150,000 students filled out the survey, it was offered to almost 780,000 students, which makes for a disappointingly low response rate of around 19 percent. That, too, is a problem, Cantor said, because it raises questions as to whether those students who did take the survey were more inclined to have been victims of sexual assault, thus inflating the results"…Read more
LGBT Students and Campus Sexual Assault: "One aspect of the results that may be surprising, at least when considering how little the topic has figured in commentary on and coverage of the problem, is the degree to which LGBT students report being victims of sexual harassment. According to the survey, LGBT and non-heterosexual students last school year experienced significantly higher rates of sexual assault and harassment, as well as violence from an intimate partner, than their heterosexual peers"…Read more
Wisconsin Creates Task Force to Fight Human Trafficking: "A new state-level, cross-system human trafficking task force has been created to fight the growing crisis of sexual trafficking of youth and children in Wisconsin, it was announced in mid-September, which is National Child Awareness Month…The Human Trafficking Task Force will work with existing local and regional human trafficking workgroups and task forces to better coordinate prevention, training, data collection and service delivery efforts. Through enhanced planning, resources and communication, the state-level Human Trafficking Task Force will be able to offer additional support to existing efforts, increase public awareness of the issue, create consistent statewide practices and expand both residential and community based services throughout Wisconsin"…Read more
Lies, Secrets, and Scams: How to Prevent Elder Abuse: "Financial elder abuse—broadly defined as the illegal or improper use of the funds, property, or assets of people 60 and older by family, friends, neighbors, and strangers—is rising fast…Older people's vulnerabilities—including isolation, loneliness, generally trusting natures, relative wealth, and in some cases declining mental capabilities—make them ideal quarry for con artists. Even those whose cognition is intact can be swayed if they're stressed or depressed, or recently have lost a loved one. The amount lost to swindlers, whether they are strangers or even relatives, is huge, with estimates ranging from almost $3 billion to more than $30 billion annually. And as baby boomers age, the pool of potential victims will expand, with assets ripe for the pickpocketing"…Read more
US Justice Department Awards $8.5 Million to 27 Campuses to Fight Sexual Assaults, Dating Violence: "Recipients are required to conduct mandatory prevention and education programming for all incoming students and to train campus law enforcement and all members of campus disciplinary boards to respond effectively to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. Campuses can use funds to develop and adopt policies and protocols that prioritize victim safety and hold offenders accountable"…Read more
Sexual Harassment Starts Earlier Than You Think — And These Women's Stories Prove It: "Girls age 8 or younger face sexual comments, sometimes within their own homes…'What was most traumatizing for me was telling the adults in my family telling me, 'Yeah, that stuff happens, you don't tell anybody about it' or 'Oh, it's a game, they don't know any better,'' she said. 'Their reaction made me feel ashamed, like it was something I was doing that was bringing on that behavior'"…Read more
Why We Need to Take Street Harassment Seriously: "More than 50 percent of women report being groped, fondled or assaulted by passing men. These are commonly employed practices in a larger arsenal of street harassment tactics that includes verbal and non-verbal harassment, exposure and also sexualized surveillance. For example, only months after the man followed us up the stairs, a truck full of men snapped pictures as we walked together, one of them yelling, 'Now we have you forever.' Every time something like this happens, I talk to my children and their friends about harassment as a regulatory force in culture"…Read more
More Than 1,000 Pimps and Johns Arrested in Nationwide Prostitution Sting: "'This broad national movement should send a strong message to prospective johns that sex trafficking simply is not a victimless crime,' said Sheriff Dart in a statement. 'These women and girls have been brutalized and exploited – and the most effective way to deter these heinous crimes is to target the demand'"…Read more
Thomas Talbot, 30, of Columbus, charged with stalking and intimidation of a woman…Read more
Monica Turley, 34, of Portage, charged with repeated child neglect…Read more
Ty Kearney, 22, Rio, will serve three years of probation after pleading no contest to two felony second degree sexual assault of a child and exposing private parts to a child…Read more
Juan Hernandez, 37, Fitchburg, is being held in Columbia County Jail on a felony charge of attempted second-degree sexual assault of a hearing-impaired Poynette woman…Read more
Travis Coonce, 35, of Mauston, faces two counts of sexual assault of a 14-year-old boy…Read more
You're Not Alone, We're Here For You: "A new campaign developed by PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center sends the message to students who are bullied that they are not alone. It features classroom and event toolkits designed to start conversation and initiate action on ways for students, adults, and community members to 'be there' united against bullying"…View the resource here
New Guide for Parents: "Helping Your Child": "Bullying can be an isolating experience — not just for the kids involved, but for their parents, too. Fortunately, there is help. PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center has introduced a new guide, 'Helping Your Child.' This online resource provides steps for parents on helping their child if they are experiencing bullying, demonstrating bullying behavior, or witnessing bullying. There is also specific information for parents of children with disabilities."
NetSmartz New & Updated Resources: For the new school year, NetSmartz has new and updated internet safety resources, such as NSTeen Quizzes, NetSmartz Generation K-5 rap video, internet safety presentations, and Teaching Digital Citizenship online educator training.
Teaching Tolerance Webinars: TeachingTolerance.org has a webinar on Oct. 6 at 4:30 pm on Responding to Hate and Bias at School and Oct. 13 at 4:30 pm on Code of Conduct: How does my school's code affect the school-to-prison pipeline.
How to Raise a Caring Child: "Children certainly learn about kindness from receiving it and from watching other people do it, but that's often not enough. To help our children learn to be kind, we also need to address some of the barriers that get in the way of making kind choices"…Read more
CDC's Updated Dating Matters Online Training: Originally launched in 2010, the updated DATING MATTERS®: Understanding Teen Dating Violence Prevention training offers users a fresh experience as they learn about teen dating violence and how to prevent it. Learn more here.
Talking to Kids About Body Safety: "Last Sunday, TLC premiered 'Breaking the Silence,' a documentary filmed in partnership with Darkness to Light and RAINN which featured five brave child sexual abuse survivors who shared their stories to help viewers understand the issue and how to protect children. If you missed 'Breaking the Silence,' it is available for download at TLC.com. This documentary emphasized the need for adults to take responsibility for protecting children from sexual abuse…For tips on how to start and continue protective conversations with children, CLICK HERE."
Everyday Magic: 16 Ways Adults Can Support Children Exposed to Violence and Trauma: "This policy paper offers sixteen ways that adults can support children exposed to violence and trauma to heal and grow. These recommendations are for advocates, educators, and health care providers to help improve their response to children who have experienced violence or trauma"…Read it here
Kidpower's Safety Tips and Posters: "The Safety Tips Handouts provide a quick introduction to 'People Safety' Skills and Strategies to help prepare caring adults to protect children (and ourselves!) from bullying, violence, and abuse - as well as to prevent problems and have better relationships with people. The Child Protection and Safety Posters serve as visual tools for discussion and display. They can be downloaded and posted as vibrant reminders about our commitment as adults to the safety and well being of our children and ourselves."
Faith Leaders' Section
Faith Leaders for Healthy Relationships Luncheon Series: The Faith Leaders for Healthy Relationships committee, in partnership with Hope House, is once again organizing educational luncheons for faith communities. Topics in this year's series include domestic violence and children, non-violent discipline of children, building resiliency, and self-care. The first luncheon will be October 29 on children exposed to domestic violence. More information to follow.
Faith Trust Institute Webinars: Faith Trust Institute is hosting free webinars on topics such as what to do when a registered sex offender comes to your congregation and power and control in intimate partner relationships. To view the list of webinars, click here.
March 2015 Community Education E-bulletin
Welcome to the March 2015 edition of Hope House's Community Education E-bulletin!
February Was Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Month
Campus Sexual Assault
February was Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month
Sadly the potential severity of teen dating violence was made all too real last month when 17-year-old Dean Sutcliffe killed his ex-girlfriend's sister and mom's boyfriend in Mazomanie. Please see the list of articles and resources below related to this case and other teen dating violence issues:
Mazomanie Homicides Shine Light on Teen Dating Violence: NBC 15 interviewed Hope House's Community Education Program Manager for a segment on teen dating violence. See related articles: DAIS Director Says Teen Dating Violence is Common and Mazomanie Teen Threatened to Kill Before Double Homicide
Teen Dating Violence Happens in Our Community: Check out Hope House's letter to the editor on Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month
[NY] State Starts Social Media Campaign Against Teen Dating Violence: Check out the 4-minute video featuring teens discussing warning signs of dating violence and encouraging bystanders to speak up.
