News & Research
Sexual Assault

• 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
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Domestic Violence

• ​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

News and Research
Sexual Assault

• The Rape Trial Everyone in America Should Be Watching: “Charged with 36 offenses including sexual battery, forcible oral sodomy, stalking, and rape, ex-officer Holtzclaw allegedly targeted 13 women during his three-year tenure with the Oklahoma City Police Department. His victims reportedly ranged in age from 17 to late 50s, but the unifying thread of his accusers is race. Holtzclaw targeted African-American women…Despite the horrific nature of the allegations, and increased national attention and debate about issues of racially motivated police misconduct, the investigation of and subsequent trial for Holtzclaw remains largely under- and unreported in many major news outlets. In a historical moment in which campaigns to end sexual violence and to address racism at all levels of the criminal justice system thrive, a case involving an alleged serial rapist of black women has garnered far too little national outrage”…Read more
• The Untold Financial Cost of Rape: “Some described how their rape led them to drop out of college, setting them back years in pursuing their education and delaying their entry into the workforce. One woman said her rape untethered her entirely. Beset by depression and a sense of worthlessness, she accepted low-paying jobs that made it hard to afford the counseling she desperately needed. Some survivors talked about the costs incurred because they had to move; they no longer felt safe living in the cities or towns or apartments where they were assaulted. Some described getting help from their family members, who felt a financial impact as well. Others were left on their own”…Read more
• Powerful Video Reveals What No One Tells You About Sexual Assault: “A new video from Buzzfeed Yellow beautifully brings this message to light, with three very different survivors of assault, one of them a man, reciting a poem that describes ‘what no one tells you about being assaulted.’  The first three lines of the poem, recited by each member of the trio, emphasize the ongoing stereotypes about victims of assault”…Read more

 
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• What Every Survivor of Sexual Trauma Needs to Know: “Although everyone copes with trauma and the healing process differently, the following are some universal truths that I wish every survivor of sexual trauma could hear”…Read more…Read related article: The Heart Wrenching Reality of Sexual Assault
• Six Steps for Healing From Child Sexual Abuse: “I was in this mess because I'd had the audacity to speak the truth about our incestuous family, and was in the process of removing grandparent rights, in protection of my children…I had a lot of work to do to get healthy, and it took time. I still have residual vulnerabilities related to my childhood. But I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that one can rise from victim to victor. Here are a few tips gathered over time”…Read more
• Trafficking Survivor 'Raped 43,200 Times': Woman Highlights Reality of Human Trafficking in Mexico, the US: “Karla says she was abused for as long as she can remember and felt rejected by her mother. ‘I came from a dysfunctional family. I was sexually abused and mistreated from the age of 5 by a relative,' she says. When she was 12 she was targeted by a trafficker who lured her away using kind words and a fast car”…Read more
• Peace Corps Volunteers Blamed, Punished for Reporting Sexual Assault?: “Nearly 7,000 Peace Corps currently serve in about 65 countries. Roughly one in five of them is sexually assaulted during that service, according to the results of a recent anonymous Peace Corps safety questionnaire, obtained exclusively by CBS News. The report also shows that nearly half don't report the assaults. Pressure to change a culture of victim-blaming goes back years, but some survivors still claim they are blamed or punished”…Read more

Domestic Violence

• One Woman’s Story of Surviving Domestic Violence as an Undocumented Immigrant: “Oyokue also found herself lucky to become involved with an organization for domestic violence survivors. It was through this organization that she was informed that she could apply for a visa because she had been a domestic violence survivor. She immediately began the process and now, eight years later, is in the midst of the final paperwork for securing her green card. She says that at the time of her abuse, she didn’t worry about the consequences of being deported because of her immigration status. The only thing on her mind at the time was surviving the abuse, protecting her children, and seeing justice served”…Read more
• Rob Manfred Needs to Send Message on Domestic Violence with Jose Reyes Suspension: “So, after being arrested and charged with ‘abuse of a family or household member’ on Halloween, the first player to face the new policy is Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes…The reason that MLB has this policy, and does not just rely on the legal system, is for public perception, and domestic violence must be punished more harshly than drug use if the public is going to perceive the league as being serious about this. A first positive test for perfromance-enhancing drugs is 80 games. Start from there”…Read more
• Greg Hardy Plays During Cowboys' Game Despite Shocking Domestic Abuse Revelations: “The release of graphic photos of the injuries NFL star Greg Hardy allegedly inflicted on his ex-girlfriend in 2014 has caused a massive uproar. But the Dallas Cowboys player still took the field on Sunday…‘The number of men on Twitter defending Greg Hardy, Cowboys; and/or ripping abused girlfriend is horrifying,’ said sports writer Jeff Pearlman. ‘If the #Cowboys were not aware of the evidence against Greg Hardy, it was because they chose not to know. Jerry Jones knew what he was doing,’ wrote ESPN reporter Ed Werder”…Read more

