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The V Word

Advocating to end sexual and domestic violence

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September 2014

The V Word: Prescriptions and Rape on Campus – A Survivor’s Story

Here is today’s broadcast of The V Word.

You can listen to today’s episode here

A survivor’s story came in yesterday. She writes:
pillbottle“I have a hard time sleeping in college, I guess it’s the noise, sharing a room, and the late nights. I had started taking a sleep aid to help me sleep. My friends, of course, knew this as I did not keep it a secret. In fact I would often take it in front of them as I was winding down for the night and before everyone left my room on study or movie nights. It took a few minutes to work and I would take it as people were leaving and I started getting ready for bed. I never felt I was not safe before.
One night though I wasn’t safe. A male friend who had been over watching a movie, stayed behind the others and came back in to my room after the sleeping pill was taking effect and raped me.
I went to the school but it went no where. He stated I asked him to, the school stated it was my word against his and I had let him over to be in my room in the first place. It was implied I led him on by taking the pills.
I had to see him on campus, I had to change my classes because he was in two of them. I finally dropped out and returned home because I got too depressed to study and my grades started dropping.”

She is not alone and as listeners are aware, rape on college campuses is finally a national topic of conversation.
Findings from a report by Fisher, B.S., Cullen, F.T., & Turner, M.G. (2000). The Sexual Victimization of College Women. National Institute of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. include:

  • It is estimated that the percentage of completed or attempted rape victimization among women in higher educational institutions may be between 20% and 25% over the course of a college career.
  • Among college women, 9 in 10 victims of rape and sexual assault knew their offender.
    Almost 12.8% of completed rapes, 35% of attempted rapes, and 22.9% of threatened rapes happened during a date.
  • 2.8% experienced either a completed rape (1.7%) or an attempted rape (1.1%) during the six-month period in which the study was conducted. Of victims, 22.8% were victims of multiple rapes.
  • If this data is calculated for a calendar year period, nearly 5% of college women are victimized during any given calendar year.
  • It is estimated that for every 1,000 women attending a college or university, there are 35 incidents of rape each academic year.
  • Off-campus sexual victimization is much more common among college women than on-campus victimization. Of victims of completed rape 33.7% were victimized on campus and 66.3% off campus.
  • Less than 5% of completed or attempted rapes against college women were reported to law enforcement.
  • However, in 2/3rds of the incidents the victim did tell another person, usually a friend, not family or school officials.
  • Another study by Krebs, C.P., Lindquist, C.H., Warner, T.D., Fisher, B.S., & Martin, S.L. (2007). The Campus Sexual Assault (CSA) Study. National Institute of Justice found:

    Many women (88%) have never consumed a drink left unattended or consumed a drink given to them by a stranger (76%).

  • One-quarter of the sample (25%) reported consuming alcohol or drugs before sex at least once a month, and slightly fewer (23%) were drunk or high during sex at least once a month.
  • Eighteen percent experienced an attempted (13%) and/or completed (13%) sexual assault since entering college.
  • Among the total sample, 5% experienced a completed physically forced sexual assault, but a much higher percentage (11%) experienced a completed incapacitated sexual assault.
  • Sexual assaults were most likely to occur in September, October and November, on Friday or Saturday nights, and between the hours of midnight and 6:00 a.m.
    Most victims of physically forced or incapacitated sexual assault were assaulted by someone they knew (79% and 88%).
  • Freshmen and sophomores are at greater risk for victimization than juniors and seniors.

For Student Activists –

  • Know Your IX
  • Students Against for Ending Rape (SAFER). CHANGE HAPPENS anti-violence campus organizing manual. Free for students.
  • Watch PreventConnect Podcast with SAFER, Beyond Blue Lights.
  • The Center for Public Integrity. Reporter’s Toolkit: Investigating Sexual Assault Cases on Your Campus.

For Law Enforcement

  • U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services.Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Series No. 17: Acquaintance Rape of College Students.

