Posted by Scott on February 8th, 2007 — Posted in Teen Violence
John Coté recently reported about the start of a 24 hour teen violence hotline:
Females between the ages of 16 and 24 are more vulnerable to intimate partner violence than any other age group — at a rate almost triple the national average, according to a 2001 U.S. Department of Justice report.
About 1 in 3 teenagers reported knowing a friend or peer who had been hit, punched, kicked, slapped, choked or physically hurt by their partner, according to a February 2005 study on teen dating abuse from Teenage Research Unlimited, a national research firm specializing in youth.
“It’s something that we cannot ignore any longer,” said Sheryl Cates, chief executive officer of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The organization, a nonprofit that provides crisis intervention and information for domestic violence victims, is launching the first 24-hour, national call-in service that focuses on teen dating violence.
The launch of the teen hot line and a related Web site is expected to be announced today, and it coincides with an effort dubbed “Love Is Not Abuse” to educate teens about preventing dating violence and how to seek help.
Read entire San Francisco Chronicle article by John Coté.
Hopefully, this 24-hour national call-in service will prevent teen violence. A hotline may offer the perhaps inexperienced teens the advice, help, and information required to avoid teen violence and abusive relationships.
what do you think?
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Posted by Scott on February 7th, 2007 — Posted in Teen Violence
A recent Siskiyou Daily reports on teen dating violence for Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week:
Teen dating violence, a silent epidemic, affects one in three U.S. teens, boys and girls alike.
February 5 – 9 is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week, and it is the perfect time to help teach parents and teens ways to achieve and maintain positive relationships.
A recent National Crime Prevention Council press release reported that teen dating violence includes physical, emotional, and sexual assault.
It is also preventable.
As teens start romantic relationships, they apply social and parental norms to these new, unfamiliar relationships.
Teens learn how to behave by watching how their parents and their friends conduct themselves in their relationships.
Dating violence is a learned behavior, according to the press release.
The National Crime Prevention Council provided the following tips for parents to help their teens during a confusing time in growing up:
- Talk about the values of healthy relationships; partners show each respect, are honest, trust each other, share thoughts and feelings, and are willing to compromise.
- Educate your teen on the signs of an abusive relationship. Abuse takes many forms.
Read entire Siskiyou Daily article.
Unfortunately, teens lack the experience to understand the problem fully. They often fail to prevent, identify, and stop abusive relationships. Accordingly, parents, guardians, and supervisors must intervene to help youths stop and avoid violence.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on February 6th, 2007 — Posted in Rape & Sexual Assault
In the following video, Kendra Urdang performs her poem, To Every Man Who Never Called Himself a Feminist.
Great spoken word poem! This is why I’m a fan of spoken word, which you can find out more about at SpokenWordArt.com.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on February 5th, 2007 — Posted in Politics & Commentary, Rape & Sexual Assault
Kathleen Miller recently wrote an article about a new bill proposal that could make Wyoming’s rape case policy a model for the nation.
Wyoming could become a “model for the nation,” a national feminist organization said, if the Senate approves a measure to amend the state’s rape shield law.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Keith Gingery, R-Jackson, unanimously passed the House of Representatives. It would ban most of a victim’s sexual history from becoming a part of the trial. Current Wyoming law calls for “judicial discretion,” which means it’s up to a judge to decide what parts of a rape victim’s sexual past can be discussed in the courtroom.
“Judicial discretion is a scenario in which a woman bringing a rape case is rolling the dice as to how much information about herself and her sexual past will be brought into trial,” Justine Andronici, legal adviser for the Feminist Majority, said. “Anything that we can to do prevent unnecessary, embarrassing and irrelevant information from being brought into a rape trial is good.”
Read entire article by Kathleen Miller.
Shielding alleged victims as such can cause more women to press charges against rapists and sexual assiliants. Unfortunately, an estimated two-thirds of sexual assault victim don’t report the incidents. This means that rapists continue to walk the streets, most likely leading to the victimization of more innocent people.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on February 4th, 2007 — Posted in Self-Defense Advice
Briget Murphy recently wrote:
Most men learn through tough-and-tumble play during childhood how to defend themselves. Women don’t have this advantage and so it is of critical importance for females to learn self-protection.
The first line of defense is to try to stay out of harm’s way to begin with. Don’t walk alone at night or in deserted areas, but if you must, be aware of your surroundings. Thugs chose prey who look weak and easy to overcome, so walk tall and with confidence, always being aware of your surroundings. Listen to sounds from behind you.
Read entire article by Briget Murphy.
The article above highlights some great self-defense tips for people when they fail to avoid dangerous or violent. I recommend reading the entire article by following the link above.