Monetary donations are most needed. Individuals have the option of donating online. Please note that a portion of your online donation will go towards PayPal fees. Donations can be mailed to Hope House, P.O. Box 557, Baraboo, WI 53913. We also appreciate gas cards, gift cards (Walmart, Kwik Trip, Walgreens, Kohl's), taxi vouchers from Baraboo Taxi, and used cell phones, iPods and iPads. Please note that we are not accepting stuffed animals, clothes (except for sweatshirts and sweatpants), shoes, TVs, bar soap, hats, scarves or travel-size bottles of shampoo, conditioner, or body wash. Current needs include
Kitchen: Dishwasher soap, 13-Gallon garbage bags, Paper towels, Silverware, Brush for cleaning bottles, Fruit juice, Sip cups, Milk, Saran wrap, Aluminum foil
Clothing for Women and Kids: Winter boots, Socks, Women's underwear, Medium-Large size pajamas, Sweatshirts and sweatpants
Misc: Pack 'n Play, Baby wipes, Band-Aids, Diapers and pull-ups, Pocket-sized calendars, Strollers, Baby bottles, Umbrellas, Hangers, Weather radio, Journals, Exercise balls, Yoga/exercise DVDs, Relaxation CDs, Baby thermometer, CD players, Regular light bulbs, New twin bed sheets
NASCAR Suspends Kurt Busch After Domestic Violence Details: "NASCAR suspended Kurt Busch indefinitely Friday after a judge said the former champion almost surely choked and beat a former girlfriend last fall and there was a 'substantial likelihood' of more domestic violence from him in the future. In a stunning move two days before the season-opening Daytona 500, NASCAR said Busch would not be allowed to participate in any series activities until further notice"...Read more
MLB Players to Undergo Mandatory Domestic Violence Education
Why Victims Of Domestic Violence Don't Testify, Particularly Against NFL Players: "There are various reasons victims choose not to do testify in domestic violence cases, including the fact that reliving the experience can be embarrassing and even re-traumatizing. One of the biggest reasons they avoid court, though, is the fear of retribution from their accusers...Studies have shown that between 40 and 60 percent of offenders arrested on domestic violence charges re-offend within 30 months, and a justice system that often fails to successfully monitor abusers and enforce restraining orders — and also fails to rehabilitate and reform offenders instead of punishing them — doesn't always inspire confidence"…Read more
Ravens Will Avoid Players With Domestic Violence Issues
The Grammys: Meet the Domestic Violence Activist Performing with Katy Perry Tonight: "Her essay in the book, 'What I Know of Silence,' explored her experience of child sex-trafficking by a male nanny and how she used poetry and music to both heal and help her connect with other survivors...Now, the 34-year-old Austin resident, who serves as director of communications for the nonprofit Allies Against Slavery, is poised to speak to the entire world, parlaying her advocacy right into the heart of American pop culture when she joins Katy Perry onstage at the Grammys tonight. Before Perry sings 'By the Grace of God,' Axtell will give a speech about her experience with domestic violence"…Read more...Read related article: The Grammys' Mixed Message on Domestic Violence: It's Unacceptable — Except When the Abuser is a Pop Star We Like
A Glimpse From the Field: How Abusers Are Misusing Technology: "The Safety Net Project recently surveyed victim service providers on the misuse of technology by abusers. Of the programs surveyed, 97 percent reported that the survivors they are working with experience harassment, monitoring, and threats by abusers through the misuse of technology. Abusers in intimate partner violence misuse technology in many ways: to stalk and monitor victims, to harass victims through the 'anonymity' of the technology, and to impersonate victims through technology, such as creating false social media accounts"...Read more
'This Was The Beginning Of My Fear': 8 Truths About Stalking You Need To Know: "The word 'stalking' has taken on a whole new meaning in the cultural lexicon...'Stalking' a person online before an upcoming date is common, even de rigueur. 'Stalking' frenemies we haven't talked to in years (but still know all about via their Facebook profiles) has basically become a new pastime. But the truth is, actual stalking is not something to simply brush off, mention in passing or take lightly. It's very real and very scary — and this era, it's all too easy to get caught up in a stalker's snare. In fact, 1 in 6 women and 1 in 14 men will be stalked in their lifetimes. Read on for eight truths about stalking"
Unspoken Side of Domestic Violence: "In June of 2014 [Christopher] Chapa was shot to death in Galveston. The woman now charged with his murder is the one he was about to propose to...Holmes describes her brother's relationship saying, 'They're willing to do whatever it takes because they love them. They don't see this as I'm in real danger; this is a real toxic relationship.' She says she's sharing his story to raise awareness about the reality of men abused by women"...Read more
Polish Lawmakers Approve Law against Domestic Violence, after Fiery Debate about Family Values
8 Love Letters That Remind Sexual Assault Survivors They Are Not Alone: "'#Survivorloveletter is a call to survivors of sexual violence and our loved ones to publicly celebrate our lives,' Ikeda writes on the Tumblr's homepage. 'By telling our stories we seek to build knowledge and reflect on the ways we heal ourselves and our communities'"...Read more
Sex Slaves on the Farm: "Janet was forced into prostitution in Mexico by a boyfriend named Antonio in 1999; coyotes brought them across the border the following year, and they went to live with Antonio's family in the borough of Queens in New York City, where she was put to work in brothels. Every couple of weeks, a van would take her and other women and girls—some as young as 12—to Charlotte, where she would spend a week or more, forced to have sex with strangers at a brothel by night and at farm labor camps by day"...Read more
When It Comes To Sexual Assault, #TheresNoPerfectVictim: "People who report their experiences of sexual assault are subjected to constant questioning and scrutiny -- as if there is a certain way 'real victims' should behave after being raped. In reality, people process trauma in myriad ways, and someone's reaction after being assaulted should not be used as 'proof' that a rape didn't happen if it doesn't match up with the way society believes a victim 'should' act...Today, feminist activists Julie Zeilinger and Wagatwe Wanjuki started the hashtag #TheresNoPerfectVictim to discuss the pressure survivors face, and the ways in which detractors try to discredit them"...Read more
Obama Delivers Sexual Assault Message at the Grammys: 'It Has to Stop'
Prosecutors: UIC Student Charged with Assault Said He was Re-enacting 'Fifty Shades of Grey'
In 5 Minutes, This Student Destroys Our Double Standards For Men And Women: "So Smith, who has 236,000 followers on Vine, connected up with One Student, a nonprofit aimed at college sexual assault awareness and education, to create a video going after what he sees as one cause of sexual violence: societal attitudes. The video, which was uploaded on Feb. 18, uses the language of sports to dissect and destroy harmful ideas about how men and women should behave sexually"…View the video
The Worst Way to Address Campus Rape: "Their skill with a weapon or fighting ability isn't what I'm worried about; basic training didn't help the tens of thousands of people in the military who suffered penetrative sexual attacks in 2014...'Just saying, letting women carry guns on campus to deter rape also means letting rapists carry guns,' he tweeted...These would-be remedies exacerbate the problem they purport to solve, making victims responsible for preventing their own attacks instead of putting the onus on rapists"...Read more...Read related article: Concealed Handguns Mainly Miss the Mark as an Answer to Campus Rape
The Other Side of Campus Sexual Assault That the Media Isn't Telling: "Such treatment tends to ignore the major strides survivors have made toward changing the conversation about sexual assault on their own...Whether it's through the creation of larger organizations or individual initiatives, utilizing groundbreaking technology or making inspiring art, women and men across the country are empowering one another to become agents of change. This generation isn't passively waiting for saviors: They're starting a revolution. And they're succeeding"...Read more
The Treatment of Emma Sulkowicz Proves We Still Have No Idea How to Talk About Rape: "'If you didn't immediately dial 911, it doesn't mean you weren't raped. Everyone deals with trauma differently, depending on how we were raised, the way we see ourselves and the different ways we each handle crises,' Sulkowciz said. 'I want other survivors to know that if you reached out to your attacker after you were assaulted, it shouldn't discredit your story'"...Read more
Sexual Assault Under-Reported on U.S. College Campuses: "Researchers looked at data about on-campus sexual assaults reported by 31 large private and public universities and colleges during audits by the federal government. During the audits, the number of reported sexual assaults rose an average of 44 percent compared to previously reported figures. After the audits ended, the reported number of sexual assaults fell to pre-audit levels...The study also found that reporting of other serious crimes -- such as assault, robbery and burglary -- during audits didn't show the same dramatic increase as seen in the reporting of sexual assaults"...Read more
The Hidden Victims of Campus Sexual Assault: Students with Disabilities: "More specifically, it uncovers troubling allegations from students who said their disabilities made them targets for sexual assault; that their experiences reporting that abuse were complicated by factors like disability, race and sexual identity; and that in some cases, sexual assault was even the cause of a disability, such as depression. Their stories, experts say, offer a window into the dire need for all universities to do a better job of tackling sexual assault among students with disabilities, and into the possible legal ramifications of their inaction"…Read more
The Subtly Offensive Phrases We Need To Stop Saying: "Though they might be unintentional, these offensive phrases -- called micro-aggressions -- are heard all too often in everyday conversation. And while they're frequently said in a joking way, the meaning of those words can have lasting negative effects. In a video created by SheKnows, a group of teen girls explained how micro-aggressions can be hurtful to their self-esteem"…Watch the video
Tim Kaine, Claire McCaskill Bill Would Require Sexual Assault Education In Public High Schools: "The Teach Safe Relationships Act of 2015, introduced on Tuesday by Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), would require that health education in public secondary schools include learning on 'safe relationship behavior' aimed at preventing sexual assault, domestic violence and dating violence"...Read more
Research Results from Madison Schools Suggest Compassion, Kindness Can Be Taught: "In a just-released study, UW-Madison researchers found that kids who had participated in the curriculum were less selfish and exhibited better social skills and greater mental flexibility than children who did not do the exercises. And in an added bonus, the kids who did the kindness curriculum earned higher academic marks at the end of the school year"...Read more
Meet the Middle School Girls Changing TX Dating Violence Legislation: "The group of 6th, 7th and 8th grade girls made the PSA as their outreach project for Destination Imagination, an organization that encourages student creativity through competitive problem-solving tournaments...What started as a group project for a middle school-level competition has since grown into a push for policy change with the help of TCFV"...Read more
[UK] Boy's Heartbreaking Video about his Torment at Hands of Bullies Prompts School Investigation: "A 12-year-old boy has forced his school to investigate bullies after making this heartbreaking video about his torment...'He's showing others they can speak out. The school has been quite helpful. They've spoken to me and it seems like they want things to change'"...Read more
Understanding Trauma Can Turn Lives Around: Former NHLer Sheldon Kennedy: "The goal, he said, is to help children before the trauma they have experienced takes a further toll on their lives and their futures...He was abused by former hockey coach James between the ages of 14 and 19, until about 1990...Kennedy, who went on to play for the Calgary Flames and the Boston Bruins, turned to drugs and alcohol, spent time in jail, rehabilitation centres and psychiatric hospitals...After James was sentenced for abusing Kennedy and another player, Kennedy began speaking publicly about his case and became a well-known advocate for victims of abuse"…Read more
Let's Overcome Our Blind Spots When It Come to Child Trafficking: "Through research and advocacy work we know that domestic trafficking of children is far more common than most Americans believe, and more underreported. It can take the form of sexual exploitation, like what happened to Brian and Katy. And, it can take other forms. Some traffickers force children to work in peddling rings, selling magazines or candy on street corners or in suburban neighborhoods"…Read more
Facebook Rolling Out Suicide Prevention Tool: "Facebook worked with mental health organizations including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to 'provide more resources, advice and support to people who may be struggling with suicidal thoughts and their concerned friends and family members.' The company announced a new tool that allows users to report to Facebook if a friend has posted a threat to commit suicide. These reports will be reviewed by teams who can 'send help.' The poster in question may receive a private message from Facebook saying, '...a friend thinks you might be going through something difficult and asked us to look at your recent post.' It will then direct the person to options to talk to a friend or helpline worker, or to get tips and support"…Read more
1 In 3 Women Has Been Sexually Harassed At Work, According To Survey: "A new survey found that one in three women between the ages of 18-34 has been sexually harassed at work. Cosmopolitan surveyed 2,235 full-time and part-time female employees and found that one in three women has experienced sexual harassment at work at some point their lives"…Read more and view the infographic
Ravages of Revenge Porn Spur Federal Crime Push: "Started in 2012, the End Revenge Porn campaign has helped 11 state pass laws criminalizing revenge porn. Today 16 states have criminal remedies for revenge porn, with more in the works. Though advocates say federal law is also essential to combating this vicious online crime, which is boundary-less like the Internet"...Read more
Krystal Schmidtke, 32, of Lodi, faces a felony charge of physical abuse of a child and a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct, stemming from allegations that she restrained and injured a 13-year-old child...Read more
Justin Wagner, 27, of Wisconsin Dells, faces charges of first-degree attempted intentional homicide, strangulation and suffocation, misdemeanor battery, and disorderly conduct, all alleged to have stemmed from domestic abuse...Read more
Shawn LaRush, 42, of Portage, charged with false imprisonment and disorderly conduct stemming from allegations that he held a woman against her will...Read more
Matthew Elliot, 24, of Lodi, sentenced to six months in jail and to register as a sex offender for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl...Read more
Patrick Kraemer, 46, of Wyocena, will go on trial for first-degree intentional homicide of Traci Rataczak, his girlfriend, in April of 2013…Read more
Natalie Murphy, 22, of Necedah, charged with first-degree intentional homicide of Andrew Dammen of Mauston, the father of her daughter…Read more
Child Abuse and Children with Disabilities: Teachers College at Columbia University has created web resources that are specifically focused on preparing for and conducting interviews with children who have been abused who also have disabilities. To view these resources, click here.
