Category: Position Opening

August 2015 Community Education E-bulletin

8/4/2015

Welcome to the August 2015 edition of Hope House's Community Education E-bulletin!

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. New Prevention Project Coordinator Position Opening
2. Upcoming Events
3. Donation Needs
4. Sexual Assault
5. Domestic Violence

6. Children & Youth
7. Miscellaneous News
8. Local News
9. Parents' and Youth Service Providers' Section
10. Resources

New Prevention Project Coordinator Position Opening
We are excited to announce a new position opening at Hope House, the Prevention Project Coordinator. Please help us spread the word to anyone that may be interested in making a difference by working to bring about social change and healthier communities. The job posting and description can be found by going to our Career Opportunities page.

Upcoming Events
Be sure to check Hope House's Events page to learn more about upcoming community safety events and a workshop on understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences.

Hope House Donation Needs
Monetary donations are most needed. Individuals have the option of donating online. Please note that a portion of your online donation will go towards PayPal fees. Donations can be mailed to Hope House, P.O. Box 557, Baraboo, WI 53913. We also appreciate gas cards, gift cards (Walmart, Kwik Trip, Walgreens, Kohl’s), taxi vouchers from Baraboo Taxi, and used cell phones, iPods and iPads. Please note that we are not accepting stuffed animals/plush toys, used toys, clothes (except for new sweatshirts and sweatpants), shoes, used books, furniture, TVs, bar soap, hats, scarves or travel-size bottles of shampoo, conditioner, or body wash. Current needs include

Bathrooms: Toilet paper, Deodorant, Disposable razors, Small garbage cans with bags, Nail clippers, Toilet bowl cleaner, Cleaning supplies such as Lysol disinfecting spray and floor cleaner, Clorox wipes, Hairspray, Bleach, Bathroom rugs and bath mats
Kitchen: Ziploc bags, Tupperware, Small mason jars, Dishwasher soap, 13-Gallon garbage bags, Paper towels, Silverware, Brush for cleaning bottles, Fruit juice, Sip cups, Milk, Saran wrap, Aluminum foil
Laundry: Power laundry detergent, Dryer sheets, Fabric softener sheets
Clothing for Women and Kids: Winter boots, Socks, Women’s underwear, Medium-Large size pajamas, New sweatshirts and sweatpants
Misc: New white full/twin bed sheets, Double stroller, Pack 'n Play, Baby wipes, Band-Aids, Diapers and pull-ups, Pocket-sized calendars, Strollers, Baby bottles, Umbrellas, Hangers, Weather radio, Journals, Exercise balls, Yoga/exercise DVDs, Relaxation CDs, Baby thermometer, CD players, Regular light bulbs

Special Note about Travel-Size Items: We encourage those looking to donate travel-size items to donate them to the Backpack Project. The Backpack Project strives to provide Baraboo School District students who are financially challenged to enter the school doors on the first day ‘just like everyone else’ and to show these children the community supports and encourages them to learn and do their best. If interested in donating towards this project, please contact Becky Hovde at 608-963-8230 or hivebiz@centurytel.net.

News & Research
Sexual Assault

35 Women and #TheEmptyChair: “That was the cover of this week's issue of New York — thirty-five women who have accused Bill Cosby of assault. And one empty chair. That chair signifies the 11 other women who have accused Cosby of assault, but weren't photographed for the magazine. But it also represents the countless other women who have been sexually assaulted, but have been unable or unwilling to come forward…About half an hour after the launch, we started to notice the hashtag #TheEmptyChair circulating on social media. This was not part of our elaborate launch plan — credit goes to Elon James White (a journalist and publisher of This Week in Blackness) for first using it, and the thousands of readers who continued the conversation about sexual assault”…Read more
The Aftermath Of Bill Cosby's Admission? That's Rape Culture: "The fact Cosby's leaked confession holds more weight than the voices of over 40 women who have come out with accusations against him over the years, is horrifying...Proof beyond a reasonable doubt is needed in a court of law, but the court of public opinion does not require the same standards. We should be able to decide for ourselves and listen to the stories of Cosby's accusers who have gained nothing by speaking out”…Read more
Tens of Thousands of Rape Kits Go Untested Across USA: “In the most detailed nationwide inventory of untested rape kits ever, USA TODAY and journalists from more than 75 Gannett newspapers and TEGNA TV stations have found at least 70,000 neglected kits in an open-records campaign covering 1,000-plus police agencies – and counting. Despite its scope, the agency-by-agency count covers a fraction of the nation's 18,000 police departments, suggesting the number of untested rape kits reaches into the hundreds of thousands”…Read more
[Milwaukee] Woman 82, who was Sexually Assaulted, Waited 3 Hours for Police to Arrive