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• [WI] To Divorce an Abuser, Support is Thin: “Looking back, Elise sees what a precarious crossroads she was at when she turned to Legal Action of Wisconsin for help with a divorce and child custody. Her attorney at the Oshkosh office, Jacquelyn Jaworski, said for every one person her team decides to help, they have to turn away five. For several years, state government has not provided funding for civil legal services for domestic violence victims. In the 2015-17 budget, lawmakers allocated $500,000 annually for victims who cannot afford attorneys for civil cases such as injunctions, divorces and child custody. Advocates say it's not nearly enough for the needs they see, and it's far short of what neighboring states provide”…Read more
• Settlement in New York Domestic Violence Case May Set Broader Precedent: “In a possible violation of the law, the Bon-Ton employee was sent home by a manager shortly after revealing that her estranged husband had threatened her life the day before. Under the terms of the settlement, Bon-Ton did not admit any wrongdoing, but agreed to change its policy so that employees in a similar situation are not required to procure a protective order to stay on the job”…Read more

Local News

• News 8 Investigates- Fighting for Victims' Rights [Juneau County]: “Imagine being the victim of a crime only to have the offender released years later a few miles or even blocks from your home. That was the possibility two area women faced recently. And now they're fighting for changes in the system”…Read more
• Dealing with domestic violence challenging, potentially dangerous: Check out this article in the Portage Daily Register
• Cole McCormick, 23, Poynette, was found guilty after entering a no contest plea to felony second degree sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl…Read more
• Sean Larson, 24, Lodi, bound for a jury trial for felony of repeated sexual assault of a 9-year-old…Read more
• Bradley Weinke, 35, city of Lodi, sentenced to two years of probation and $1,404 in fines for abusing the woman he was living with…Read more
• Justin Wagner, 28, of Wisconsin Dells, sentenced to three years in prison after pleading no contest to charges of strangulation and suffocation, misdemeanor battery and disorderly conduct, each as domestic abuse…Read more

 

• Jordan Newsome, 31, of Portage, sentenced to nine months in jail and five years of probation, convicted of sexual assault of a 15-year-old and returning to the same girl while released on bond…Read more
• George Zeimet, 65, of Lodi, plead not guilty to two felony counts of repeated sexual assault of a child, case heading to trial…Read more
• Brett Berryman, 26, of DeForest, has posted bond after being held in Columbia County Jail accused of 13 counts of possession of child pornography…Read more
• Samuel Nichols, 26, of Wonewoc, charged with three counts of possession of child pornography…Read more
• Anthony Perez, 17, of Baraboo, has been charged as an adult for sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl…Read more
• Gregory Behling, 19, of Poynette, is charged with felony first degree sexual assault of a child under age 16 by use of threat of force or violence…Read more

• 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

Sexual Assault

• 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

Faith Communities' Section

• 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

Campus Sexual Assault

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

Miscellaneous

• 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

See the Signs & Speak Out:
Become an Upstander

See the Signs & Speak Out is a series of free, online bystander intervention training tools related to domestic violence and sexual assault. The areas of focus include the following:

1. Recognize, Respond in the Workplace: Learn how to intervene as a bystander in the workplace to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault.
2. Dating Abuse: Tools for Talking to Teens: Empower yourself with the right information and strategies to identify dating abuse and help the teens in your life thrive in safe and healthy romantic relationships.
3. Stand Up, Don't Stand By: Protect Children from Domestic Violence: Help protect children by recognizing the signs of abuse, deciding to do something, and intervening in a safe way.

Please call Hope House at 608-356-9123 if you would like the in-person training offered free of charge at your business, school, church, or community group.

