March 18-24 is International Anti-Street Harassment Week and it should be taken seriously as a matter of equality, access to public space and civil rights. “Meet Us On The Street” is the rallying call for International Anti-Street Harassment Week, a movement started by the organization Stop Street Harassment. Last year, marches took place in Cairo, Kabul, Washington, Philadelphia, Delhi and other cities around the world
to read more of this article, street harassment
The following bills have been identified as priorities for SCCADVASA during the 2012 session:
H.3208 and H.4272: This bill will add “strangulation” and “smothering” to the list of offenses included in the felony charge Criminal Domestic Violence of a High and Aggravated Nature (CDV-HAN)
H.3142: Safe Schools Climate Act: Amends the definition of harassment to include motivations, reporting requirements for harassment, requires local school districts to post policy link on their websites, creates procedures for filing of reports, process for evaluation of schools and publishing school’s grade on the website.
H.3667: Criminal Sexual Conduct in the 3rd degree consensual act exceptions for acts between teens 14-18 years of age.
to see more please follow this link to SCCADVASA
Washington, D.C., February 29th — Did you know that college aged students are at the highest risk for being sexually assaulted? With spring break just around the corner, RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, released helpful safety tips for spring break.
Whether you are headed to the beach or overseas or devoting your spring break to community service, it’s important to keep your safety top of mind. In addition to common sense travel safety tips like wearing sunscreen and keeping your passport safe, there are some things you can do to reduce the risk and prevent you or a friend from being the victim of sexual assault.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is preparing a series of new initiatives to try to curb sexual assaults in the military, the defense chief said Wednesday, calling the problem a stain on the honor of the armed forces.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said there were 3,191 sexual assaults reported in the military last year, which would be a slight increase from the 3,158 reported in 2010. But he said that because so few victims report the crime, the real number is closer to 19,000 assaults.
This is a crucial time to talk openly about healthy and unhealthy relationships, warning signs and what we can do to lessen the frequency of dating abuse.
Teen dating violence is an urgent, silent epidemic. One in three teens will experience abuse in a dating relationship and more than two-thirds of them will never report it to anyone. For more information about Teen Dating Violence, please follow these links.
About Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
Dating Basics from love is respect
Justin Edmonds for The New York Times
THE TWO SISTERS shared a bed, and each night, with their hearts hammering, they would listen for the turn of the knob and the push of the door.
Quanitta Underwood was 10, her sister Hazzauna, 12. The walls of the house were thin, and the girls could hear every move their father made. Hear him sit up, hear him get out of bed, hear him walking their way.
For more of this article, please go to http://www.nytimes.com/2012/
Whether you have a few minutes, a few hours, or a few days, you can educate yourself and your community about stalking during January, National Stalking Awareness Month.
See Link for more information: Stalking: Know It. Name It. Stop It.
WASHINGTON January 18, 2012, 09:02 pm ET
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is preparing a series of new initiatives to try to curb sexual assaults in the military, the defense chief said Wednesday, calling the problem a stain on the honor of the armed forces.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said there were 3,191 sexual assaults reported in the military last year, which would be a slight increase from the 3,158 reported in 2010. But he said that because so few victims report the crime, the real number is closer to 19,000 assaults.
“It is an affront to the basic American values we defend and it is a stain on the good honor of the great majority of our troops and our families,” Panetta told a Pentagon press conference.
“Our men and women in uniform put their lives on the line every day to try to keep America safe.” He said. “We have a moral duty to keep them safe from those who would attack their dignity and their honor.”
He announced several changes that he said would be the first in a broad package of proposals put forward in the coming months, some that would need congressional approval.
Though they were incremental and modest in relation to the vastness of the problem, aides later said Panetta has taken a personal interest in the problem and personally announced the changes in part because he wanted to focus on the issue a measure of attention he feels has been somewhat lacking in the department.
Immediate reaction from Congress was limited, but Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., said that while Panetta should be applauded for his effort it was insufficient.