General Campus Resources

  • The Center for Public Integrity. Sexual Assault on Campus: A Frustrating Search for Justice (three-part series).
  • Los Angeles College Consortium Project (LACCP). Dealing with Campus Violence Against Women Website.
  • Office on Victims of Crime Message Board: Responding to Sexual Violence on Campus.
    Sexual Assault Program Coordinators (SAPC) listserv
  • To join: https://list.mail.virginia.edu/mailman/listinfo/sapc
    Students Active for Ending Rape (SAFER) Change Happens blog
  • California Coalition Against Sexual Assault Campus Program
    (CALCASA is the technical assistance provider for grantees of the Office on Violence Against Women’s Grants to Reduce Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking on Campus Program)
  • Campus Sexual Assault Response Teams: Program Development and Operational Management (Book)

Do you need help or information? Here are some options…

If you have been assaulted, call 911.

The Richmond area has a new regional hotline specific to the needs of sexual and domestic violence survivors: 804-612-6126

The Richmond Behavioral Health Authority has a hotline to help people who are having suicidal thoughts at 819-4100.

To get a forensic exam to collect evidence and receive medical care, the local hospitals in the Richmond area with Forensic Nurse Examiners are at Medical College of Virginia and St. Mary’s Hospital.

For help with counseling and advocacy, local rape crisis centers, child advocacy centers and domestic violence shelters can provide services. To find a center closest to you… you can call the Virginia Family Violence and Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-838-8238. That is the Virginia Family Violence and Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-838-8238.

Are you a family member or a bystander and want know how you can help?

  • For information on how to report an assault in the Richmond, Virginia, USA are, you can call the non-emergency line at 804-646-5100 or go by a local police station office. The main Richmond office is located at 200 East Grace Street.
  • Get involved with your local domestic violence shelter to join a group or service that is available.
  • Donate to funds services that help women recovery and restart their lives.

Want to share a story or ask a question? Email me at thevword.radio@gmail.com or tweet me at my twitter account: @preventviolence. You can read the transcript for this show and past shows on my blog at www.thevword.org
The V Word is recorded in the studios of WRIR-LP 97.3 and streamed at wrir.org, read and produced by Carol Olson. Production support is provided by Jennifer Gallienne and Bryan Connolly. Music was created by The Etching Tin

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The V Word: Trauma and Substance Abuse

Trauma + substance use

 

Welcome to today’s edition of The V Word.

 

You can listen to today’s episode  here 

Have you used drugs or alcohol to cope with sexual assault or domestic violence? Recently, I taught a class on substance abuse education. A question came up about using alcohol and other drugs to cope with violence. The relationship between sexual violence and domestic abuse and addiction is complex and reciprocal. Many addictions may form in response to being a victim of violence.
The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape in consultation with the CARON Treatment Centers has published a great resource on Substance Use and Sexual Violence.

The statistics in this resource state that:
A high percentage of adult victims were intoxicated at the time of sexual assault and are unable to give consent. This is often misunderstood as the cause of the assault, but drugs or alcohol do not assault you, perpetrators use drugs and alcohol to assault you.

According to studies by Kiplatrick, Edmunds, & Seymour, rape victims are 3.4 times more like to use marijuana, 5.3 times more likely to use prescriptions drugs, 6.4 times more like to use cocaine, and 10 times more likely to use hard drugs other than cocaine.

This tells us that victims of sexual assault, including childhood abuse, may use alcohol or drugs to cope, to numb themselves, to escape from painful memories or PTSD symptoms.

It was an interesting discussion in the class as to how many people, 90%, had used drugs as the result of  trauma  from:abuse, assault, threats, including emotional abuse as well.

How does this become reciprocal? Perpetrators often target individuals who have addictions or use alcohol or drugs even socially. They know  it puts the person at a disadvantage because there remains much prejudice in our society against people who use or abuse drugs. Perpetrators know that people are less likely to report assault if they have been using drugs or alcohol because in our society they are less likely to be believed.

Substance abuse and rape both carry a great deal of social stigma in and of themselves, and when a victim holds both, stigma can be difficult to overcome. Reporting, prosecuting, and healing are challenged and the person can have increased feelings of shame, self-blame, and then isolates.
Treatment for a survivor of rape/abuse, who also has a substance abuse disorder, needs to be treated for  both the disease of addiction and the trauma from assault. While not all rape crisis centers are equipped to deal with addiction, they can collaborate with area community services boards or behavioral health centers that do treat addiction and work with their addiction counselor to create a combined treatment plan.