What College Students Want Their Younger Siblings To Know About Sex: “That’s the question that Josy Jablons, a student at New York University, posed to her classmates this year. She wanted to get her fellow college students thinking more seriously about how to address campus sexual assault”…Read more
What a First Kiss Feels Like after a Sexual Assault: “Reddit user throwawayballet shared a victory with the world, ‘I like kissing again!’ The story, which surged to the top of the front page of the Internet, highlights a widespread but often private plight among survivors of sexual assault: Even the smallest gestures of affection can be difficult in the aftermath of trauma”…Read more
“That’s What Happened between Me and Clark”: Revising Old Hollywood’s Greatest Scandal: “Loretta Young made her name in Classic Hollywood as a great beauty — and for the cover-up of one of the industry’s greatest scandals: concealing a child, born out of wedlock, with Clark Gable, one of the era’s biggest stars. It wasn’t until recently that even Young learned the right words [date rape] for what she’d been hiding for decades”…Read more
Mennonites Apologize for History of Sex Abuse following Theologian John Howard Yoder Scandal: “From seminars to a service of lament to a statement confessing its failure to offer healing for survivors, sexual abuse was a prominent topic at the Mennonite Church USA’s biennial convention, which concluded Sunday (July 5). Not prominently mentioned, but on many people’s minds, was the denomination’s complicity in the rampant sexual violations by one of its most distinguished members, the late theologian John Howard Yoder”…Read more

Domestic Violence

Hostage and Barricade Incidents and Domestic Violence: Helping Police to See the Invisible Walls: “According to the FBI's Hostage Barricade Database System (HOBAS), 49 percent of hostage-taking and barricade situations involve a family member, spouse/ex-spouse or significant other. Training now exists in some parts of the country to prepare negotiators for the unique aspects of a domestic violence-related incident. The training entails helping law enforcement officers to recognize that these situations often have a history in which the female victim has endured prior hostage-making tactics such as isolation, threats, coercion, intimidation, and violence long before the current crisis. Partners of these men have often been subjected to three conditions that are now recognized as risk factors for intimate partner homicide: extreme control over their daily activities, isolation from family and friends and constant surveillance or stalking”…Read more
One Simple Idea That Could Reduce Domestic Violence: “A report released Tuesday is proposing a simple way to reduce domestic violence: Give victims free lawyers. Lawyers are expensive, and women who need them often can't afford them. Without legal counsel, it can be harder for women to get protective orders, leave their abusive partners and escape the cycle of violence. And women stuck in violent relationships tend to miss work because of injury or rack up hospital bills they can never pay off, according to the report by The Institute for Policy Integrity, a nonpartisan think tank”…Read more

Louisiana Shooter John Houser had History of Domestic Violence: "The man who police say opened fire Thursday night inside a showing of the Amy Schumer movie 'Trainwreck,' killing two women and wounding nine other people, had a history of domestic violence. Houser committed suicide at the scene. In 2008, John 'Rusty' Houser's wife and daughter filed an order of protection against him after he allegedly 'perpetrated acts of family violence' and threatened them over his daughter's impending marriage"...Read more

4 TED Speakers Who Aim to Inspire Change: “Advocates are out there, speaking on [survivors’] behalf to educate the public on the dangers of domestic violence and the struggles that haunt the survivors. Check out these TED Talks for inspiring messages from three such advocates and share them to help spread the word”…View the videos
Ex-49er Ray McDonald Charged with Domestic Violence: “Ray McDonald has been charged with felony false imprisonment stemming from a domestic violence incident earlier this year during which he assaulted a woman as she was holding their 2-month old infant. The 30-year-old former football player is also charged with misdemeanor domestic violence, child endangerment and with violating a court order that he stay away from the victim. If convicted, his sentence could be up to three years in prison”…Read more