Some tips include:
- gouge at the attackers eyes
- knee or kick male attackers in the groin
- hit attacker’s nose with palm
- use your brain
- take a self-defense class
They seem like great tips to me. What do you think?
1 Comment »
Posted by Scott on February 3rd, 2007 — Posted in Domestic Abuse
The National Domestic Violence Hotline released the following to the press:
Leaders from across the country are convening to change the face of domestic violence in America. Based on outcomes of the historic Decade for Change Summit, the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH) today announced preliminary action steps designed to end domestic violence in America by 2017.
“Despite significant efforts over the past decade to address the problem of domestic violence in our country, 33 million American women continue to experience abuse every year,” said Sheryl Cates, NDVH Chief Executive Officer. “These action steps are designed as a challenge to unite as a nation to end domestic violence. It is time to awaken the hope that we, as a society, can work together to bring the promise of safety and hope to every home in America.”
The Decade for Change Blueprint will outline strategies and recommendations that will set new precedents for prevention and significantly reduce domestic violence in America. Overarching themes include:
1. CHANGE PUBLIC PERCEPTION: The treatment of domestic violence must change from silent acceptance to complete intolerance. By 2017, a measurable shift in public perceptions/opinion about domestic violence will be demonstrated by utilizing nationally recognized polling, research expertise and public awareness.
2. EARLY INTERVENTION/EDUCATION: Proactive steps must be taken to end the cycle of intergenerational violence starting with our children. By 2017, a national domestic violence education model will be created and incorporated as part of standard curriculum for middle and high school students.
3. IT’S EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS: The key to eradicating domestic violence is to create a united effort among key societal sectors to establish industry-specific strategies and tactics that address the problem. One example would be for the business community to establish domestic violence prevention as a core element of corporate social responsibility. By 2017, at least half of America’s Fortune 500 companies will have instituted core corporate domestic violence programs as “standards of practice.”
Read entire press release.
This sounds very good. Let’s hope the nation actually carries out the action plan.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on February 2nd, 2007 — Posted in Rape & Sexual Assault
Jessica Bronson recently sent the following letter to the Alligator, an independent newspaper in Florida.
Regarding Friday’s article “Rape rate low, press hype high”: While the media coverage of the recent rapes in Gainesville can be viewed as overly sensational, perhaps there has been too little coverage in the past. Residents shouldn’t live in a state of fear, but anything that brings attention to personal safety and rape prevention is ultimately beneficial.
Even one incidence of rape is too many, and the first defense is awareness and prevention. The article reports that two rapes were by strangers and two were acquaintance rapes. It’s often the first frightening scenario that keeps people awake at night. But the vast majority of rapes reported are acquaintance rapes. By creating a public awareness and discourse, we can seek to diminish the social stigma that keeps many victims from reporting their attacks.
I agree with Jessica Bronson. The melodramatic media tends to over-exaggerate or overemphasize the danger of anything they report, for the sake of ratings. However, in the case of rape, the sensational reporting helps raise awareness about this serious and preventable problem.
Of course, the media fails to follow up their reports on rape with constructive ideas to systemically reduce the prevalence of rape and sexual assault. The media fails to do that, because the media only cares about ratings, which they get by putting the public in non-constructive panics. In addition to the media’s reports, society needs non-governmental organizations which actually works to plan and enact ways to reduce the prevalence of rape and sexual victimization.
We can do that. Society has the ability to drastically and systemically reduce rape and sexual assault. For example, we could stop wasting resources tracking down and jailing people for “victimless crimes”. Then, we could use the saved resources to stop rapists and sexually assailants from victimizing innocent people. We can put these victimizers in jail, and keep them under professional supervision until they are rehabilitated and no longer pose a threat to innocent people.
Get lights on the streets. Get security cameras in the buildings. Get potential victims in self-defense classes. Put an end to rape and sexual assault!
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on February 1st, 2007 — Posted in Facts and Stats
Debbie Parkes recently reported on a study that indicates that men hide past victimization more than woman:
Nearly one in 10 male respondents reported having been sexually abused in childhood. Of those, about 34 per cent said they had never told anyone prior to being interviewed for the survey.
By comparison, between 20 per cent and 25 per cent of female respondents said they had been sexually abused as a child. Of those, nearly 16 per cent said they had never told anyone other than the surveyor.
In about 60 per cent of cases, the victimization began when the child was under age 12.
Read entire article by Debbie Parkes.
I cannot say I find these statistics surprising. Whether as a result of nature or nurture, the males of our society try to live with a version of masculinity that values strength, independence, and the ability to take care of oneself. Even as children, boys try to display toughness, and tend to hold in their feelings, fears, and problems more than girls.
This extends into adulthood as much as childhood. Domestic violence affects men at great numbers, but society underrates the problem.
What do you think?
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