OVC's Victim Assistance Training (VAT) Online has added five new modules to its curriculum: sexual assault, LGBTQ populations, victims with substance abuse issues, financial crimes, and identity theft. VAT training is free and high-quality. For more information, click here.
Transgender Sexual Violence Project: Summary of Wisconsin Data: "The Transgender Sexual Violence Project, sponsored by FORGE (For Ourselves: Reworking Gender Expression), conducted a national survey on sexual violence within the transgender and SOFFA (Significant Others, Friends, Family and Allies) community...We broadly define transgender to include a large population of people who do not strictly adhere to societally constructed gender norms and stereotypes." View the data here.
National Eating Disorder Awareness Week (Feb 22-28): The National Eating Disorders Association has created tools and resources to understand eating disorders and support individuals and families on the journey to recovery. They have an information and referral helpline, lesson plans on digital media literacy, awareness materials, and toolkits for parents, educators, and coaches. You might also be interested in the National Sexual Violence Resource Center's online resource collection on sexual violence, trauma, and eating disorders, which you can view here.
Together for Children Conference: This conference will be held April 15-16 in Lake Geneva. Workshops include Teen Sexual Abuse: What Professionals Need to Know for Prevention and Response; Child Sexual Abuse in a Technological World: Implications for Investigation, Prosecutions and Victim Impact; A Collaborative Model for Reducing Truancy; Maximizing the Benefits of Team Building; Dangerous Homes? What injuries should make you worry about abuse after household 'accidents'; Promoting Resiliency in Young Children in Poverty who have Experienced Complex Trauma; and more. For more information and to register, visit www.preventchildabusewi.org.
Save the Date: The next Faith Leaders for Healthy Relationships (FLHR) luncheon will be on April 28 on Spiritual Integrity - how to help individuals re-establish trust in themselves, others, and in a higher power when someone has broken that trust due to experiences of abuse, cheating, crossing boundaries, pastoral misconduct, or conflicts in the church. Thanks to everyone that participated in the last FLHR luncheon, Community Resources Panel, on January 21 at Trappers Turn Golf Club!
More Pastors Embrace Talk of Mental Ills: "Evangelical leaders are increasingly opening up about family suicides, their own clinical depression and the relief they have received from psychiatric medication…This month, a mental health advisory group appointed by Dr. Page offered a variety of proposals to help Southern Baptist congregants and their families with mental health challenges, the first time the church has addressed the subject in a direct and comprehensive manner. The proposals include providing churches with a database of Christian counselors and mental health providers, and offering more robust education about mental health in seminaries and at Christian colleges"…Read more
Teaching Digital Citizenship: "In partnership with Disney's Club Penguin, NetSmartz is proud to announce that our latest resource, Teaching Digital Citizenship, is available today! This free, online training tool provides practical tips for leading class discussions and highlights NetSmartz resources ideal for teaching each topic. This program provides an in-depth review of how to teach digital literacy and ethics, inappropriate content, online sexual solicitation, online privacy, sexting, and cyberbullying."
Futures Without Violence's How to Talk to Teens about Dating Violence: "Below you'll find information and tools to help you talk to your kids about healthy relationships, guidelines on how to navigate their world of cell phones and social networking and how to talk to your kids about being an upstander vs. a bystander"…Read more
Miss Representation Curriculum 2.0: "Watch this video with a young person in your life and complete the accompanying activity. Next, imagine a whole library of videos like this one, inspiring media literacy and learning. In the curriculum, we've paired multiple, age-appropriate, short videos with easy to implement lessons for both in and out of school. If you want to keep spreading the love, get the Miss Representation Curriculum 2.0 for your local classroom or community group."
Putting Media to the Test: "Here at loveisrespect, we're all about building and nurturing healthy relationships, but unfortunately the media is not always on the same page. In honor of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, we've decided to dissect some media and put it to the test. The Healthy Relationship test, that is! Below are the music videos for three chart-toppers from 2014 [Jealous by Nick Jonas, Blank Space by Taylor Swift, and Animals by Maroon 5]. To test them, we're going to focus on both the lyrics and the imagery"…Check out the songs' scorings
NO BULL Challenge: "A social action organization, NO BULL Challenge invites youth (ages 13 to 23) from around the world to take a stand against bullying and to promote digital responsibility, leadership, and social action through filmmaking and social media. To participate, create a short film, public service announcement (PSA) or vine. To learn more about how you can be a leader, make it all the way to the award show in Los Angeles, and win a scholarship and other prizes, go to www.nobullchallenge.org. Entry deadline: April 19, 2015."
School Experiences of Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Students in Wisconsin: "The purpose of this research is to systematically document the experiences of transgender (trans) and gender non-conforming (GNC) students in Wisconsin schools to fill in the knowledge gaps about their unique needs. Six themes are addressed in the report: learning environment, physical facilities, health and wellness, safety, institutional and social support, and acceptance and respect"...Read the report
February 2015 Community Education E-bulletin
Welcome to the February 2015 edition of Hope House's Community Education E-bulletin!
1. February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month
2. UW-Baraboo V-Day Event
3. Survey to Help Hope House Review Its Mission
4. Heart Health Workshop
5. Adverse Childhood Experiences Workshop in Portage
9. Campus Sexual Assault
10. Children & Youth
13. Parents' & Youth Service Providers' Section
February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month
Hope House has collected a list of excellent resources and awareness activity ideas for teens, parents, educators, and youth-serving providers for Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. Click here to view the list and see how you can get involved. Feel free to call Hope House with any questions or requests for additional information or presentations at 608-356-9123.
UW-Baraboo/Sauk County V-Day Event Benefiting Hope House on February 17
UW-Baraboo/Sauk County is holding its eighth annual V-Day event on February 17th from 12:30-1:45pm at the R.G. Brown Theatre on campus. The "V" in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine, and Vagina. Students and community members will perform a staged reading of Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues." These monologues are taken from real women's stories about their bodies, empowerment, and violation.
Unfortunately, a common experience for many women is that of abuse – child sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, rape, domestic violence, teen dating violence, and stalking. By breaking the silence and telling women's stories of strength and survival, other women (and men) feel more comfortable telling their own experiences of abuse.
These monologues aren't all heavy and serious. Many are fun and flirty tales of women claiming their rights to their own bodies (and yes, their vaginas).
This Valentine's, rather than buying flowers or chocolate, how about doing something unique like taking a partner or a friend to see "The Vagina Monologues"? After the show, there will be a "Break the Chain" dance performance as part of V-Day's 3rd annual One Billion Rising campaign. The suggested donation is $5. Proceeds help support Hope House.
For more information on V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls, please visit www.vday.org. For more information on the One Billion Rising campaign, please visit www.onebillionrising.org. To view a poster for this event, please click here.
Hope House Needs Your Help in Reviewing Our Mission
Hope House board and staff will be reviewing its mission and vision. We'd greatly appreciate community members input for this process. Please click here to take a 3-question survey by February 9th. Thanks for your assistance!