Children & Youth

This Teen Used Her Make-A-Wish To Share Her Story Of Sexual Abuse: “For her Make-A-Wish, Lena wanted to spend a weekend with her two close friends Peach and Mariah – who have also experienced sexual abuse and domestic violence — have a photo shoot together while sharing her story of abuse to challenge the common perceptions of victims, fight the social stigma surrounding abuse, and inspire other victims to speak out and seek support”…Read more
Making Bullying Prevention Part of the Medical Profession’s DNA: “For example, families trust their pediatricians, in many cases more than any other adult outside of the home. We should be at the forefront of planning community prevention strategies and developing multidisciplinary partnerships with community leaders and professionals to promote the well-being of children and families beyond the ones we already have close relationships with. Bullying happens anywhere children and youth gather, learn and socialize. It is not confined to the playground or high school locker room. This is why pediatricians, physician assistants, nurses and public health officials alike need to engage a variety of stakeholders in bullying prevention”…Read more
U.S. Hospitals May Often Miss Signs of Child Abuse: “That guide, from the American Academy of Pediatrics, says that when a child younger than 2 has injuries that suggest possible physical abuse, doctors should order X-rays to look for ‘occult’ bone fractures. Those are bone breaks that aren't readily apparent during an exam, and may be old injuries healing on their own. An occult bone fracture does not always need treatment, but it can help confirm suspicions of abuse…her team found that only about half of babies with suspicious injuries were screened for hidden fractures -- even among those already diagnosed with abuse”…Read more

The Girls Matter Too: Addressing the Girls' Sexual Abuse to Prison Pipeline: “We must see what is happening to our girls at the intersection of race, gender and poverty. The terrible truth is that if you are a poor Black or Brown girl who is victimized by sexual or physical violence and trauma, your suffering is denied. Instead, you are punished for it. You are told you are not a victim of child rape, you are a child prostitute; you are not a scared, hurt girl trying to run away from an abusive parent, you are a delinquent; you are not a survivor of the sexual assault perpetrated by those you were suppose to trust, you are a bad girl”…Read more…Read related article: History of Abuse Seen in Many Girls in Juvenile System
Why Schools Over-Discipline Children With Disabilities: “The White House spotlighted punitive discipline this week, coincidentally coinciding with the ADA’s anniversary, in a gathering of educators, policymakers, and nonprofit leaders. They discussed how each suspension increases a child’s odds of becoming delinquent, abusing substances, connecting with gangs, dropping out, and falling into the 'school-to-prison pipeline'...The dire situation has prompted an Obama-administration initiative to improve “school climate”and efforts in some large, urban school districts, such as Los Angeles, to ban suspensions for non-violent offenses”…Read more
LGBT Students Face More Sexual Harassment And Assault, And More Trouble Reporting It: “Lea Roth, who also prefers ‘they’ and ‘them’ pronouns, said they were raped by a woman before starting at Dartmouth College. The woman was Roth's partner in a relationship, and Roth remembered feeling dependent on the assailant. ‘I wasn't being supported by my family at that time…So I felt reliant on that partner and their family that was more supportive of my identity as a gay person’”…Read more
Guest Editorial by Tonette Walker: Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect is a Moral and Economic Imperative: “We found that traditional approaches to providing services to children affected by maltreatment and other ACEs were inadequate. In fact, it was emphasized that some interventions may actually exacerbate trauma. The two-year Fostering Futures pilot project was proposed as a result of these sessions. Ultimately, Fostering Futures seeks to develop community capacity to integrate trauma-informed care principles into all public and private systems of care affecting children and families, leading to the long-term goal of improving well-being for Wisconsin children and their families”…Read more

Miscellaneous

This Small Facebook Update is a Rad Win for Gender Equality: “Previously, both the Friends and Groups icons on Facebook featured a woman’s silhouette in the background of a man’s silhouette. Now, the Friends icon features the man and woman side by side; and the Groups icon features a woman in the foreground with two men over her shoulders”…Read more

Local News

A New Lisbon woman charged for punching and choking her daughter who is paralyzed from the chest down...Read more
Sean Larson, 24, Lodi, has been charged with repeated sexual assault of a child…Read more
Christopher Richardson, 42, of rural Rio, threatened to kill his girlfriend and has died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound…Read more
Gregory Heep Jr., 28, of Wisconsin Dells, entered a plea of no contest to charges of possession of child pornography…Read more
Richard Delaney, 59, formerly of Juneau County, faces several charges, including two counts of sexual assault of a child…Read more
Jacob Pelanek, 22, of Wisconsin Dells, charged with first-degree child sex assault…Read more

