Search

The V Word

Advocating to end sexual and domestic violence

Open Search
Tag

rva

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

0

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.

0

The V Word: Technology and Sexual Assault

Welcome to today’s edition of The V Word. 

Listen to the show here

August is the month we ease out of vacation and prepare kids to go back to school. And with school comes technology. Technology and the internet is used for everything and kids have access everywhere. I watch my friends and inlaws with children try to put in place controls and blocks, but children can still access cell phones and the internet anywhere. And predators online are clever. If you have kids, is this something you worry about? If so, listen,
this week we are going to talk about predation via technology.

Surveys done by the US Department of Justice found that predators seek youths vulnerable to seduction, including those with histories of sexual or physical abuse, those who post sexually provocative photos/videos, and those who talk about sex with unknown people online.

  • 1 in 25 youths received an online sexual solicitation in which the solicitor tried to make offline contact.
  • In more than one-quarter (27%) of incidents, solicitors asked youths for sexual photographs of themselves.
  • 15% of cell-owning teens (12–17) say they have received sexually suggestive nude/seminude images of someone they know via text.
  • 4% of cell-owning teens (12–17) say that they have sent sexually suggestive nude/seminude messages to others via text message.

The US Department of Justice completed another survey to describe characteristics of interactions between Internet predators and their juvenile victims. The survey found that:

  • The majority of victims had met the predator willingly.
  • Of the 129 victims identified, ages 17 and younger, the face-to-face meetings had occurred in 74% of the cases, and 93% of those encounters had included sexual contact.
  • 75% of the victims were girls.
  • The majority of victims (67%) were children between the ages of 12 and 15.
  • The most common first encounter of a predator with a victim took place in an online chat room (76%).
  • In 47% of the cases, the predator offered gifts or money during the relationship-building phase.

And here is what is surprising:

  • Predators used less deception to befriend their online victims than experts had thought. Only 5% of the predators told their victims that they were in the same age-group as the victims. Most offenders told the victims that they were older males seeking sexual relations.
  • The victims who responded to this survey had willingly met and had sexual encounters with the predators. The authors concluded that vulnerable youth need further education regarding the negative effects of such relationships.

What can you do?

In Virginia there are many laws to protect children. You can find them at the Department of Criminal Justice Services website:

To list one =
Statute § 18.2-374.3. Use of communications systems to facilitate certain offenses involving children. Under this statute there is a list of offences describing abuse of children and use of technology.

Any person who violates this subsection is guilty of a Class 5 felony.

How can you help?

  • You can add your voice to the community’s discussion to eliminate stigma, violence, and it’s impact against the youth of our community. There are many things you can do.
  • Get involved with your local child advocacy center or rape crisis center to learn more about educating your children or the children in your life.
  • Talk with your schools to request a education program to be provided at all grades.

For help or information? Here are some options…

If you have been assaulted or your child has been assaulted, call 911. Local rape crisis centers and child advocacy 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 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 me, Carol Olson. Music is provided by The Etching Tin

US Department of Justice – Dru Sjodn National Sex Offender Public Website

1

The V Word: Sex Trafficking

Welcome to today’s edition of The V Word

Last week I talked about soliciting sex and prostitution. I am continuing that conversation today with a focus on human trafficking.

So here’s a question for those out there. Have you ever tried to coerce or force someone into having sex for money? Has someone ever tried to force or coerce you into having sex for money? Remember my story last week about how often I was approached? How often other women and trans-women were approached? How often children are approached?

My story last week was about the more open and brazen means to recruit someone into sex work. And were you thinking just adults are coerced? And did you imagine the stereotypical idea of a prostitute hanging on a street corner, with a pimp as her manager? You know, the TV image.

Human trafficking for sex is way broader and more pervasive than movies show, and involves more children than people are aware of. Where is this happening you may be asking by now? Not in Richmond you may be hoping. Yes in Richmond. In fact Richmond is listed along with Virginia Beach and Northern Virginia with the highest rates. While it may be focused on the larger cities with major highways, it happens all over the state.

Next you may want to know how it happens.

Traffickers look for people who have vulnerabilities: victims of sexual abuse, children living in poverty, children marginalized in our society by gender, race and economic class, and people who have been made vulnerable after natural disasters.

How does a Trafficker find vulnerable people: You probably did guess this one – through social networking, along with other means. If the parent is already being used as a sex worker, often the children are vulnerable to exploitation.