Do you need help or information? Here are some options…
If you have been assaulted, call 911.
The Richmond area has a new regional hotline specific to the needs of sexual and domestic violence survivors: 804-612-6126
The Richmond Behavioral Health Authority has a hotline to help people who are having suicidal thoughts and they have a substance abuse program.
To get a forensic exam to collect evidence and receive medical care, the local hospitals in the Richmond area with Forensic Nurse Examiners are at Medical College of Virginia and St. Mary’s Hospital.
For help with counseling and advocacy, local rape crisis centers, child advocacy centers and domestic violence shelters can provide services. To find a center closest to you… you can call the Virginia Family Violence and Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-838-8238. That is the Virginia Family Violence and Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-838-8238.
Are you a family member or a bystander and want know how you can help?
For information on how to report an assault in the Richmond, Virginia, USA are, you can call the non-emergency line at 804-646-5100 or go by a local police station office. The main Richmond office is located at 200 East Grace Street.
Get involved with your local domestic violence shelter to join a group or service that is available. Donate to funds services that help women recovery and restart their lives.
Want to share a story or ask a question? Email me at thevword.radio@gmail.com or tweet me at my twitter account: @preventviolence. You can read the transcript for this show and past shows on my blog at http://www.thevword.org
The V Word is recorded in the studios of WRIR-LP 97.3 and streamed at wrir.org, read and produced by Carol Olson. Production support is provided by Jennifer Gallienne and Bryan Connolly. Music was created by The Etching Tin

 

Addiction-Recovery

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The V Word Podcast: Why I Stayed

Welcome to today’s edition of The V Word.

You can listen to the episode here 

Did you stay? Do you stay in a domestic violence relationship? I did and here is why I stayed…..
I stayed because I was told over and over again that no one would ever want me or love me. I stayed because he drove us so far into debt that I could not afford to leave. I stayed because he held a gun on me to keep me from leaving the house. I stayed because he separated me from all of my friends. I stayed until I had nothing left to lose and it took the police arresting him to get people to believe me, well a few people believed me.

The hashtag #WhyIStayed, started by American author Beverley Gooden, herself a former victim of domestic violence, to encourage women to tell their stories and help others understand why they felt unable to leave a violent, or controlling, partner, has been trending since the insensitive comments made by Fox News presenter. Brian Kilmeade, in discussing a video of Ray Rice knocking is his fiancée unconscious in February, made the statement that women who remain with abusive partners send a “terrible message” to others in the same position. In this same segment he mocked the survivor stating “I think the message is to take the stairs” and his cohost said ““The message is, when you’re in an elevator, there’s a camera.” These two statements once again putting all the blame on the victim and no accountability on the abuser. During the same time Ray Rice and his now wife held a press conference where she apologized for her role that night. These are all examples of our culture of blaming the victim instead of blaming the person committing the crime.

This created a firestorm on social media, with thousands of responses across twitter, tumblr and facebook, along with numerous bloggers and journalists discussing the dynamics of why people stay in domestic violence relationships.

There are many reasons why women remain trapped in abusive relationships… threats by the abuser to kill them if they leave are common and violence escalating to killings is common…Did you know that lethality increases when a woman tries to leave? Separation from friends, family and support systems are frequent tactics by the abuser and have a significant impact on survivor’s ability to leave and find safe places to go to…friends, family, and law enforcement may not believe the victim or understand the seriousness, leaving the victim more vulnerable than before…pets and children are often used as hostages with threats to harm them and pets often are harmed or killed as an intimidation tactic…to control and prevent the victim from leaving.

Along with #WhyIStayed came is #WhyILeft – where survivors gave both why they stayed and why they left, providing very poignant responses to what finally helped them to leave.

Instead of asking a person why do they stay, perhaps ask what you could do to make them safer. Is there any thing you could do to help to help them prepare to leave if that is what they choose? You could connect them with resources, give them a hotline number, and be understanding of what they are choosing in order to survive.

Do you need help or information? Here are some options…

If you have been assaulted, call 911.
The Richmond area has a new regional hotline specific to the needs of domestic violence survivors: 804-612-6126

To get a forensic exam to collect evidence and receive medical care, the local hospitals in the Richmond area with Forensic Nurse Examiners are at Medical College of Virginia and St. Mary’s Hospital.

For help with counseling and advocacy, local rape crisis centers, child advocacy centers and domestic violence shelters can provide services. To find a center closest to you… you can call the Virginia Family Violence and Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-838-8238.

Are you a family member or a bystander and want know how you can help?