Parents' & Youth Service Providers' Section

The Mask You Live In Curriculum Sneak Peek: “To show our gratitude, we wanted to share a special sneak peek of The Mask You Live In curriculum video, “Masculinity in Popular Culture” that explores how masculinity is represented in media. This summer, watch the video with a young person in your life and complete the accompanying activity.”
Kids Media App: Common Sense Media’s Kids Media App has “the latest movie reviews, plus recommendations for great books, apps, games, and more – customized for your kids”…Check it out here
PACER's Bullying 101: Guide for Middle and High School Students: "This highly visual, age-appropriate guide provides students with the basics for talking with other students about what bullying is and isn’t, the roles of students, and tips on what students can do to address bullying situations. Published by PACER’S National Bullying Prevention Center, this 14-page guide is available online as a free download."
Safe Spaces. Safe Places: Creating Welcoming and Inclusive Environments for Traumatized LGBTQ Youth: This online video from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network is for adults who work with youth, parents, and community members. There is a link to a video resource guide and information on LGBTQ Issues and Child Trauma.
KIDS COUNT Data Book: "The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released the 2015 KIDS COUNT Data Book that shows Wisconsin's children rank 13th overall on their selected measures of child well-being. This is good news and reflects the results from investments we have made in the past in education, employment, and family supports. But the news is not so good for everyone. The rate of growth of children in poverty in Wisconsin is greater than the rate of growth nationally. The economic recovery has not hit all parts of our state or our families and children equally. In fact, children of color in Wisconsin are falling further and further behind their white peers - and disparities between white and black children are greater than anywhere in the nation. There are solutions - we can work together to support families and children by making investments and decisions that have long-term benefits and can move us to the top of the list."

Resources
The Path to Resilience: "As the latest science from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard shows, resilience is fluid and compounding, nurtured by the essential fertilizer of an adult’s caring attention. A new three-part video series produced by the center explores — in clear and simple terms — exactly how that happens, answering questions about why some children who face serious problems can cope and thrive"...Read more and watch the videos

The Sexual Assault Support & Help for Americans Abroad Program, SASHAA, "has launched a new resource to assist American citizens and legal permanent residents who are sexually assaulted in a foreign country while studying or traveling overseas...SASHAA case managers provide an informed, compassionate response, as well as advocacy and assistance navigating medical, law enforcement and legal options. This support is continued long term, including counseling and other services. The program can be reached 24/7 from overseas by calling an international toll free hotline, 866-USWOMEN, via the AT&T Direct Access code for each country. Instructions can be found on the SASHAA website, www.sashaa.org. Other forms of communication include a live chat feature on the SASHAA website, and a crisis email: crisis@866uswomen.org. If the caller is more comfortable communicating in a foreign language, SASHAA advocates and case managers have access to a language bank."

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January 2015 Community Education E-bulletin

1/5/2015

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Happy New Year! Welcome to the January 2015 edition of Hope House's
Community Education E-bulletin!

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. Hope House Is Hiring
2. You're Invited to a Community Resources Panel
3. Hope House Donation Needs
4. See the Signs & Speak Out: Become an Upstander
5. One Billion Rising
6. Sexual Assault
7. Campus Sexual Assault

8. Domestic Violence
9. Children & Youth
10. Miscellaneous News
11. Local News
12. Training Opportunity
13. Parents' and Youth Service Providers' Section
14. Faith Communities' Section

Hope House is Hiring
Have you heard? Hope House is hiring a full-time Community Educator and a full-time Client Advocate (Legal Focus). For more information, see our Career Opportunities page. Please share with anyone that may be interested.

You're Invited to a Community Resources Panel
Hope House is helping to organize a Community Resources Panel on January 21 from 11:30am-1pm at Trappers Turn Golf Club in Wisconsin Dells. Panelists will include staff from health and human services, law enforcement, prosecution, a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, Hope House, Ho-Chunk, and a faith community. Panelists will discuss how their agency acts as a resource to the community, especially as it relates to responding to and preventing abuse and violence. There will be time for Q&A. Cost is $15 to attend. For more information and to register, click here. Hope you can join us!