What happens next, once the Trafficker identifies someone? A process called grooming starts, promises are made to lure someone vulnerable. Another way is for a parent to pimp out their own child or outright sell the child. Yes you heard right, people sell their children and not just because they are evil people but also because they are desperate.

Once in, the victim is used in multiple ways, and not just on the street but through hotels, clubs, escort services, etc.

How does the Trafficker maintain control: isolation from others, shame, physical violence or threats of violence, drugs.

I know you will ask: why doesn’t the victim run away or ask for help? Remember the list of control tactics? All of those create fear and dependency and it’s extremely effective.

How many in Virginia: The Polaris Project reported 375 in a 6 month period. It is suspected it is widely under reported, like most sexual or interpersonal crimes.

So what is Virginia doing? The Virginia General Assembly just passed legislation that harshens the penalties for people who solicit children for sex. It allows felony prosecution now and listing on the sex offender registry.

What are some of the current laws you can use to prosecute such crimes?

§ 18.2-48. Abduction with intent to extort money or for immoral purpose, to extort money or pecuniary benefit, with intent to defile – for the purposes of prostitution, child pornography… is a Class 2 felony which can offer up life imprisonment.

18.2-46 Prostitution: commercial sexual conduct, commercial exploitation of a minor by offering money or its equivalent for the purposes of engaging in sexual acts is a Class 5 or 6 felony.

18.2-355 Taking, detaining, etc a person for prostitution, or being a parent or guardian consents to a person to be taken for prostitution or sex work is guilty of pandering and is a Class 4 felony.

Virginia’s new law will help close the gap and make it easier to prosecute offenders.

Need help or more information? Here are some options…

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

Are you a victim or do you know someone who needs help: The Gray Haven Project is a local resource for survivors of human trafficking. Tel: 804.365.2529 or email to info@thegrayhaven.org

For help with counseling and advocacy, local rape crisis centers and domestic violence shelters can provide services. In Virginia, USA, to find a center closest to you… you can call the Virginia Family Violence and Sexual Assault Hotline, hosted by The Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance at 1-800-838-8238.

That is the Virginia Family Violence and Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-838-8238.
Listening from outside of Virginia? You can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-800-373-7888 that is 1-800-373-7888 or text 233722

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 thevword.org

The V Word is recorded in the studios of WRIR-LP 97.3, read and produced by me, Carol Olson.

0

The V Word: Soliciting Prostitution

Welcome to today’s edition of The V Word.

 

There have been many times I have been out at a club or music venue, out at a diner late, out walking, or sitting in one of the many Fan triangle parks. Someone has approached me to to ask me to come work for them. The first time it happened, I did not understand what the person was asking. Then I realized, the person was asking me to do sex work for them. Sometimes they just asked and walked away when I said “no”.  Other times the person became persistent, not leaving the table or area I was in…..harassing me and requiring me to leave.  Sometimes I was even handed a card with just a phone number on it and asked to call if I changed my mind.

The other way I was often approached was walking down the street or standing around campus and someone would yell: “How much?”

Seems pretty brazen doesn’t it? Yelling at you in public or handing you a card to call them back, asking you to do sex work.

But of course, this only happened when I was either alone or with just one or two other woman. I started realizing that it does not happen when you are in a group or have males with you.

I talked with other women and trans-women. It is not really that uncommon. Both yelling at you on the street or approaching you in public places… and being persistent about it.  In fact, it happens all the time to young girls, women, trans-women, young males and trans-men.

At first, I did not know what to do and neither did many of the women and trans-women I talked to. How do you report someone who is “just offering you a job” or someone who has driven away by the time you can do something?

Is it illegal?  Yes.  This falls under harassment and is a human rights issue.  It places women and other groups marginalized by gender, gender expression and sexual orientation at risk when they are in public.  It limits women and trans-women ability to be in public as easily and safely as men.

There are legal options.

And so, what is this called legally? Soliciting Prostitution. And it is a crime in Virginia.

The law is 18.2-346 = Soliciting for the purposes of prostitution is illegal. If a street harasser solicits sexual activity from you, you can report the person.

You can also make the case that harasers who yell, “How much?!” or offers you money, or offers you anything else in trade for sex, even in jest, are soliciting prostitution.

I am not making a judgement on consensual sex work, but I do think it is inappropriate and harassing for a person to make assumptions about your sexual availability and make you feel uncomfortable. I think it is inappropriate and harassing for a person to be persistent about trying to recruit you into sex work.