Heart Health Workshop at Hope House
Lori Rudolph, Parish Nurse Coordinator, will be at Hope House on February 12 at 10am to give a presentation on heart health. All are welcome to attend. Please call Hope House at 608-356-7500 with any questions.
Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACES) and Protective Factors:
Protecting and Promoting Children's Well-being Free Workshop in Portage
You're invited to join others from across Columbia County to come together to learn more about ACEs and their impact on health and well-being. Because we believe that all of us can be part of creating a better life for children, we will also explore the idea of "Protective Factors" as a framework for preventing ACEs in the lives of children and promoting stronger families. Organized by the Columbia County CARES Advisory Steering Committee, this free workshop will be held on February 12 from 8am-12:30pm at Grace Bible Church in Portage. Please RSVP by February 6 by emailing Patti Herman, UW-Extension Family Living Educator, at patti.herman@ces.uwex.edu.
Bathrooms: Toilet paper, Deodorant, Small garbage cans with bags, Nail clippers, Toilet bowl cleaner, Cleaning supplies such as Lysol disinfecting spray and floor cleaner, Clorox wipes, Hairspray, Bleach, Bathroom rugs and bath mats
Misc: Baby wipes, Band-Aids, Diapers and pull-ups, Pocket-sized calendars, Strollers, Baby bottles, Umbrellas, Hangers, Weather radio, Journals, Exercise balls, Yoga/exercise DVDs, Relaxation CDs, Baby thermometer, CD players, Regular light bulbs, New twin bed sheets
Marissa Alexander Released from Jail: "Marissa Alexander, the Florida mother whose case became a rallying cry for anti-racism activists and survivors of domestic violence, was released today after three years of incarceration. Alexander had faced up to 60 years behind bars for firing a single shot near her abusive husband, unable to convince a jury she had feared for her life. A hearing Tuesday confirmed the terms: Having pleaded guilty to assault in exchange for credit for time served, she will be subject to two years of electronic monitoring and house arrest, except for approved appointments and employment"...Read more
George Zimmerman Arrested on Suspected Domestic Violence
Watch the NFL's Chilling Anti-Domestic Violence Super Bowl PSA: "The clip, part of the league's No More campaign, features scenes of a disheveled home and the voice of a woman who dials 911 but pretends to order pizza — fearing to openly report the abuse within earshot of her abuser. The PSA, reportedly based on an actual 911 call, shows the woman doing her best to communicate the situation to the emergency operator"…Read more...Read related article: The NFL Wants to Listen to Victims of Domestic Violence: Where Were They Last Year
Viral Italian PSA About Domestic Violence Makes A Good Point, But Not Without Flaws
Sports Illustrated Will Run Edgy Domestic Violence Ad Ahead Of Super Bowl: "The ad, created by the progressive advocacy group Ultraviolet, includes a dramatic video of a uniformed football player tackling a woman without a helmet. The video notes that 55 domestic abuse cases in the NFL have gone unanswered under the leadership of league commissioner Roger Goodell, and it ends with the hashtag '#GOODELLMUSTGO'"…Read more
NFL Player Junior Galette Arrested for Domestic Violence and Battery
Domestic Violence Assault Charges Against U.S. Soccer Star Hope Solo Dismissed: "At a hearing last week, the judge renewed an order for a deposition after Solo's nephew and half-sister failed to appear for interviews...In court documents, Solo said she was defending herself against her nephew, who is 6-foot-9 and weighs 280 pounds. She claims she was hit over the head with a broom handle. Solo's relatives claimed she attacked first"...Read more
Bar Owner Apologizes For Sign Supporting Domestic Violence
Detroit Tries Charity to Test Backlogged Rape Kits: "The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, which discovered 11,000 untested rape kits in a Detroit police storage unit five years ago, announced Tuesday that it has teamed up with two nonprofits to raise $10 million to pay for the testing, investigation and prosecution of those unsolved rape cases"...Read more...Read related article: 100 Serial Rapists Identified after Rape Kits from Detroit Crime Lab are Finally Processed
Storyline: How Survivors of Sexual Assault Tell Their Children: "'But as I got older and a little wiser, I changed my perspective. I thought, 'How empowering it can be for them to know the kind of resiliency that is within them. Here I am. Their mom. I got married. I own a home. I got a Master's degree. I teach at a college, and I have a full-time career. I did all these things. Despite what happened'"...Read more
He Was Abused by a Female Teacher, But He Was Treated like the Perpetrator: "Cameron Clarkson was a 16-year-old football player when he suddenly landed in the middle of a sex crime investigation at his St. Paul, Minn., high school. Lawyers grilled him on the details of his sexual history. School officials, in a statement to the press, cited him for not invoking the school's sexual harassment policy...Gail Gagne, a 25-year-old basketball and lacrosse coach, was a full-time substitute teacher at Cretin-Derham Hall High School and a couple of months away from becoming a regular physical education instructor...Gagne was fired and charged with two felony counts of criminal sexual conduct with a student. But in the investigations that followed, Clarkson was treated more like the perpetrator than the victim. Gagne, meanwhile, faced an easier path in some ways"...Read more
England Just Established "Yes Means Yes" Guidelines for Police Investigating Rape
Uber Safety Checklist Created After Sexual Assault Incidents: "Uber drivers have been in Chicago and Boston have been charged with raping a female customer since December; so far the 'safe ride checklist' is only available in these two cities"...Read more
NBC Cuts Ties with Bill Cosby amid Sexual Assault Allegations
Male Victims Of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out: "It was Andrew's sixth night of freshman year at Brown University when he was assaulted by a male student in his dorm bathroom. When Andrew brought on-campus charges, his assailant was expelled. Unlike myriad students who report mishandled cases in the burgeoning national campaign against sexual assault, Andrew initially believed his case was handled appropriately. But after The Huffington Post discovered Andrew's assailant had previously been found responsible for assaulting two other students and had not been expelled, Andrew was devastated. Andrew has decided to share his story in hopes that victims of assault -- and specifically male victims -- be taken more seriously…'There are a lot of male survivors who haven't found someone they can relate to,' he said. 'I want to break the silence, and I want other men to know that they're not alone'"…Read more
The Downside of the Vanderbilt Rape Convictions: "Two former Vanderbilt University football players were convicted yesterday of raping a fellow student back in 2013. While it was a rare win for justice in such cases, it nonetheless highlights the many ways the system is stacked against victims. It was a muted victory, as those in sexual violence cases tend to be. You hope it gives the victim some semblance of healing, but we should also remember all those who didn't get their day in court. After the jury handed down guilty verdicts for 16 felonies, including aggravated rape and sexual battery, the now-21-year-old woman issued a statement to those who have endured similar ordeals: 'You are not alone. You are not to blame.' One detective working the case called her, 'one of the strongest women I've ever met.' Yet it was no surprise that some sports commentators tried to steer the conversation toward sympathy for the attackers"...Read more
How Faculty Can Use Syllabi to Reduce the Campus Sexual Assault Epidemic: "By taking the simple measures of incorporating Title IX language into syllabi and giving students the names and numbers of the primary campus resources, educators can do their part to provide support for victims and help end the epidemic of campus sexual violence"...Read more
Two New Documentaries Will Highlight Student Activism Against Campus Sexual Assault: "On Wednesday, Pivot, the TV network for Participant Media, will release 'It Happened Here,' a documentary by Emmy Award winner Lisa F. Jackson. The film follows women from Amherst College, Vanderbilt University and the University of Connecticut who went public about how their schools mishandled their sexual assault cases. Starting in February, 'It Happened Here' will screen on a number of college campuses as part of the White House's It's On Us campaign, launched last year to combat college sexual assault...Another documentary on the subject, 'The Hunting Ground,' will premiere later this week at the Sundance Film Festival…'The Hunting Ground' is set to debut in theaters and in a broadcast on CNN sometime in 2015"...Read more
States Want More Campus Rape Reports Sent To Police, But Survivors Feel Differently: "The New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault likes proposals such as Cuomo's that would make sure options are laid out to victims, but is strongly against the bill offered in New Jersey that would require colleges to tell law enforcement of sexual assault reports. 'Why, once someone enrolls in one of our colleges or universities, should they lose their right to make decisions about how to proceed after such a violent crime was committed against them?' asked Patricia Teffenhart, executive director of NJCASA. 'Why are the rights of college survivors trumped by our desire to hold institutions and offenders accountable?'"…Read more
If Colleges Want To Regain Trust On Sexual Assault, 'It Starts With Transparency': "'People get confused when we talk about campus sexual assault -- yes, it's a potentially criminal act, but it's also a civil rights infraction. That's where Title IX comes in,' said Lisa Maatz, the top policy adviser at the American Association of University Women. 'We're not asking universities to be detectives and judge and jury to deprive someone of their liberty and send them to jail. What they must do is ensure an equal and equitable learning environment for men and women'"...Read more
These Are The Colleges And Universities Now Under Federal Investigation For Botching Rape Cases
[WI] Pittsville Students Use Social Media to Pay It Forward: "The entire Pittsville High School student body was not in school for a few hours Wednesday morning...Students and staff members decided to pay forward acts of kindness through volunteering, then post photos and comments on social media accounts"...Read more
Teen Girls Report Less Sexual Victimization after Virtual Reality Assertiveness Training: "'Research has shown that skills are more likely to generalize if they are practiced in a realistic environment, so we used virtual reality to increase the realism.' The training program, called 'My Voice, My Choice,' emphasizes that victims do not invite sexual violence and that they have the right to stand up for themselves because violent or coercive behavior is never OK...She cautioned, however, that the research is preliminary and based on a small sample: 42 in the 'My Voice, My Choice' condition and 36 in a control condition. Future research is needed to establish the benefits of the program across different age groups and populations, for example, college versus high school students"...Read more