News & Research
Sexual Assault

• Gillibrand Seeks Another Vote on Military’s Handling of Sexual Assault Cases: "With several high-profile assault and rape cases dominating the headlines, Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, Democrat of New York, is asking for a vote on a bill that would remove sexual assault prosecutions from the oversight of military commanders"...Read more...Read related article: Senators Shoot Down Gillibrand's Military Sexual Assault Reform Bill
  
• Pentagon Survey: More Sexual Assault Cases Reported: "Fewer members of the military are being sexually assaulted and more victims are coming forward, the Pentagon said in a long-awaited report obtained by CNN on Wednesday. But 4.3 percent of the United States' active-duty women still say they were the victims of unwanted sexual contact in the last year, and most still aren't reporting those assaults. Some of those who did report their assaults faced retaliation"...Read more
  
• Gillibrand Not Buying the Pentagon's Report on Military Sexual Assault: "But Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who's made military sexual assault one of her key issues, issued a statement calling the report 'disappointing,' casting a skeptical eye on the Pentagon's claims of progress and pointing out that nearly two-thirds of service members who reported their assaults say they experienced some form of retaliation for doing so. You can see the full report here and an executive summary here, but suffice it to say, the thing is packed with so much dense number salad that the New York Times and USA Today filed advance stories with exactly conflicting headlines"...Read more
• Only One Percent of Male Military Victims Report Sexual Assault: "Afraid to be seen as victims or as weak or gay, men in the hyper-masculine military culture often don’t feel comfortable reaching out for help or reporting sexual assaults. Over the past year, though, the services have increased efforts to reach out to male victims, urging them to come forward so they can receive treatment and so officials can go after perpetrators"...Read more
• Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen Announces Protocol for Untested Sexual Assault Kits in Custody of Local Law Enforcement: "Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen is pleased to announce a new protocol to address more than 6,000 untested sexual assault kits residing in the custody of local law enforcement.  The new protocol is the result of work done by the Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Response Team, or SART, which convened for the first time in December 2012"...Read more
• Finally Wanted: Police to Chase Thousands of Fugitives: "The newspaper found this year that more than 330,000 accused felons — including some wanted in rapes and murders — can escape the charges against them merely by crossing a state border because police and prosecutors secretly decided in advance not to go that far to retrieve them. In the months that followed, officials from Florida to Pennsylvania reversed those decisions by the thousands, informing the FBI that they intend to retrieve fugitives from anyplace in the USA"...Read more
• Could a Bacterial ‘Fingerprint’ Solve a Sexual Assault Case?: "A new study suggests that the microbes present on pubic hair -- which vary from person to person -- could be used as evidence in sexual assault cases…'The advent of DNA profiling has resulted in an increase of sexual offenders using condoms, which they take away, post-assault,' Tridico said in a statement. 'The implication of this present study is that the transfer of bacteria between victim and offender, in rape cases, may provide a new way of linking the offender to the victim, in instances in which no human DNA is transferred'...But maybe one day it could contribute to a case"...Read more
• Why I Spoke Out About One Rape but Stayed Silent About Another

 
 

• The Sexual Abuse of Boys Is Not About “Getting Lucky” and We Need to Stop Promoting This Myth: "I’m sick of adults abusing children, and I’m sick of the way the media portrays male survivors of abuse as willing accomplices or 'lucky boys' when the perpetrator is a female. Why do we do this? Why aren’t we willing to protect our boys and stand up for them? Why don’t we think they deserve the right to bodily autonomy and consent?"...Read more...Read related article: A 12 Year-Old Boy’s First Kiss Shouldn’t Be With a Grown Woman