For information on how to report an assault in the Richmond, Virginia, USA are, you can call the non-emergency line at 804-646-5100 or go by a local police station office. The main Richmond office is located at 200 East Grace Street.

Get involved with your local domestic violence shelter to join a group or service that is available. Donate to funds services that help women recovery and restart their lives.

Want to share a story or ask a question? Email me at thevword.radio@gmail.com or tweet me at my twitter account: @preventviolence. You can read the transcript for this show and past shows on my blog at www.thevword.org

The V Word is recorded in the studios of WRIR-LP 97.3 and streamed at wrir.org, read and produced by Carol Olson. Today’s episode was written by Jennifer Gallienne and Carol Olson. Music was created by The Etching Tin.

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Inspire Indeed radio series highlighting anti-violence work and programs in October

During October, in support of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the co-hosts of Inspire Indeed (facebook) will be focusing on highlighting anti-violence agencies. Tune on Tuesdays at 12:00 pm EST in October on WRIR 97.3 FM (or streamed at wrir.org) will be focusing on highlighting anti-violence agencies.

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The V Word – Roofies (podcast aired on WRIR 97.3)

Welcome to today’s edition of The V Word.

You can listen to the episode here 

September is National Recovery Month and this month I am going to focus on the use of alcohol or other drugs to facilitate sexual assault.
I am sure most of you have heard about the students at North Carolina State University who are inventing a nail polish that changes color when it comes into contact with, what are commonly called, date rape drugs.
The term “date-rape drugs” is used to identify Rohypnol, Xanax, and GHB. Do you know what these are exactly?
Rohypnol is the brand name for a drug in the same family as Valium and Xanax. It is a fast-acting sedative. However, it has a side effect that produces memory loss while using the drug.
GHB is gamma-hydroxybutyrate and also produces memory loss while under it’s influence.
Both these drugs dissolve easily, are colorless and oderless. These drugs are used to sedate a person who may not be able to recall what happened under the influence.
Alone, GHB can produce intense drowsiness, confusion, nausea, dizziness, disorientation, vomiting, seizures, respiratory depression, and reduced or loss of consciousness in as little as 10-20 minutes after ingestion. However, when mixed with alcohol, GHB can be extremely lethal. Coma and death are fairly common in overdoses. The effects of GHB can last up to 3-6 hours. GHB is dangerous for several reasons including the ones listed above. One of the main dangers is that it takes so little of it to produce a big effect. Just 2 grams can induce a coma-like sleep where intubation is the only means to wake the user.
What are the street names for GHB: Grievous Bodily Harm, Liquid X, Liquid E, Liquid Ecstasy, Easy Lay, G, Vita G, Georgia Home Boy, G-Juice, Great Hormones, Somatomax, Bedtime Scoop, Soap, Gook, Gamma 10, Energy Drink, Salt Water, Liquid Dust, Cherry Meth, Fantasy, Organic Quaalude, and Sleep 500.
Rohypnol can produce drowsiness, confusion, motor skill impairment, dizziness, disorientation, impaired judgment, and reduced or loss of consciousness in as little as 20-30 minutes after ingestion. However, when mixed with alcohol, Rohypnol can be even more dangerous. There may be extremely low blood pressure, respiratory depression, coma, or death. Since Rohypnol is a sedative like alcohol, the two together can be lethal.
Since it is illegal in the US, it is often smuggled into the country from Mexico, Canada, and Europe. It is primarily sent through the US Postal Service, commercial delivery services, and smuggled by individuals. It is classed as a Schedule III federally controlled substance although 8 states have reclassified it as a Schedule I controlled substance.
What are some of Rohypnol’s street names? Ruffies, Roofies, Rophies, Roches, Roaches, La Rochas, Rope, Rib, Forget Pill, Pingus, R2, Reynolds, Row-shay, Roach 2, Wolfies, Trip-and-Fall, Poor Man’s Quaalude, Whiteys, Mind Erasers, Mexican Valium, Lunch Money, Circles, and Roopies.
Notice the street names? Notice how they actually identify what the drugs are used for?
How do you know if you may have been drugged and then assaulted? Many victims report waking up and not knowing how they got home, finding their clothing on inside out or incorrectly or missing items, not remembering the end of a party or event. They may feel have wounds or injuries they cannot account for.
These drugs can show up on a drug test following a sexual assault but only in the person goes to a hospital and requests a test within 24 hours.
What can you do if you think you have been drugged?
get to a safe place and call someone you trust.
get to a hospital emergency room immediately. – Remember mixed with alcohol these drugs can be fatal or induce coma.
notifiy law enforcement.
call a rape crisis center
If you decide to file a report – do not shower, bathe, douche, change clothes, or brush your teeth until medical and legal evidence can be collected. Get to a hospital or clinic to receive treatment for any internal/external injuries (whether or not you see any – they may be undetectable to you), testing for pregnancy or STD’s, treatment for pregnancy or STD’s, and to receive support. Request a urine test to detect the presence of drugs as soon as possible.