How Girls Are Seeking (and Subverting) Approval Online: "For some -- especially girls -- what starts as a fun way to document and share experiences can turn into an obsession about approval that can wreak havoc on self-image... A new countermovement -- call it the 'ugly selfie' trend -- is prompting girls to share their true selves and accept (and even challenge) whatever feedback they receive"...Read more
Interrupting Cycle of Violence before Young Perpetrators and Their Victims Reach Adulthood: "Evidence suggests that the drivers of gender-based violence among adolescents are similar to those identified for adults. In addition to exposure to violence as a child and prior victimization, bullying and homophobic teasing, poor parental practices, harmful alcohol and substance use, unequal social norms that condone gender-based violence, lack of female empowerment, controlling male behavior, as well as laws and policies that perpetuate gender inequality are risk factors"...Read more
AP: At Least 786 Kids Die of Abuse or Neglect under Watch of Child Protective Services: "Most of the 786 children whose cases were compiled by the AP were under the age of 4. They lost their lives even as authorities were investigating their families or providing some form of protective services because of previous instances of neglect, violence or other troubles in the home...The AP reviewed thousands of pages of official reports, child fatality records and police documents for the period in question, which ran from fiscal year 2008 through 2013"...Read more
Celebrating MLK Day: Reclaiming Our Movement Legacy: "Dr. King nurtured visions of a movement that could restore a deep and abiding love for all of humanity; a world where the restoration of democracy and full citizenship, of an economic system that could provide for everyone, and an end to war and militarization. Dr. King's dream tackled poverty and systemic inequality. Ultimately his vision was a society with human rights for all"...Read more...Read related article: 11 Black American Icons You Won't Learn About On MLK Jr. Day — But Should
How White Americans Lose When They Don't Stand Up for Racial Justice (and 4 Ways They Can Counter Racism Instead)
In Preventing Trans Suicides, 'We Have Such A Long Way To Go': "A recent study from UCLA found that 41 percent of transgender people in the survey had attempted suicide — nearly nine times the national average. That's why Greta Martela founded Trans Lifeline, a suicide hotline for trans people, run by transgender volunteers...Trans Lifeline launched in September and it's already getting around 60 calls a day. Alcorn's case hit home, Martela says"...Read more
NO MORE: 10 Reasons We're Excited for 2015: "We begin the year with a message of hope: 2014 was the year a new national conversation surrounding sexual assault and domestic violence began, and together we're working to sustain and gain even more momentum as we head into '15. It was hard to select from so many, but here's just ten of the many incredibly empowering takeaways, big and small, from the past twelve months"...Read more
'This Girl Can' Reminds Women That Healthy Bodies And 'Perfect' Bodies Are Not The Same Thing: "Sport England, an organization providing services and funding to sports programs in the UK, launched the 'This Girl Can' campaign on Jan. 12 after research showed that 75 percent of English women would like to be more active...The 90-second ad shows women of all body types participating in their favorite sports -- without any concern for what they look like. Phrases like 'I jiggle, therefore I am' are interspersed with shots of women working out -- cellulite, smudged makeup, sweat patches and all. None of the women featured in the ad are models or professional athletes, reinforcing the message that athletics are accessible to everyone"...Read more
Hollaback's New Sexual Harassment Video: "Seeing Isn't Always Believing" is the third video in a new series to raise awareness and end street harassment worldwide. Watch the video and read more about it here.
Proof Tabloids Represent Men And Women Very Differently: "In the video 'The Experiment,' writer Kate Hardie and lighting technician Andy Lowe cut out pictures of men and women featured in the British tabloid The Sun, the UK's most widely read daily newspaper. Over the course of six months, Hardie and Lowe pasted all of these photos to a wall, placing images of women on one side and men on the other. The results show the stark contrast between how women are represented and how men are"...Read more
Students Learn About Healthy Relationships [from Hope House]...Check out this information on the school district newsletter too
Michael Traxler, 28, of Westfield, was charged with felony counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child and repeated sexual assault of the same child...Read more
Terry Brace, 73, of Columbus, pleaded no contest to felony repeated sexual assault of the same child...Read more
Sotero Rodriguez, 68, of North Freedom, sentenced to 17 years of prison for sexually assaulting a young girl on multiple occasions in 2013...Read more
Former U.S. airman Eric Popaeko, sentenced to three years in prison for repeatedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old Reedsburg boy that he met online...Read more
Cody Russell, 21, of Arlington, faces a felony charge stemming for physically abusing a 10-month-old baby boy...Read more
Grief In The Classroom: 'Saying Nothing Says A Lot': "A new website — GrievingStudents.org — is trying to help teachers and school leaders answer that question. It's a database of fact sheets, advice and videos. The materials were produced by the Coalition to Support Grieving Students, a group including 10 national organizations that represent teachers, school administrators and support staff"...Read more
Call Out Sexist Ads This Super Bowl Sunday: "[The Representation Project is] inviting you to live tweet the Super Bowl with us and our partners, The 3% Conference. Tell advertisers whether their commercial was a fumble with #NotBuyingIt or a touchdown with #MediaWeLike. Together we can combat harmful stereotypes and demand better representation for all"…Check out the commercials here
Common Sense Media's 10 YouTube Channels for Girls (Completely Makeup- and Fashion-Free!) and 10 Awesome YouTube Channels for Boys (With No Violence, Explosions, or Macho Posturing)
KidSmartz™ Safety Dance Video Contest: "Would you like a chance win $10,000 for your school? Check out this contest from KidSmartz - our sister-program focusing on abduction prevention. The KidSmartz™ Safety Dance Video Contest offers educators a fun and novel way to help K -5 students engage with lessons about personal safety. Film your students dancing to the KidSmartz remix of the 80s hit song 'The Safety Dance.' One school from each of the four regions across the U.S. will be chosen to win. Each school may submit one video entry although K-5 students from multiple classes may perform together"...Click here to learn more.
Thatsnotcool.com Now on Tumblr: Thatsnotcool.com has created a Tumblr that uses gifs, pictures, and quotes to draw attention to common instances of digital dating abuse. Accessible, funny, and informative, this Tumblr is a great social media resource to share with the teens that you work with. Check it out here.
The "Real World" of Teen Dating Violence: "In this Research for the Real World seminar, Dr. Peggy C. Giordano shares preliminary findings from a longitudinal study on the nature of teen dating relationships and risk factors for dating violence. The findings challenge traditional assumptions about gender in early relationships and how youth deal with disagreement. Conflict around financial concerns, infidelity and time spent with peers are risk factors for violence among young adults. Dr. Giordano stresses that developing a more nuanced view of anger, control and communication around these areas can provide opportunities to change patterns of violence in relationships." Watch the recorded seminar here and read the research brief Teen Dating Violence: How Peers Can Affect Risk & Protective Factors.
Our Gender Revolution Campaign: "The Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence encourages you to engage young people, communities, and schools to promote gender equity as a way to prevent gender violence - relationship abuse, sexual harassment, sexual assault and other forms of violence - that disproportionately impacts girls and women, transgender, and people who are gender non-conforming. As part of February's National Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Month, an inter-generational partnership of youth and adults developed the Our Gender Revolution high school and middle school campaigns. Order free Our Gender Revolution Campaign materials (conversation guide, posters, brochures, stickers) by clicking here. Materials can also be downloaded. During the months of February-April, anyone who facilitates a conversation with youth or young adults (ages 14-25) and answers a brief survey will be randomly selected for a $100 incentive! Each month we will select up to 25 individuals to receive the incentive for a total of 75 winners. The more conversations you facilitate, the more chances you'll have to be selected! To be eligible for the incentive, facilitate a conversation with high school students and answer the Our Gender Revolution Conversation Guide Survey."
Community Resources Panel: Thanks to the nearly 40 people that attended the Community Resources Panel on January 21 at Trappers Turn Golf Club in Wisconsin Dells. Thanks also to the panelists from law enforcement, prosecution, healthcare, human services, advocacy, and a faith community who shared their expertise with us. This luncheon was part of a series. Stay tuned for information on the next luncheon on spiritual integrity.
Upcoming Free Webinars from the Faith Trust Institute: Upcoming webinar topics include addressing domestic violence in pre-marital counseling, talking with teens about social media, battered African-American women, the spiritual crisis of child victims of abuse, and addressing elder abuse. Click here to learn more and register.
Demand Better Media in 2015: "The Representation Project is thrilled to premiere our Demand Better Media in 2015 video. While we have a lot to celebrate, some things aren't changing fast enough. We all – men and boys, women and girls – must combat harmful stereotypes and demand better representation in our media and culture at large"...Watch the video
The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs' LGBTQ and HIV-Affected Intimate Partner Violence Report in 2013: "Although reports of violence remained consistent with those in 2012, NCAVP's 2013 report documents 21 homicides, the highest number of LGBTQ intimate partner violence (IPV) homicides recorded and on par with the 21 homicides in 2012. These intimate partner violence homicides illustrate the severe and deadly impact of intimate partner violence in LGBTQ and HIV-affected communities. Within the 2013 intimate partner violence report, person level data indicates that gay men, LGBTQ and HIV-affected communities of color, LGBTQ youth and young adults, bisexual survivors, and transgender communities experienced the most severe forms of IPV. These findings continue to highlight the importance of IPV prevention, strategic and community-specific responses to IPV, and the need for research and accurate documentation of intimate partner violence in LGBTQ and HIV-affected communities"...Read the full report here
Reproductive and Sexual Coercion Toolkit: The Virginia Action Alliance has released a Reproductive and Sexual Coercion Toolkit with information on coercion, screening, trauma-informed care and resources specifically for home visitors and healthcare providers. View the toolkit here.