• A Man of Healing, a Saga of Suffering: Allegations of Child Sex Abuse are Complicated by a Legal Maze in Indian Country: "Child sexual abuse on the reservations is at the root of the many problems that follow for Indian children — depression, alcohol and drug abuse, juvenile detention and suicide, according to Indian country experts. The challenge of getting victims to speak out — common in child sexual assault cases anywhere — is exacerbated by the close-knit nature of the remote communities where they live"...Read more
• Pope Appoints British Child Sexual Abuse Survivor to Church Commission: "A British survivor of child sexual abuse who set up a charity to help other victims has been appointed by Pope Francis to his new commission to protect children and help people who have been abused…'I am going to raise issues around the cover-ups of the past, and also to say that victims’ organisations need some serious funding. I want to try and help change the church for the better'"...Read more
• 30 Years of Child Sexual Abuse: One Important Lesson: "Yesterday, former BBC DJ Chris Denning was given a prison sentence of 13 years for three decades of child sexual sexual abuse. Denning was convicted on 40 counts of sexual abuse against 24 boys, aged nine to 16…'The defendant used the allure first of the record industry and celebrity, and then the world of computer games to entice boys into his company'"...Read more
• Roman Polanski Loses Bid for Dismissal of Sexual Assault Conviction: "Oscar-winning film director Roman Polanski has lost his latest bid to dismiss a 1977 sexual assault conviction that spurred him to flee to Europe to avoid sentencing"...Read more
  
• Boko Haram Kidnapped Nigeria Schoolgirls Likely Facing Forced Labor, Sexual Assault: "Some of the girls have escaped, but 219 remain in captivity...The girls who remain in captivity are likely facing forced labor, sexual assault and even being used in military operations by luring men into ambushes, according to a Human Rights Watch report from October that interviewed other girls who have been kidnapped by Boko Haram and escaped...Since the large group of schoolgirls went missing, Boko Haram has engaged in several smaller-scale kidnappings"...Read more
• LAPD Interviews Woman Suing Bill Cosby for Sexual Battery
  
• 49ers Cut Ray McDonald Amid Sexual Assault Investigation: "The San Francisco 49ers have released Ray McDonald just hours after the defensive end was named as a suspect in a sexual assault investigation...McDonald was previously arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence in August, but was not charged"...Read more
• Vulnerable in the Field: Sexual Assault Is Common Among Scientists: "But a study published in July indicates that sexual misconduct happens at the same rates--about one in five people--to scientists working in the field, oftentimes when they're conducting research away from their home institution. They rarely know where or how to report these cases. Most disturbingly, in the majority of incidents involving women, the perpetrators were the victims' superiors and supervisors"...Read more

Campus Sexual Assault

• Don't Let the Rolling Stone Controversy Distract You From the Campus Rape Epidemic...Check out the infographic here
  
• A Letter from a Friend: Jackie's Story is Not a Hoax: "Whether the details are correct or not, and whether the reporting was faulty, or the hazy memories of a traumatizing night got skewed…the blame should never fall on the victim’s shoulders. Jackie is a victim, as are so many others, men and women, young and old. So many stories have gone untold and so many perpetrators have been allowed to walk free"...Read more
• How the Neurobiology of Trauma Affects Rape Accusations: "But psychologists say inconsistencies in survivors’ accounts of violent trauma are common. Recent neurobiology research suggests that when a person is experiencing a traumatic event, 'fight or flight' hormones and neurotransmitters flood the body, affecting the way the brain encodes memories — so much so that they tend to be disjointed and out of chronological order"...Read more...Read related article: What Sexual Assault Does To The Brain
• Why I Don’t Want To Hear Both Sides Of Rape Cases: "But realistically, how does talking to a rapist confirm that a rape occurred? Do we really believe that a rapist would admit 'Oh yes, I was there and I raped her' if a journalist approached them? And it is not unusual for publications to cover violent crimes — including sexual assault — without interviewing the alleged perpetrator. Demanding that we must hear both sides when we talk about sexual violence plays into the tired 'he said/she said' framing often used to dismiss sexual assault"...Read more
• Harvard to Change Sexual Assault Policies after Federal Investigation

 