There is a penalty for soliciting prostitution. Soliciting an adult for prostitution is a Class 1 misdemeanor and may result in confinement in jail for up to twelve months and a fine of up to $2500 or both.

The penalty is higher if the person is a minor.

Soliciting for the purposes for prostitution and sex work is sex trafficking. The awareness of sex trafficking has become a much larger issue now. Next week, I will talk more about sex trafficking and options to pursue.

To review: Soliciting for the purpose of prostitution or sex work is illegal and can be reported.

Need help or more information? Here are some options…

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

For help with counseling and advocacy, local rape crisis centers and domestic violence shelters can provide services. In Virginia, USA, to find a center closest to you… you can call the Virginia Family Violence and Sexual Assault Hotline, hosted by The Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance at 1-800-838-8238.

That is the Virginia Family Violence and Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-838-8238.

Listening from outside of Virginia?  You can call RAINN (rape, abuse, and incest national  network) at 1-800-656-hope.

That is 1-800-656-hope.

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, read and produced by me, Carol Olson.

0

The V Word: Street Harassment

Welcome to today’s edition of The V Word

 

Street Harassment, has this happened to you? It has happened to me.

One day I was walking in the Fan area, heading toward Carytown. A male riding a bike comes up alongside me. He starts making sexually suggestive comments to me. I try to ignore him and keep walking. He asks me for a date. I say no and keep walking. I turn down a street and he follows me. So then, he starts yelling obscenities at me for not agreeing to go on a date with him. He continues following me several blocks until I get to a business and go into one to ask for help. Only then does he ride away.

In case you are wondering where I am going with this, I am going to talk about street harassment.  And I know I will get a resounding “YES”, from every woman and trans-woman to this question: Have you been the subject of street harassment such as forced conversations, cat calls, sexually suggestive comments and obscene gestures? Did the offender keep it up even when you said no or tried to walk away?
Some people have asked me, what exactly counts as street harassment? And is it just on the street? The advocacy movement defines it as any action or comment between strangers in public places that is disrespectful, unwelcome, threatening and/or harassing, and is motivated by gender, gender expression or sexual orientation. And no it does not just happen on the street. It can happen in stores, college campuses, concert venues, etc. Any place where a person is harassing you publicly. And to top off an already bad experience of being harassed in public, women or trans women are either told it’s a compliment and/or are often blamed for its occurrence because of their gender, their gender expression, what they were wearing, where they were walking or the time of night. And, amazingly enough, women and trans-women are often told that males cannot help themselves. Now that argument always shocks me, because if men can not control themselves, there are a lot of things we ought to limiting them from. And another thing happens, many people minimize street harassment thinking that since it doesn’t involve touching, it is therefore less dangerous. Not so. It is just as dangerous as other forms of harassment and interpersonal violence. And it can escalate to stalking and assault.

Remember my story above? The offender did not stop bothering or following me until I got to a business section and went into a store.  Street harassment is a human rights issue because it limits women’s and trans women’s ability to be in public as often or as comfortably as most men.

So to review, street harassment includes:

  • Verbal harassment – like yelling sexually suggestive comments,
  • Up-skirt photos – which is taking photos up women’s clothing or down their shirts.
  • Indecent exposure – and yes you flashers listening – that means your junk specifically,
  • Following people,
  • Groping – which is grabbing, touching, fondling any part of the body.
  • Obstructing paths – which is preventing someone from getting by you so you can harass them in all the ways I just listed.

So listeners, has any of this happened to you? What can you do? Or listeners, any of you doing any of the above?

In Virginia, there are 5 laws that may apply to the various forms of street harassment.
1. Disorderly conduct (this one is rarely used but can apply in some circumstances) – and is a Class 1 misdemeanor with 12 months of jail and/or $2500 fine.
2. Profane swearing and intoxication – and since street harassers are often mixing alcohol with their abuse, this one can apply – and is a class 4 misdemeanor with a fine of $250
3. Slander and libel – This law, interestingly enough, focuses specifically on banning people from falsely and derogatorily speaking about a chaste female’s character. While evaluating women based on their chastity is outdated, this statute can be used when women are called derogatory names.
4. Soliciting Prostitution – soliciting for the purpose of prostitution is illegal. If a street harasser solicits sexual activity from you or yells “how much”, you can report him or her. This is a Class 1 misdemeanor and may result in jail time of up to 12 months and/or a fine of $2500 – the penalty is higher if the person solicited is a minor.
5. Unlawful Assembly – it is illegal for 3 or more people to gather for the purposes of doing something through force or violence that is likely to jeopardize public safety, peace or order and that makes someone else fear for his, her or their safety. So, if at least 3 people are engaging in street harassment together and they make any kind of threat of force against you or make you fear for your safety, you can report the persons. The penalty is a class 1 misdemeanor with up to 1 year in jail and/or a fine of $2500