Hope House Donation Needs
Monetary donations are most needed. Individuals have the option of donating online. Please note that a portion of your online donation will go towards PayPal fees. Donations can be mailed to Hope House, P.O. Box 557, Baraboo, WI 53913. We also appreciate gas cards, gift cards (Walmart, Kwik Trip, Walgreens, Kohl’s), taxi vouchers from Baraboo Taxi, and used cell phones, iPods and iPads. Please note that we are not accepting stuffed animals, clothes (except for sweatshirts and sweatpants), shoes, TVs, bar soap, hats, scarves or travel-size bottles of shampoo, conditioner, or body wash. Current needs include

Bathrooms: Toilet paper, Deodorant, Small garbage cans with bags, Nail clippers, Toilet bowl cleaner, Cleaning supplies such as Lysol disinfecting spray and floor cleaner, Clorox wipes, Hairspray, Bleach, Bathroom rugs and bath mats
Kitchen: Dishwasher soap, 13-Gallon garbage bags, Paper towels, Silverware, Pots and pans, Brush for cleaning bottles, Fruit juice, Sip cups, Milk, Saran wrap, Aluminum foil
Laundry: Poweaundry detergent, Dryer sheets, Fabric softener sheets
Clothing for Women and Kids: Winter boots, Socks, Women’s underwear, Medium-Large size pajamas, Sweatshirts and sweatpants
Misc: Baby wipes, Band-Aids, Diapers and pull-ups, Pocket-sized calendars, Strollers, Baby bottles, Umbrellas, Hangers, Weather radio, Journals, Exercise balls, Yoga/exercise DVDs, Relaxation CDs, Baby thermometer, CD players, Regular light bulbs, New twin bed sheets

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:

Recognize, Respond in the Workplace: Learn how to intervene as a bystander in the workplace to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault.
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.
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.

One Billion Rising Revolution, February 14, 2015

One Billion Rising comes from the World Health Organization's statistic that 1 in 3 women in the world will be raped or beaten in her lifetime, equaling about one billion women. The theme for the third annual One Billion Rising campaign is revolution - one billion women, men, and children demanding change to end violence against women and girls.

How will you rise? What represents your revolution? It can take many forms. Here are just a few ideas:

Learn One Billion Rising's "Break the Chain" dance and perform it at your school, church, or community group. Hope House can help you learn it or you can learn the choreography yourself here.
Get together with some friends and family and create artwork that illustrates a world free of violence and what it will take to get us there. Ask your school's art teacher to make this a class project.
Create signs that say "I'm rising because..." or "Change can happen if..." and take photos of people in your community holding the signs with their individual responses.
February is also Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. Get the teens in your life involved with leading a project that promotes healthy relationships and violence prevention.

Please contact Hope House at 608-356-9123 if you'd like to get involved this February.

January is National Stalking Awareness Month and
National Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month
January 19-23 is No Name-Calling Week

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

Children & Youth

Positive Role Models, Safe Communities Linked To Better Mental Health For Poor Teens: "Rather, a combination of having positive adult role models and a favorable perception of their neighborhood made a teen more likely to report better mental health"...Read more
Mean Boys' Rule in Middle, High School, Study Finds: "The study tracked 620 students in six northeast Georgia school districts who completed yearly surveys as they progressed from grade six to 12. In every grade, boys were more likely than girls to use relational aggression"...Read more
How Witnessing Violence Affects a Child, and How to Help: "It takes time to process a traumatic event, she said, and that timeline is different for every person. My son was likely bringing up what happened because he’d hit a new developmental phase, and he was revisiting the attack 'but seeing it in a different way,' she said. So what should we do? 'Be open to talking, and validate the experience'"...Read more
Nearly Half of U.S. Kids Exposed to Traumatic Social or Family Experiences during Childhood: "Among children with two or more adverse experiences who already have a chronic condition requiring regular doctor visits, those who had learned and showed even the one aspect of resilience evaluated in the study were 1.5-times more likely to be engaged in school and nearly half as likely to repeat a grade in school compared to those who had not learned this skill...Some of the most promising methods involve simple breathing techniques as well as so-called 'trauma-informed' care and community approaches growing in popularity all across the country"...Read more