• DOJ Releases Report on College-Age Rape and Sexual Assault: "The report found that among college-age females, ages 18 to 24, the rate of rape and sexual assault was significantly higher for non-students than students. Non-students were victims of rape and sexual assault more often than students were, although that may be changing. For 2013, no differences in the rates of rape and sexual assault were found between the two groups. But, rape and sexual assault victimization were more likely to go unreported to police among victims who were college students (80 percent) than non-students (67 percent)"...Read more...Download a one-page summary sheet here
• Sexual Assault Statistics Can Be Confusing, But They're Not The Point: "The statistic makes for a nice talking point to back up why a U.S. senator or state lawmaker would spend so much energy on an issue, but it's not the reason campus sexual assault became such a hot topic in 2013 and again in 2014. The reason this issue has gotten so much attention, rather, is because students started speaking out and criticizing how their colleges and universities handled their sexual assault cases. Rarely did they mention any national statistics. Their focus was on soft punishments, disparaging comments college officials made to survivors, fraternities making rape jokes, and alleged retaliation for criticizing their schools on these issues. Some rape survivors said they ended up in psych wards and dropped out of school when they sought help from their institution. 'These are real people we're talking about, not numbers'"...Read more
• Christian University Apologizes to Sexual Assault Victims: "The apology came in advance of a 300-page report published Thursday, drawn from interviews with some 40 victims of sexual abuse or sexual assault at Bob Jones university over four decades"...Read more

Domestic Violence

• Domestic Violence Is Violence: Mass Killers Often Start by Stalking or Assaulting Women: "Brinsley is far from the first to lay bare the connection between gendered violence and other violent acts. Before Cho Seung-Hui killed more than 30 people in the horrific Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, police investigated him for two separate reports of stalking by female classmates. This year, not long before Elliot Rodger launched a shooting spree in Isla Vista, California, that left six dead and 13 wounded, he authored angry and misogynistic tirades in various online forums...And just a few days ago, Man Haron Monis held 17 people hostage for more than 12 hours in a coffee shop in what quickly became known as the Sydney siege, which culminated in the deaths of two hostages as well as Monis...At the time of the standoff, he was out on bail for charges relating to the murder of his ex-wife, whom he had also threatened and stalked, and he had been charged with more than 40 sexual assault offenses"...Read more...Read related article: Police Suspect Domestic Violence in Canada Shooting Rampage

• It’s Time to Bring Domestic Violence Survivors Like Barbara Sheehan Home From Prison: "For twenty-five years, Sheehan was terrorized by her husband, Raymond. The terror included physical beatings and frequent threats to kill her and their two children. In February 2008, when her husband pointed a gun at her, Sheehan shot him first. Acquitted of murder, she was convicted of firearms possession and sentenced to five years in prison. Now she is petitioning for clemency"...Read more
  
• Police, Prosecutors Use New Tools to Help Domestic Violence Victims: "Earlier this month, more than 80 officers representing every law enforcement agency in Milwaukee County learned to use a new tool to better assess domestic violence situations and determine which victims are at greatest risk for a deadly encounter…'Intimate partner domestic violence investigations are homicide prevention work,' said Cudahy Police Chief Thomas D. Poellot, who helped bring the nationally recognized lethality training to Wisconsin"...Read more

• Under Local Laws, 911 Calls Turn Domestic Abuse Victims into ‘Nuisances’: "The ordinance stipulated that tenants who made three 911 calls in four months could be evicted. Briggs had already received three strikes as the result of emergency calls made during previous attacks by her ex, and the month before the incident, city officials had notified her that further calls would result in her removal from her apartment...Terrified, Briggs instructed family members not to call police under any circumstances. She persisted even when her ex-boyfriend attacked her again...A neighbor ultimately called 911...Three days later, her landlord began eviction proceedings against her under the direction of the city...The rights group argued that the town had violated Briggs’ First Amendment rights to petition law enforcement, as well as the federal Violence Against Women Act, which grants protections to victims of violence living in federally subsidized housing"...Read more

 