“What Secretary Panetta is doing helps, but it is tinkering rather than overhauling a system that does not adequately protect the honor of the men and women in uniform,” she said. “The core of the flawed system remains in place — unit commanders will continue to have complete and total discretion over incidents of assault in their unit.”
Announced Wednesday:
—Victim services will be extended not only to people in uniform but also military spouses as well as Pentagon civilians and contractors working abroad.
—Employees who work as victim advocates will have to get credentialed to put their skills in line with national standards.
—More money will be spent training investigators and lawyers to go after and prosecute perpetrators.
—Panetta ordered an assessment be done in 120 days on how commanding officers and senior enlisted leaders are trained on sexual assault prevention and response, and what can be done to strengthen that training.
“Our leaders in uniform … are on the front lines of this effort,” he said. “It’s important that everyone in uniform be alert to this problem and have the leadership training to help prevent these crimes from occurring.”
Saying he wanted to speak directly to the victims of sexual assault in the Defense Department, Panetta said somberly: “I deeply regret that such crimes occur in the U.S. military… I’m committed to providing you the support and resources you need and to taking whatever steps are necessary to keep what happened to you from happening to others.”
His remarks Wednesday followed an announcement last month of two other new policies to support victims. Those were:
—The department is standardizing across military service branches the length of time sexual assault records are kept. Certain documents will be retained for 50 years in unrestricted cases and for five years in restricted cases to give victims longer access to the documents. A restricted case is one filed confidentially, meaning the victim gets care but doesn’t want the assault reported to law enforcement. An unrestricted assault triggers an investigation.)
—Victims who file unrestricted cases now have the option to request an expedited transfer from their unit or installation — i.e. they must get a response from their unit commander within 72 hours. A service member also will be able to request a review of any denied request and receive that response within 72 hours.
Announcement of those two changes accompanied the Pentagon’s annual report last month showing assault cases rose at the nation’s three major military academies in the latest academic year from one year earlier.
The Defense Department’s “Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies” for academic year 2010-2011 found there were 65 reports of sexual assaults involving cadets and midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Air Force Academy. That was up from 41 reported assaults in the prior academic year. Officials said they could not conclusively identify the reasons for the increase but that it could be because the department has worked to encourage more victims to report them.
Beyond the academy report every December, the Pentagon also releases an annual report each March on sexual assaults throughout the services. Last year’s said there were 3,158 reports of assaults in the 2010 budget year, ranging from rape to unwanted touching.
While dating, domestic and sexual violence affect women regardless of their age, teens and young women
are especially vulnerable. Young people age 12 to 19 experience the highest rates of rape and sexual
assault,1 and people age 18 and 19 experience the highest rates of stalking.2 Add to that the 15.5 million
U.S. children who live in families in which partner violence occurred at least once in the past year3 and
you have a huge number of young people in this country whose lives are affected – sometimes shaped –
by violence.
Prevalence of Violence in Tweens
Approximately one in three adolescent girls in the United States is a victim of physical, emotional or
verbal abuse from a dating partner – a figure that far exceeds victimization rates for other types of
violence affecting youth.4
In a national online survey, one in five tweens – age 11 to 14 – say their friends are victims of dating
violence and nearly half who are in relationships know friends who are verbally abused. Two in five
of the youngest tweens, ages 11 and 12, report that their friends are victims of verbal abuse in
relationships.5
A survey of 7th graders in a high-risk community found that more than one in three boys (35.2
percent) and nearly one in four girls (24.1 percent) reported being a victim of physical dating violence
in the past year.6
The same study found that nearly one in four 7th grade girls (24.9 percent) and more than one in five
boys (21.2 percent) reported perpetrating physical violence in a dating relationship in the past year.7
A small study of middle school Latino youth 11 to 13 years old found that 14 percent of girls and 13
percent of boys disclosed experiencing physical dating violence in the past year.8
Boys are more likely to inflict injuries as a result of perpetrating dating violence than girls.9 This
trend – where girls slap and push and boys hit and punch – continues into adulthood. Women suffer
from much higher rates of domestic violence and incur more injuries. In 2008, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention published data collected in 2005 that finds that women experience
two million injuries from intimate partner violence each year.10 And the cost of intimate partner rape,
physical assault and stalking is in the billions of dollars.11
Prevalence of Violence in Teens
One in three adolescent girls in the United States is a victim of physical, emotional or verbal abuse
from a dating partner – a figure that far exceeds victimization rates for other types of violence
affecting youth.12
Nationwide, nearly one in ten high-school students (9.8 percent) has been hit, slapped or physically
hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend. 13
Teens in same-sex relationships experience rates of violence and abuse similar to rates experienced
by teens in heterosexual relationships. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent
Health finds that nearly one in four teens and young adults (ages 12-21 years) in same-sex romantic
or sexual relationships reported some type of partner violence victimization in the past year-and-ahalf.