Miscellaneous
Move to End Violence: Building Inclusive Racial and Gender Justice Movements #BlackLivesMatter #FreeMarissa #WhyWeCantWait: "Move to End Violence and its Movement Makers have come together to stand with the hundreds of thousands in our country and millions around the world to assert that our lives and liberation are connected and inextricable. #BlackLivesMatter. We stand with these leaders and ask you to join us in advancing inclusive racial and gender justice movements now. Black women and girls, alongside the black men and boys in their communities, deserve safety and visibility. #blacklivesmatter #freemarissa #whywecantwait"...Watch the video here...Read their full statement here

UN Women's 2014 Gender Equality Timeline: "From the passing of one of the Arab region's most progressive constitutions enshrining women's rights to changes in legislation to provide long overdue redress to wartime survivors of sexual violence, this year there was a number of gender equality achievements, milestones and noteworthy moments from around the world to celebrate. We invite you to take a moment to view a selection of some of these achievements in the latest edition of our interactive timeline — Gender Equality: The Year in Review 2014."

The Respect Challenge Winners: Futures Without Violence has announced the winners of their Respect Challenge where people share who taught them about respect. Check out the winning entries here.

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

Training Opportunity

Register now for the 19th annual Fulfilling the Promise Conference. The 2015 conference's special focus on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma informed care will help you take your work to another level. Invited to join are partners in child welfare, law enforcement, substance abuse, mental health and other fields who want to learn how childhood experiences impact lifelong well-being, how ACEs can lead to negative outcomes, and how services can be improved with an understanding of the role of trauma in people's lives. For more information, please click here.

Parents' & Youth Service Providers' Section

You Are What You Wear: The Dangerous Lessons Kids Learn From Sexist T-Shirts: "'I can’t say one shirt, one Barbie doll...that one thing is not going to be a tipping point of making a difference, but it’s the culture they grow up in that, of course, socializes them...There is such a large subset of messages that remind girls that they are not supposed to be assertive or they’re not supposed to be good at science or math or reinforce the idea that how you look is more important than who you are'"...Read more

No Name-Calling Week is Jan 19-23: "No Name-Calling Week was inspired by the popular young adult novel entitled The Misfits by popular author James Howe...No Name-Calling Week has been adopted by schools everywhere and has grown into one of the largest bullying-prevention initiatives in the country." Be sure to check out their planning guide, student survey and pledge, proclamation, poster and stickers, and lesson plans for grades K-12.

Teaching About Ferguson: Race and Racism in the United States: "These Teaching Tolerance resources can help spur much-needed discussion around implicit bias and systemic racism, but they can also empower your students to enact the changes that will create a more just society"...Check out the resources here
How To Talk To Boys About Sex And Consent: "Given recent stories about violence against college women, what should parents say to college-age sons? NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with author Rosalind Wiseman about guiding boys through adolescence"...Read or listen to the interview
Adolescent Health in Wisconsin: "The Office of Adolescent Health has combed through adolescent health information and recently updated our state and national summaries of adolescent health and behavior...You will find OAH fact sheets on five health areas" including reproductive, mental, and physical health and nutrition, substance abuse, and healthy relationships. Read the Wisconsin data sheets.
Teen Dating Violence Resources: Check out this webpage, recommended to Hope House from a parent, which lists various resources on teen dating violence for teens, their friends, parents, and educators.

Faith Communities' Section

Community Resources Panel: Please click here to learn more about the Community Resources Panel on January 21 that Hope House is helping to organize with the Faith Leaders for Healthy Relationships committee.
January is National Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month: The Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center (IPJC) has compiled a prayer service, information on starting an awareness vigil, and other resources related to human trafficking awareness: "IPJC acts for justice in the church and in the world. IPJC is sponsored by 18 religious communities and collaborates with Catholic, ecumenical, interfaith and other organizations in carrying out this mission." The Samaritan Women also has resources on their anti-human trafficking pages: "The Samaritan Women is a national Christian organization providing restorative care to survivors, and bringing about an end to domestic human trafficking through awareness, prevention, and advocacy."

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Position Openings at Hope House

12/18/2014

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Hope House is currently hiring a full-time Community Educator, a full-time Client Advocate (Legal Focus), and we are always accepting applications for a part-time Shelter Advocate. More information is located on our Career Opportunities page. Please share with anyone that may be interested.

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August 2015 Community Education E-bulletin

January 2015 Community Education E-bulletin

Position Openings at Hope House

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