• The NFL's Response to Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault: "The information that follows gives a good sense of what the league has done thus far and where it may go in the future (long-term plans are still being determined)"...Read more
• NFL Executive Breaks Down While Talking to Congress About Domestic Violence: "West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who chaired the hearing, called for the four major professional sports leagues to develop uniform policies to 'effectively and appropriately' punish players who commit criminal acts against women and children. Many of the senators noted the outsize influence athletes have on America’s youth and lambasted the leagues for its current efforts in responding to domestic violence"...Read more
• Kings' Slava Voynov Pleads Not Guilty to Domestic Violence Charge: "The Los Angeles Kings' defenseman has been suspended by the NHL since his Oct. 20 arrest in a domestic violence investigation"...Read more
• One Group Has a Higher Domestic Violence Rate Than Everyone Else — And It's Not the NFL: "It's not just that women are more intimidated to report domestic violence because their attackers are officers and worry that nobody will believe them; it's that officers adjudicate the entire process on an informal level"...Read more
• Domestic Violence as Prevalent for College Students as Sexual Assault: "On Black Friday, Nadia Ezaldein, a University of Chicago student, was working at a Chicago Nordstrom when her ex-boyfriend entered the store, found her in the accessories department, and shot her to death. It was her 22nd birthday...While not currently at the forefront of a national conversation, domestic violence remains as prevalent an issue among college students as sexual assault. One in five students has experienced domestic violence"...Read more
• Los Angeles Man Sentenced In California's First 'Revenge Porn' Conviction: "Noe Iniguez, 36, was found guilty of both violating the restraining orders his ex-girlfriend had against him and breaking California's new 'revenge porn' law...In March of 2014, he posted a nude photo of her calling her a 'drunk' and a 'slut' and suggesting her employer fire her. Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer said a the statement that the 'new revenge porn law gives prosecutors a valuable tool to protect victims whose lives and reputations have been upended by a person they once trusted. This conviction sends a strong message that this type of malicious behavior will not be tolerated'"...Read more
• Dave Navarro Opens Up About His Mother's Murder: "In 1983, the guitarist's mother Connie Navarro was murdered by a vengeful ex-boyfriend, when Dave was just 15 years old...Navarro recently connected with Law and Order: SVU actress Mariska Hargitay, who has taken the lead on the 'No More' campaign against domestic violence, which features numerous celebrities in its PSA including him"...Read more

• Domestic Abuse During Pregnancy Affects Baby Too: "Symptoms of emotional and behavioral trauma in young children include nightmares, startling easily, being bothered by loud noises and bright lights, avoiding physical contact, and having trouble experiencing enjoyment"...Read more
  

Local News

• FAR FROM BROKEN: The once-emaciated, severely burned and abused boy of Oneida Street speaks about leaving the past behind and moving forward: "One year ago, after his 18th birthday, the Daily Register requested an interview with Andrew Garlin, who in June 2007 was the boy found in a home on Oneida Street in Portage close to death from torture and severe abuse. In September, Andrew granted the Daily Register an in-person interview accompanied by Portage Police Detective Lt. Mark Hahn and Columbia County Circuit Court Judge W. Andrew Voigt"...Read more
• Michael Patton, 37, of Mauston, was sentenced to 12 years and nine months in the Wisconsin prison system for incest...Read more
• Darrell Wallace Jr., 18, of Mauston, pleaded guilty to child sexual exploitation of a 12-year-old girl and no contest to felony bail jumping in a five-year deferred judgment agreement. Under terms of the agreement, Wallace will serve the first two years of the agreement on probation and the remaining three years on extended supervision...Read more
• Amos Day, 34, of Juneau County, charged with four counts of first-degree sexual assault of a 10-year-old child and six other felonies...Read more 
• Anne Simon, 58, of Baraboo, has been arrested in the stabbing death of her brother...Read more

 

• Levi Kearney, 19, of Lodi, faces five counts of second-degree child sexual assault...Read more
• The state Department of Justice will seek to retry Stacy Hartje, 30, of Mauston, charged with child abuse whose trial ended with a hung jury last week...Read more
  
• A judge declared a mistrial Friday in the seven-day trial of Stacy Hartje, 30, of Mauston, charged with abuse of a child in 2007...Read more

• George Kloth, 39, of New Lisbon, charged with 20 counts of possession of child pornography...Read more
• Michael Klingbiel Jr., 22, of Elroy, charged last week with second-degree sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in Mauston...Read more
• Joshua Olson, 30, of Elroy, charged with sexually assaulting a girl over a period of years starting in 2005, when she was 15, and he was working at a dishwasher at Mauston High School...Read more
• Stacy Hartje, 30, of Mauston, is charged with first-degree reckless injury, child abuse causing great harm and first-degree recklessly endangering safety of a boy in her home day care...Read more
• John Henning, 42, of Endeavor, faces multiple felony counts for allegedly having sexually explicit conversations with a teenager on Facebook...Read more

News & Research
Sexual Assault

• 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

Domestic Violence

• 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

Children & Youth

• 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

Miscellaneous

• 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

Parents' & Youth Service Providers' Section
- 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