Need help or more information? Local rape crisis and domestic violence shelters can provide services. To find a center closest to you, you can call the Virginia Family Violence & Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-838-8238.

The V Word is recorded in the studios of WRIR 97.3 LP, read and produced by me, Carol Olson.

 

1

End Sexual and Domestic Violence In Virginia -join the Action Alliance

Want to be part of the voice against violence? Want to impact health and safety in your community in a positive way? Want to provide support to survivors of interpersonal violence?

Join the statewide coalition and engage actively in the work to end violence in our communities.

Membership Information

Questions about membership? For more information email info@vsdvalliance.org

Become or Renew a Membership on-line

Membership Types

Standard Individual/SDVA Staff $30 Lifetime Member $1000 (PDF Brochure)
Affiliate Membership $250 Sexual & Domestic Violence Advocacy Membership (3-10 FTEs) $500
Sexual & Domestic Violence Advocacy Membership (3 or Fewer FTEs) $250 Sexual & Domestic Violence Advocacy Membership (10-19 FTEs) $1,000
Sexual & Domestic Violence Advocacy Membership (20+ FTEs) $2,000
Individual/SDVA Staff Members

Individual/SDVA Staff ($30)
Benefits =participation in Action Alliance membership meetings, Task Forces and Caucuses; reduced training registration fees; public policy alerts; Revolution
Lifetime Member ($1000)

A lifetime membership constitutes a lifetime connection between you and the Action Alliance. You will never have to pay dues again. Lifetime members will receive all benefits of an individual membership and never have your annual dues increased. Lifetime members will recieve special recognition and be invited to participate in select Action Alliance events.
Affiliate Membership

Affiliate Members: agencies, organizations, businesses and units of state or local government agencies with a commitment to the mission of the Action Alliance ($250)
Benefits in addition to above = resources for victims; access to borrowing public awareness displays (e.g. Silent Witness, Art of Surviving, Beating Hearts)
Sexual and Domestic Violence Advocacy Membership

SDVA Advocacy Members: private non-profit agencies and units of local government, colleges and universities, and military installations whose primary function (at least 75% of activities) is services to victims of sexual/domestic violence and/or community-based prevention of sexual/domestic violence. Tiered membership fee of $250 if fewer than 3 FTEs; $500 if 3 FTEs up to 10 FTEs; $1,000 if 10-19FTEs, $2,000 if more than 20 FTEs.
Benefits in addition to above = Resonance, access to Technical Assitance Calls, access to use of VAdata, reduced Accreditation Fee

0

SlutWalks

I think the great thing about this cause area, to end violence against women and other genders, is the diversity of opinions about who women are, who victims are, who survivors of violence are. Our cause area is made up of billions of faces, representing all aspects of society. This means we gather our strength from our diversity, because it will take billions of voices to make this change. It only makes it harder to gather such diversity into a cohesive voice to make change, but we must do it. The idea of slutwalks comes out of the nonsense that clothing invites rape and pushes wearers to the status of “less than” in our society. These events, like all events that push boundaries, will bring awareness to those who may need to see the ludicrousness of linking clothing to rape acceptance. Not all people, even victims, will understand them. There are, of course, many campaigns that exist to address these issues in other formats. I hope we can support them all, as it takes many, many types of speech to effect changes in society. I think we may want to consider forgiving survivors who can’t understand all the messages our cause needs to put out there because their wounds are deep and we don’t know what will trigger them. Just as we don’t always know what someone else does that could trigger us. Solidarity takes acceptance and support, however different we think we need to pursue this common goal.

Check out your local community for an Abolish the Blame or SlutWalk event and consider supporting their message to stop blaming victims of crime.

September 22nd is an Abolish the Blame event in Richmond, Virginia. Check them out on Facebook events and their page: slutwalkrva. And follow them on twitter slutwalkrva

0

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