Human Trafficking Awareness Month (January 2015): In support of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) has resources for mental health professionals, law enforcement personnel, health care professionals, and survivors on the signs of trafficking and services for human trafficking survivors...Check out these related resources: NSVRC's Assisting Trafficking Victims Information Packet and National Human Trafficking Resource Center
Adult Sexual Assault: A Trauma Informed Approach: The Michigan Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Treatment Board has created a new in-service/roll call training film for law enforcement and allied professionals. This two-part film provides an overview of how trauma impacts victims and how law enforcement first responders can implement a trauma informed response and approach to sexual assault survivors. To preview or share the film on YouTube, click here. To download the film, click here. To order a DVD of the film, click to email here.
Legal Issues Related to Elder Abuse: Guides for Law Enforcement: The American Bar Association has produced two new free publications: a pocket guide and a desk guide for law enforcement on legal issues related to elder abuse. Click here to learn more and to order or download a copy.
December 2014 Community Education E-bulletin
Welcome to the December 2014 edition of Hope House's Community Education E-bulletin!
Hope House's Holiday Wish List
High School Students Re-Writing Unhealthy Lyrics
Around the holidays, people often ask what gift items they can donate to Hope House for the people we work with. Here is our holiday wish list:
- For Children and Teens: board games, arts and craft supplies, pajamas, slippers, jewelry, candy or chocolate, sports balls, winter outdoor toys and activities, gloves or mittens, socks, family-friendly DVDs and toys
- For Adults: area spa certificates, Walmart gift cards, gas cards, bathrobes, slippers, bath products, manicure/pedicure sets, coffee or tea, calendars or weekly planners, journals, gloves or mittens, socks and underwear
Please note that all items should be donated unwrapped. You may donate wrapping paper if you wish for parents to be able to wrap the presents for their children.
Bathrooms: Toilet paper, Deodorant, Small garbage cans, Nail clippers, Toilet bowl cleaner, Cleaning supplies such as Lysol disinfecting spray and floor cleaner, Clorox wipes, Hairspray, Bleach, Bathroom rugs and bath mats
Kitchen: Dishwasher soap, 13-Gallon garbage bags, Paper towels, Silverware, Pots and pans, Brush for cleaning bottles, Fruit juice, Sip cups, Milk, Saran wrap, Aluminum foil
Laundry: Laundry detergent, Dryer sheets, Liquid fabric softener
Clothing for Women and Kids: Winter boots, Adult-size gloves/mittens, Socks, Women's underwear, Medium-Large size pajamas, Sweatshirts and sweatpants
One of the presentations that Hope House offers for teens involves analyzing song lyrics for healthy and unhealthy messages about relationships. Students then take lyrics that are unhealthy and re-write them into a more positive message about relationships. Below are a few examples of what students recently wrote during a presentation to the Portage High School Sophomore English classes and the Montello High School health class.
Bill Cosby Raped Me. Why Did It Take 30 Years for People to Believe My Story?: "Only after a man, Hannibal Buress, called Bill Cosby a rapist in a comedy act last month did the public outcry begin in earnest. The original video of Buress's performance went viral. This week, Twitter turned against him, too, with a meme that emblazoned rape scenarios across pictures of his face. While I am grateful for the new attention to Cosby's crimes, I must ask my own questions: Why wasn't I believed? ...The women victimized by Bill Cosby have been talking about his crimes for more than a decade. Why didn't our stories go viral?"...Read more...Read related: Everything You Need to Know about the Bill Cosby Sexual Assault Allegations...Bill Cosby Biographer Admits 'I Was Wrong' to Ignore Sexual-Assault Allegations...Cosby Allegations Lead to Spike in Hotline Use...NBC, Netflix Cancel Bill Cosby Projects
Postal Workers Get Thanks for Thwarting a Predator: "Perfetti was pulling into the post office parking lot when she saw an older man taking a young boy behind a shed. She had a gut instinct something was wrong…So Perfetti went inside and got her supervisor Stacie Pence-Bailey to come out. 'Well, they were walking behind the shed and they stopped...and I asked him, are you okay? He just shook his head...and I asked him if he wanted to stay with me,' said Pence-Bailey. The boy nodded and Pence-Bailey took his arm and pulled him away from the man…A photo taken by mail carrier Steve Plunkett as the man was running away allowed police to take a mug shot later…Turns out 52-year-old Teddy Meyer was a registered sex offender"…Read more
Unprotected: The Sex Abuse Scandal Plaguing USA Swimming: "Last summer she told her story to Al Jazeera and signed her name to a petition filed by the Women's Sport Foundation (WSF), which asked 19 other women who have reported sexual abuse...to protest the fact that USA Swimming's executive director, 64-year-old Chuck Wielgus, was about to be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF)…'As of May 1, 2014, more than 100 USA Swimming coaches have been banned for life, making this one of the worst sexual abuse scandals in the U.S. Olympics sports world,' it stated. 'Many of these coaches had well-known, long histories of sexual abuse, yet Wielgus enabled these men to continue to coach for years'"...Read more
How to Help Someone Who's Been Sexually Assaulted Without Making Things Worse: "For example, telling a rape survivor to 'stop thinking about it,' or 'try to move on' can send an unintentional message that something is wrong with the survivor for being preoccupied and hurt…Thinking about what happened for prolonged periods of time is a normal reaction to trauma as the survivor works to integrate the experience into his or her life narrative. Recognizing and respecting this is the first step victims' friends and loved ones can take to lend support. Another way to help is to assist with practical matters…Above all, friends and loved ones should simply try to listen"…Read more
After A Sexual Assault And A Pregnancy, Vet Kept Her Pain Secret: "In 1998, Trista Matascastillo was training to become an officer in the Navy, when she was sexually assaulted by someone she had served with. She told no one about the attack. 'I used to say when I put my uniform on, I was in my Superwoman suit. Nothing could happen, nothing could hurt me...And yet, it did. Someone who I had worked with, I had served with, someone that I had called my brother, ultimately became my perpetrator'"...Read more
NY Prosecutor to Fund Rape Kit Testing Nationally: "Evidence from up to 70,000 rape cases nationwide will get long-awaited DNA testing, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. announced Wednesday as he pledged as much as $35 million to help eliminate a backlog"...Read more
Inspector: No Sign of Investigation in 1,111 New Orleans Sex Crime-Related Calls: "The report is full of harrowing details alleging that five New Orleans Police Department detectives in the special victims unit may have failed to investigate sex crimes over a three-year period. But one case stands out. According to the seven-page document released Wednesday by the city's Office of Inspector General, a 2-year-old was brought to a hospital emergency room after an alleged sexual assault. Tests would show the toddler had a sexually transmitted disease, the report said. The detective in the case, who worked in the child abuse unit, wrote in his report that the 2-year-old 'did not disclose any information that would warrant a criminal investigation and closed the case'"...Read more
Texas Police Officer Caught on Video: 'Go Ahead, Call the Cops. They Can't Un-Rape You': "The Austin Police Department has validated the video/audio publicly released pursuant to the Texas Open Records Act. The officers in the video/audio have been identified as Austin Police officers...The investigation will include a comprehensive audit of the involved officers' contacts with victims of sexual assault to ensure the actions taken during the contacts meet the expectations of the Department, the public and most importantly, the victims"...Read more
Chicago Archdiocese Offers Sex Abuse Data: "The Roman Catholic archdiocese here released thousands of internal documents on Thursday that detailed decades of sexual abuse by its priests, a disclosure timed just days before the retirement of the current archbishop...In a statement, David Clohessy, the director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, criticized the archdiocese for not releasing the documents earlier. The roughly 15,000 pages published Thursday included graphic descriptions of abuse and, in some cases, evidence of a less-than-swift response from church leaders"...Read more
Ray Rice Wins Reinstatement to N.F.L. in Arbitration: "Mr. Goodell had contended that the video revealed a 'starkly different sequence of events' from what Mr. Rice had described in his initial meeting with the commissioner. But Judge Jones concluded that Mr. Rice never misrepresented to Mr. Goodell what occurred and thus did not deserve to be punished a second time"...Read more
Small Steps Toward Changing the World: NFL Starts to Address Domestic Violence: "Public service announcements featuring NFL players are now broadcast during games. The league will implement a new Domestic Violence/Sexual Abuse Workplace Policy in November, one of the first of its kind in the nation, that trains team and league employees on critical initial-response techniques. A coaching video on educating youth football players about gender violence and other character issues, with the NFL's imprint, will soon be sent to colleges and high schools across the country"...Read more
NFL Educates Teams on Basics of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault: "The mandatory presentation has been presented to all 32 NFL owners and will be given to all of the teams by the end of the season. It includes video clips that feature a testimonial from Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback William Gay and a call to action from Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson…'We understand that the majority of the NFL family are making good choices. Most men are not perpetrators and they will never be perpetrators. It's important that we understand that we as men play a role in addressing domestic violence'"…Read more
Possible Adrian Peterson Return Could Undercut NFL's Domestic Violence Message: "Since Peterson, unlike Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, is still a member of the Vikings due to the commissioner exempt list...he could conceivably rejoin the Vikings for their very next game...This flies in the face of everything the NFL is trying to do. It's currently still trying to project an image of seriousness on domestic violence"...Read more...Read related: Adrian Peterson Suspension: Is the NFL Cracking Down on Domestic Abuse?
