Georgia is proposing to change a spousal privileges law that requires a married victim to obtain the permission of their abuser before they can testify against them. I’m not sure who ever thought that was a good idea.
San Francisco sheriff Ross Mirkarimi stated that domestic violence “is a private matter, a family matter” when asked whether or not he abused his wife. Even if he didn’t, no one benefits from silence about intimate partner violence except the perpetrators. Domestic violence advocates erected the billboard above to address his claims.
For those of you who don’t know, in 2010, February was declared the national teen dating violence prevention and awareness month. Unfortunately, millions of teens experience physical and sexual abuse, violence, and harassment at the hands of their romantic partner. In fact, 1 in 3 teens experience physical, emotional, or verbal abuse from a partner.
There are several wonderful resources and initiatives that exist to raise awareness about and prevent teen dating violence. Below are three great places to start!
Check outTeen Dating Violence Monthfor more information about the month as well as facts and resources about teens and dating violence.
Check outLove is Respectfor definitions and examples of healthy relationships and a 24/7 live chat and dating abuse hotline to get assistance and support regarding dating abuse.
Check outThat’s Not Coolfor some great videos and resources for how teens can talk about and address inappropriate and harmful dating behavior.
Men Can Stop Rape (MCSR) just launched a new bystander intervention poster campaign called Where Do You Stand? MCSRpreviously had the popularMy Strength isNot For Hurting campaign. During the past two years, MAC members distributed hundreds of those posters and received numerous positive responses from the message about men getting active in ending violence against women.
The new campaign features men with messages about how to take a stand and be an active bystanders. The majority of audience members in our bystander intervention training want strategies and language about how to get involved. It’s not that they don’t care. It’s often that they don’t know what to do or say. Follow the link(s) about to access the new poster campaign and ordering information. If you have any links to other effective and engaging awareness raising campaigns about violence prevention, send them our way!
Check out this great stalking awareness campaign called Stalking: Know It. Name It. Stop It. Not only do they have promotional materials to raise awareness about stalking, there are also numerous resources related to safety planning, outreach materials, and information specific to responders like law enforcement and prosecutors.
Last year, the Men’s Anti-Violence Council developed a workshop about commonly exploited technology used to stalk and harass individuals. It has been extremely popular and we have presented it at numerous conferences and workshops. We’ll be presenting it next month at The Big Ten Counseling Center conference regarding how this topic relates to counseling centers and college students. Stay tuned for when we upload the Power Point from that presentation.
Previously, “Forcible rape” had been defined by the UCR SRS as “the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will.” That definition, unchanged since 1927, was outdated and narrow. It only included forcible male penile penetration of a female vagina.”
The new definition, “The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” provides the flexibility to classify someone as a victim regardless of gender and accounts for rape that occurs while individuals are incapacitated, which includes rapes that occur without physical force.
One of the major reasons that these changes were made was because of the efforts of sexual assault advocates and their public campaigns. These changes allow for more accurate reporting and tracking of rape on a national level.
The Office of the Vice President and the White House Office of Science and Technologyjust announcedthe winners of the Apps Against Abuse challenge. The two apps are called Circle of 6 and On Watch. TheCircle of 6app was created by by our very own friend of MAC, Nancy Schwartzman over atThe Line!
The Circle of 6 app lets you designate six individuals to be in your “circle.” Once you have selected your six allies, you can select different ways to ask for their support. If you tap the car icon, a text message to come and get you along with your GPS location is sent. Tapping the phone icon sends a message to call the sender to interrupt the current situation. The chat icon connects the sender with their circle so that they can get advice about a situation. A danger button automatically calls a national safety hotline. Once it is set up, it would take a user two taps in the app to get help. Take a look at some of the screen shots below. This looks like a great way to stay connected and get help in a dangerous or potentially dangerous situation.
The app is a prototype and is set to be released on the app markets across a variety of operating systems in January, 2012. You can support and stay updated about the app on their Facebook page.
MAC member, Derrais Carter has created a new project for the Men’s Anti-Violence Council called Mobile Masculinities. The goal is to create a critical discussion about masculinities and anti-violence work through online videos.
During the University of Northern Iowa’s Men’s Institute last week, Derrais got the opportunity to ask the keynote speaker, Jackson Katz a few questions. As many of you know, Dr. Katz is an expert in the movement to get men involved in reducing gender violence. He wrote The Macho Paradox and was responsible for creating the first film I ever watched about masculinity, Tough Guise. See the video below for the first installment of Mobile Masculinities with Jackson Katz!
Check out this great bystander intervention PSA from the New Zealand Transportation Agency about “drink-driving.” This is one of the funniest campaigns I have seen without losing the message of getting involved. It highlights the train of thought many bystanders have in these situations. They are concerned, but they don’t know what to say and don’t want to look stupid.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation or discussion about difference (e.g. race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc.) and you just didn’t know what to do or say but you knew you needed to do something?
It doesn’t matter if it is overt racism, covert sexism, bullying or offensive language. Inappropriate conduct needs to be addressed in order to create a safe and welcoming campus and community for everyone. Helpful and active bystanders can create the positive change needed in our community. If bystanders remain passive and silent because they don’t know what to say or do, the problem is allowed to continue, and often escalate.
This interactive discussion is designed to provide information about the bystander intervention model regarding diversity and violence; provide training in identifying harmful and inappropriate situations; and teach specific bystander intervention skills and techniques to address inappropriate conduct. There will be opportunities to discuss realistic scenarios, process real-life situations, and practice the bystander intervention skills.
You need to register for this workshop on WRAC’s website here.
Join us on October 21, 2011 from 1:00 – 3:00 pm at Iowa Advanced Technology Labs Conference Room (Across the street from WRAC) to learn how to be an active and helpful ally.