A new invention developed by students at North Carolina State University has been highlighted in the press and social media this week: a nail polish, called “Undercover Colors,” that changes color when it comes into contact with date-rape drugs. You just have to stir your drink with your finger and if the nail polish changes color, it signals a problem.
The marketing behind the new product is “The First Fashion Company Empowering Women To Prevent Sexual Assault.”
While there is debate of whether this is just another means for women to have to prevent sexual assault on themselves, it does provide an intervention tool. Until society catches up that preventing sexual assault is not the responsibility of women or the victim, we continue to need tools like these that can help identify if you are being drugged. That is of course if you wear nail polish.

How can you help?
Get involved with your local rape crisis center and addictive recovery center to join a group or service that is available or help create one.
For help or information? Here are some options…
If you have been assaulted, call 911. Local rape crisis centers have advocates they can send to help support you and provide information.
For information on how to report an assault in the Richmond, Virginia, USA are, you can call the non-emergency line at 804-646-5100 or go by a local police station office. The main Richmond office is located at 200 West Grace Street.
To get a forensic exam to collect evidence and receive medical care, the local hospitals in the Richmond area with Forensic Nurse Examiners are at Medical College of Virginia and St. Mary’s Hospital.
For help with counseling and advocacy, local rape crisis centers, child advocacy centers and domestic violence shelters can provide services. To find a center closest to you… you can call the Virginia Family Violence and Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-838-8238. That is the Virginia Family Violence and Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-838-8238.
Want to share a story or ask a question? Email me at thevword.radio@gmail.com or tweet me at my twitter account: @preventviolence. You can read the transcript for this show and past shows on my blog at http://www.thevword.org
The V Word is recorded in the studios of WRIR-LP 97.3 and streamed at wrir.org, read and produced by Carol Olson. Production support is provided by Jennifer Gallienne. Music was created by The Etching Tin

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RP: Toolkit for Adolescent Relationship Abuse – integrating into PREP

Hello all I thought I would pass this along: 

The Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) created a toolkit for integrating Adolescent Relationship Abuse (ARA) components into PREP. This toolkit has lived on the limited-access Communities of Practice website.
The toolkit has recently been added to the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth for everyone/anyone to access.
Toolkit to incorporate Adolescent Relationship Abuse Prevention into organizations and programs :
http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/features/toolkit-incorporate-adolescent-relationship-abuse-prevention-existing-adolescent-pregnancy?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ncfynews
Components include:

* 1. Organizational Readiness and Planning<http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/features/ara-toolkit/readiness-planning>
* 2. Selection and Adaptation of Materials to Address ARA<http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/features/ara-toolkit/selection-adaptation>
* 3. Preparation for Implementation<http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/features/ara-toolkit/preparation-implementation>
* 4. Monitoring and Evaluation <http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/features/ara-toolkit/monitoring-evaluation>
* References<http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/features/ara-toolkit/references>
* Appendix: Additional Information and Research about Adolescent Relationship Abuse<http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/features/ara-toolkit/appendix>

Originally posted on VDHSV list serve by: 

Mandy Paradise, M.Ed.
Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) Project Coordinator
Access, Systems and Coordination
Office of Healthy Communities
Division of Prevention and Community Health
Washington State Department of Health
Ph: (360) 236-3538<tel:%28360%29%20236-3538> | E: mandy.paradise@doh.wa.gov<mailto:mandy.paradise@doh.wa.gov>
Mail: P.O. Box 47880
Olympia, WA 98504-7880
Location: Point Plaza East – 310 Israel Road S.E.
Tumwater, WA 98501
Public Health – Always Working for a Safer and Healthier Washington

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