NFL Didn't Enforce Own Policies: "But an 'Outside the Lines' analysis shows that policy -- and variations crafted by the NFL over the past two decades -- did not yield a suspension after a domestic violence conviction until 2000, according to data compiled from court records and media reports. And out of 48 players considered guilty of domestic violence under the league policy between 2000 through 2014, the league suspended players for one game or not at all in 88 percent of the cases"…Read more
Whisked Out of Jail, and Back to the N.F.L.: N.F.L. Teams' Ties to Police Put Victims of Domestic Violence in a Bind: "When allegations of crimes such as domestic violence arise, the bond between officers and team security officials can favor the player while leaving the accuser feeling isolated"…Read more
NBA Suspends Hornets' Jeffery Taylor for 24 Games over Domestic Abuse
After Abuse, Survivors of Domestic Violence Face Lonely Legal Battle: "When survivors of domestic violence seek restraining orders in civil court or go to family court to determine custody and placement of children, there's no guarantee they will have an attorney to represent their interests. If they can't afford to hire a lawyer — and many can't — those victims are left to navigate the legal system alone…A report this summer from the Governor's Council on Domestic Abuse and End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin spotlighted the issue, and called on the state to fund legal services for domestic violence survivors"…Read more
New Law Takes Guns from Domestic Violence Suspects: "The Firearm Surrender Law, which took effect Nov. 1, requires anyone accused of violence in a domestic abuse restraining order to turn over all of his or her firearms to either their local sheriff or to a person not involved in the case. The law is intended to cut down on the number of people killed by guns in domestic situations and was sparked by the case of a woman in Brookfield who was killed by her estranged husband at the salon where she worked, days after she requested a restraining order against him"...Read more
Limited English Can Lead to Domestic Violence Victims' Arrests: "Too often among San Francisco's non-English speaking community members, Chan says the wrong people arrested because of miscommunication. Now civil rights groups are concerned that the victims, mostly Asian and Latina women, were simply denied their right to bilingual assistance, as required by police department policy"...Read more
Meet Beverly Gooden, the Woman Behind #WhyIStayed: "An hour later, thousands of people had used her hashtag to share why they stayed, too. The result? A social media firestorm that finally encapsulated how very hard it is to leave an abusive relationship. NO MORE talked to her about how she harnessed the power of social media to shift the blame from survivors to where it belongs"...Read the interview
This Is Why I Didn't Tell You He Was Beating Me: "Because when you're in the thick of things, in the middle of a Hell that you're convinced is of your own making, you can't see anything clearly. Fear and shame consume you—they're your constant companions. And when you look at your family and friends, you often can only see judgment and derision. You know their opinions about women who stay in abusive relationships"...Read more
I'm A Survivor Of Domestic Abuse, & I'm A Male: "I was 21 when I met Stephanie, the woman who would eventually become my abuser. I might not seem like your 'typical' abuse survivor, but domestic/relationship violence doesn't always look like what you see on Law & Order. Generally, it's about control. Though it can include physical violence, it can also include insults, lying, manipulation, and intimidation. And, I'm not alone: According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, about one in 14 men has been physically assaulted by a partner, spouse, or date"…Read more
4 Myths About Intimate Partner Violence in Lesbian Relationships: "Family and friends may not know about her sexual orientation and might reject her if they did. This is one reason why some survivors feel that reaching out to the people they know is actually more frightening than remaining in the relationship. Couple that with the fact that many abusers use isolation as a tactic to keep their partners from having access to reach out to loved ones, and you've got a difficult situation on your hands"…Read more
Above the Law: Responding to Domestic Violence on Indian Reservations: "Lisa says that as an adult, she seldom went to the police — and that much of that has to do with the fact that some of the men who attacked her were non-Native, not American Indians…In a 1978 decision, the US Supreme Court said Indian tribes with their own tribal justice systems and courts were not allowed to charge non-Indians — unless Congress passed a law. But Congress didn't act for 35 years. Then just last year, when lawmakers were reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, sometimes called VAWA, they included a new provision granting tribal courts jurisdiction over a limited number of domestic and dating violence crimes committed by non-Indians on reservations — perhaps allowing people like Lisa Brunner to see justice"…Read more
'Heartsick' Elias-Case Judge Challenges Domestic-Violence Myths: Guest Opinion: "On Nov. 10, Ian Elias kicked in the door of the home of his ex-wife, Nicolette Elias, and shot her to death with a handgun... am the Multnomah County Circuit Court judge who has been presiding over Ian and Nikki Elias' highly contentious custody and parenting-time case...As a professional who has fought the good fight against domestic violence throughout my 27-year career, first as a prosecutor and now as a judge, it's hard not to give up in despair. As a society, it's tempting to throw up our hands and walk away saying, 'there's nothing we can do.' That would be a mistake. There's a lot we can do"...Read more
Domestic Violence Drives Up New York Shelter Population as Housing Options Are Scarce: "Having walked away, victims of abuse are often left with no place to live and little means of support, and frequently end up homeless. In New York, this has helped drive the shelter population to a record high, with more than a quarter of all families in shelters citing abuse as the cause for their stay, city officials said. And, nationwide, many cities report a similar experience"...Read more
China Drafts First National Law Against Domestic Violence: "The draft legislation, which was released on Tuesday, creates a formal definition of domestic violence for the first time and streamlines the process of obtaining restraining orders...However, Hong Fincher cautioned that there are problems in the draft bill that should not be overlooked. Right now, the language only applies to married partners, she said, excluding the LGBT community and dating partners. And once a woman is granted a restraining order, she only has 30 days to take legal action against her partner, otherwise the order is dropped"...Read more
Oklahoma High Schoolers Will Walk Out Of Class Today To Protest The Bullying Of Rape Victims: "Student organizers are standing in solidarity with three rape victims who say they were assaulted by the same male student. Although school administrators did suspend the alleged assailant, activists are concerned about the fact that the teen girls have faced bullying and harassment from other students since coming forward with their stories"…Read more...Read related: Why Were Three Teenage Rape Victims Bullied Out of School in Oklahoma?
Department Of Education Investigating K-12 School Districts For Mishandling Sexual Assault: "As of Nov. 12, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights was investigating 24 elementary and secondary schools for potential mishandling of sexual violence incidents under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972…When a district is found guilty of violating Title IX, schools are typically asked to make a number of changes to address the issue at hand. If the school does not comply with these changes, the government can take more extreme measures -- including pulling federal funding"…Read more...Read related: By the Numbers: Sexual Violence in High School
When Teachers Sleep With Students, the Student Is Always the Victim: "Though the circumstances of each case are different, one thing should be clear to us: The young people involved are never at fault. The teachers aren't just adults; they're people in positions of power, who are abusing their duty to take care of the students in their classes. Yet this is often not the message we hear when these cases hit the courts or the media. Sometimes media outlets and other members of the public blame the victim. Sometimes—especially when the teacher is female and the students are male—we suggest that there is no victim at all"…Read more
Many Teens Suffer Cyber Dating Abuse: "The study authors surveyed slightly more than 1,000 teens aged 14 to 19 who visited on-campus health clinics from 2012 to 2013 in search of care for issues such as sexually transmitted diseases, birth control and annual checkups. The schools were located in urban and suburban areas, and 95 percent of the participants were not white. More than 40 percent of the teens said they'd experienced cyber dating abuse within the past three months: 45 percent of females and 31 percent of males"…Read more...Read related: Texting Tangles with Abuse in Teen Relationships
Research Finds Sexting is 'New Norm' for Teens
NFL Sends Domestic Violence Video to Schools: "The NFL sent a 17-minute video Wednesday to high school and college coaches nationwide to encourage them to be aware of and act against domestic violence and abuse. Entitled 'NFL Call To Coaches — Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Awareness,' the video includes strong messages from Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin; NFL football operations executive Troy Vincent; Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin; former player and coach Joe Ehrmann; and Mike Rowe, the coach at Rocori High School in Minnesota"…Read more
Open Letter to Young People Who Are Growing Up With Domestic Violence: "Last month you heard a lot about domestic violence in the news. It must have been difficult, I understand. I grew up living with domestic violence from the time I was 5 until my late teens"…Read more
Self-Harm In Teenage Years Predicts Substance Abuse, Lower Grades, And Difficulties At Work: "Self-harm can include cutting yourself, burning yourself, banging your head, sticking hurtful objects into your body, or taking too many pills. While some people self-harm only once or twice and then abandon the behavior, others do it routinely. Now, a new study finds self-harming teens are more likely to develop emotional problems while also encountering difficulties at both school and work later in life"...Read more
Teens Whose Parents Exert More Psychological Control Have Trouble with Closeness, Independence: "Parents' psychological control involved such tactics as using guilt, withdrawing love, fostering anxiety, or other psychologically manipulative tactics aimed at controlling youths' motivations and behaviors"...Read more
Matt Sandusky Announces New Child Sex Abuse Prevention Effort: "On Wednesday, he announced a new partnership between the sexual abuse awareness organization he founded, the Peaceful Hearts Foundation, and Darkness to Light, a national sexual abuse prevention nonprofit. The goal of the partnership is to raise the profile of child sexual abuse, encourage victims to come forward and train adults on how to spot abuse. One important part of the strategy, Sandusky said, is to encourage Congress to pass a law requiring all schools to educate children from a young age about what sexual abuse is, so they can identify it and have the words to communicate it when it happens to them"...Read more
Sibling Sexual Assault is Epidemic. No Wonder Lena Dunham Caused an Uproar: "Sibling sexual abuse is the most closely kept secret in the field of family violence. More than one in three cases of sexual assault against children in the U.S. are committed by other minors. Siblings often are the perpetrators...But the fact that some sexual contact between siblings is normal has allowed society to ignore a lot of unhealthy behavior"...Read more
'It's On Us' Week Of Action Aims To Raise Awareness Of College Sexual Assault: Check out the Bystander PSA here
A Rape on Campus: A Brutal Assault and Struggle for Justice at UVA: "Jackie was just starting her freshman year at the University of Virginia when she was brutally assaulted by seven men at a frat party. When she tried to hold them accountable, a whole new kind of abuse began"…Read more…Read related: University Of Virginia Suspends All Fraternities For 48 Days After Horrifying Gang Rape Accusations
One Woman Tells Us What It's Like To Be Raped—And Have Your Town Turn Against You: "These guys were star athletes—basketball players—and it seemed like everyone supported them. It didn't take long for the blame to be put on me. The basketball coach even confronted me at a game once with his players in tow—including two of my attackers—and as a result I was thrown out of the game. And banned from campus. People I thought were my friends dropped me in a second to jump on the 'FREE PARIS' bandwagon—including some of my former roommates. There were flyers at school, kids wore T-shirts in his honor and even brought huge signs to his court appearances supporting him…I received threatening text messages from players and people I didn't even know. I was harassed walking down the street"...Read more
Sweden Considers Special Labels for Sexist Video Games: "A government-funded innovation agency in Sweden is considering creating specials label for video games based on whether or not the games' portrayals of women are sexist…Only 16% of people working in Sweden's growing, $935 million gaming industry are women, according to Dataspelsbranchen"…Read more
40,000 Suicides Annually, Yet America Simply Shrugs: "Homicides have fallen by half since 1991, but the U.S. suicide rate keeps climbing. The nearly 40,000 American lives lost each year make suicide the nation's 10th-leading cause of death, and the second-leading killer for those ages 15-34. Each suicide costs society about $1 million in medical and lost-work expenses and emotionally victimizes an average of 10 other people. Yet a national effort to stem this raging river of self-destruction — 90% of which occurs among Americans suffering mental illness — is in disarray"...Read more
I'm a Black Woman with a White Husband. People Assume I'm a Prostitute All the Time: "Our relationship now spans a decade. But that hasn't stopped the repeated propositions a few times each year. Just last month, at another event, several male acquaintances propositioned me. Comments ranged anywhere from, 'You're on the wrong arm, sweetie, I wish I could go home with you…' to the incredibly forward, 'We have this whole place to ourselves, it'll be a shame if we don't maximize our time here and slip away?' all said within 10 to 15 feet of my husband...This has happened to dozens of my friends and colleagues"...Read more
When Living on Tips Means Putting Up With Harassment: "Earlier in the month, ROC, along with another group, had released a report based on extensive interviews with 700 former and current restaurant workers in New York and other major cities…which concluded that more than 90 percent of female restaurant workers experienced sexual harassment, with more than half reporting incidents on a weekly basis. Although the restaurant industry employs only 7 percent of American women, the sector is responsible for 37 percent of sexual harassment claims filed with the E.E.O.C. It isn't just the notoriously sexist culture of restaurant kitchens that is at fault, but the economic structure that turns customers into shadow employers, leaving servers — so often women — vulnerable to the predations anyone picking up the bill might feel entitled to exercise"...Read more
A Hollaback Response Video: Women of Color on Street Harassment: "Additionally, black and brown women were excluded, as if we do not exist, or are not affected by street harassment when, in fact, we are more endangered by it...So last weekend, I took to the streets of New York to speak to some fellow black and brown women about their experiences with street harassment"...Read more and watch the video...Read related article: A Model Recreated That Catcalling Video in New Zealand — And the Difference Is Telling
The Demographic Trends For Every Social Network: "In a new report from BI Intelligence, we unpack data from over a dozen sources to understand how social media demographics are still shifting. Here are a few of the key takeaways from the BI Intelligence report"...Read more
Summer Schneller, 20, of Portage, has been charged with felony child abuse towards a 5-year-old boy in her care…Read more
Ty Kearney, 21, of Rio, charged with felony second-degree sexual assault of a child...Read more
Joey Hicks of Adams County was sentenced to 75 years in prison on multiple counts of child sexual assault...Read more
Charles Siegler Jr., 31, sex offender living in Pardeeville, charged with felony child sexual assaults...Read more
Kevin Knight, 58, of Baraboo, pleaded no contest to repeated child sexual assault...Read more
Robert Tlusty, 28, Poynette, sentenced to 15 years in prison after receiving child pornography...Read more
State Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced this week that the state Department of Justice filed a petition under the state's sexual predator law against Larry Whiteeagle, 68, of Juneau County...Read more
- What Age Should My Kids Be Before I Let Them Use Instagram, Facebook, and Other Social Media Services?: "If your kid is expressing interest in joining a social network, discuss the pros and cons and do your own research so you fully understand the implications of joining a particular network. If you want your kid to wait to sign up, consider pointing him or her toward more age-appropriate sites such as Yoursphere or Fanlala. Kuddle is also a quality Instagram substitute...If your kid does end up joining a social network -- whether she's 10 or 16 -- here are some ground rules that work for many parents"…Read more
- NSTeens Challenge is an online quiz for students in grades 5-8 that covers a number of Internet safety topics and teaches students how to be good digital citizens. The interactive quiz includes videos about different Internet safety concepts. After watching each video, students complete an activity that tests their understanding of the topic.
- Bullying of Students with Disabilities Addressed in Guidance to America's Schools: "If a student with a disability is being bullied, federal law requires schools to take immediate and appropriate action to investigate the issue and, as necessary, take steps to stop the bullying and prevent it from recurring"…Read more
- Working with Youth who Experience Homelessness & Sexual Violence: (From the National Sexual Violence Resource Center) "Rural communities are unique and can shape the ways in which services are designed and delivered to youth who are homeless. This guide has three aims: (a) to provide an overview for the intersections between identity, trauma experiences, and resiliency among youth who are homeless; (b) to highlight core skills and techniques for advocates; and (c) to discuss how to tailor these skills in order to improve services for youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ)."
- In New GoldieBlox Ad, Little Girls Smash The Idea That 'Beauty Is Perfection'
- Bad Ad and Counter Ad Contests: The Media Literacy Project's contests are for students in grades 6-12. The deadline is January 30. For the Bad Ad Contest, you find a bad ad in a magazine and write an essay about why it's inaccurate and/or offensive and how it could be better. For the Counter Ad Contest, you find an original ad and then recreate it to send a different message that is more accurate, humorous, and/or reveals untold stories. Winners for both contests receive $200 and runners-up receive $100!
- A Group Of 9-Year-Olds Share What They Don't Like About Being Boys: "The list above comes from a 2012 workshop held by Jeff Perera, the community engagement manager for White Ribbon, an organization that works to stop violence against women by educating men and boys. Says Perera — 'Boys are pressured to assert their masculinity and prove their manhood in everyday activities everyday all day. This leaves us with a world of boys and men pretending: trying to achieve an unattainable state of manhood'"…Read more
- "Boys Know What Girls Want": Messages in Popular Music: "Prevalent in so many of these songs are male artists' claims to know what females want and what they need: a boldly presumptuous and dangerous message. How do they determine what a female wants if that female hasn't communicated her wants, desires and needs to that male narrator?...One of the fundamentals of social justice education is helping students avoid the trap of assuming things about other people, including qualities, characteristics, beliefs, wants and needs…If you work with high school students in a capacity that offers an opportunity to do close textual analysis, consider using this activity as a way to help students investigate and question the messages behind these popular songs"…Read more
- How White Parents Should Talk to Their Young Kids about Race: "White parents can also make kids' in-group biases work for them: Point out that even though Lily has darker skin, she, too, seems to really like playing with dolls. The more similarities young kids see between themselves and children of other races, the more they may embrace them. That said, for older kids, it may be smarter to encourage kids to embrace racial differences, rather than to downplay these differences. A Northwestern University study found that when kids aged 8 to 11 were taught about diversity as a value, they were better able to detect evidence of racial discrimination than were kids who had been taught a 'color-blind' message. Pointing out how much diversity exists within races may help foster diversity acceptance, too"...Read more
- 16 Days: From Peaceful Homes to a Peaceful World: The Faith Trust Institute is releasing a blog post for each day during the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence. The first post comes from Rev. Marie Fortune: "'From Peaceful Homes to a Peaceful World' is the theme of 16 Days. Take a moment to reflect on where we would be if the vibrant, curious girls of the world had been able to develop and grow as God intended. Imagine the things they could have accomplished had they been spared their suffering. Celebrate the amazing things we have accomplished, despite it all"...Read more
- 16 Days of Activism Resources: The 'We Will Speak Out' International Coalition has produced its first resource specific to the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. The resource for prayer, reflection and action during the 16 days is available for use by individuals, churches and communities.
- Human Trafficking: Trafficking is Modern Day Slavery. It Ruins Lives. The Church Must Act: "'The church cannot ignore this issue. We cannot be silent or pretend that this issue is not affecting our daughters, our sisters, our families and the most vulnerable of God's children. We must begin to pay attention. Lives are at stake. Our churches cannot be silent. We are called to act,' said the Rev. Laura Easto"...Read more
- Faith Leaders for Healthy Relationships Luncheons: Thanks to everyone that participated in the QPR Suicide Prevention luncheons on Nov. 12 and 19 in Baraboo and Wisconsin Dells. Debbie Millman and Liesa Zastrow from Columbia County Human Services trained over 50 people on recognizing the signs of suicide and on how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. More information about the next luncheon in late January coming soon!
- See the Signs: "The Ohio Domestic Violence Network and the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence are proud to announce the launch of this new bystander training program focused on employers and employees. Two other projects were funded: The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, focusing on children; and JWI, focusing on teens." Click here to see the training courses.
- SAMHSA's Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach: This publication "introduces a concept of trauma and offers a framework for how an organization, system, service sector can become trauma-informed. Includes a definition of trauma (the three 'E's'), a definition of a trauma-informed approach (the four 'R's'), 6 key principles, and 10 implementation domains."
- OVC's Human Trafficking Website: "The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) has launched its new mobile-friendly human trafficking Web site, which contains a wide range of information including resources and research from the Federal Government, publications and products from OVC, local and national direct assistance information, and related funding opportunities for victims and survivors of human trafficking, victim service providers, law enforcement, and allied professionals."