One in ten reported experiencing physical violence by a dating partner. Females were more
likely to report victimization than males.14
Nearly one in ten 15-year-old girls disclosed experiencing physical dating violence and one in four
disclosed experiencing psychological abuse.15
Nearly one in three sexually active adolescent girls in 9th to 12th grade (31.5 percent) report ever
experiencing physical or sexual violence from dating partners.16
One in four teen girls in a relationship (26 percent) says she has been threatened with violence or
experienced verbal abuse, and 13 percent say they were physically hurt or hit.17
One in three teens reports knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, kicked, slapped or
physically hurt by a partner.18
The Facts on Tweens and Teens and Dating Violence
2011
Some Parents Are Out of Touch
In a 2009 survey of parents, three in four parents say they have had a conversation with their teen
about what it means to be in a healthy relationship – but 74 percent of sons and 66 percent of
daughters said they have not had a conversation about dating abuse with a parent in the past year.19
Though more than four in five parents (82 percent) feel confident that they could recognize the signs
if their child was experiencing dating abuse, a majority of parents (58 percent) could not correctly
identify all the warning signs of abuse. 20
Of the teens in an abusive relationships, fewer than one in three (32 percent) confide in their parents
about their abusive relationship.21
1 Truman, Jennifer and Rand, Michael. 2010. Criminal Victimization, 2009. U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice
Statistics. Available at http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv09.pdf.
2 Baum, Katrina, Catalano, Shannan, Rand, Michael and Rose, Kristina. 2009. Stalking Victimization in the United States.
U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics. Available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/svus.pdf.
3 McDonald, R, Jouriles, E, Ramisetty-Mikler, S. et al. 2006. Estimating the Number of American Children Living in
Partner-Violent Families. Journal of Family Psychology 20(1): 137-142.
4 Davis, Antoinette, MPH. 2008. Interpersonal and Physical Dating Violence among Teens. The National Council on
Crime and Delinquency Focus. Available at http://www.nccd-crc.org/nccd/pubs/2008_focus_teen_dating_violence.pdf.
5 Tween and Teen Dating Violence and Abuse Study, Teenage Research Unlimited for Liz Claiborne Inc. and the National
Teen Dating Abuse Helpline. February 2008. Available at
http://www.loveisnotabuse.com/pdf/Tween%20Dating%20Abuse%20Full%20Report.pdf.
6 Swahn MH, Simon TR, Arias I & Bossarte RM. 2008. Measuring Sex Differences in Violence Victimization and
Perpetration Within Date and Same-Sex Peer Relationships. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 2008:23(8):1120-1138.
7 Ibid.
8 Yan, Fang; Howard, Donna; Beck, Kenneth; Shattuck, Teresa; and Hallmark-Kerr, Melissa. 2010. Psychosocial
Correlates of Physical Dating Violence Victimization Among Latino Early Adolescents, Journal of Interpersonal
Violence, First published on July 7, 2009. doi:10.1177/0886260509336958
9 Swahn, Monica; Simon, Thomas; Hertz, Marci; Arias, Illeana, et all. 2008. Liniking Dating Violence , Peer Violence,
and Suicidal Behaviors Among High Risk Youth. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 2008; 34(1), 30-38.
10 Adverse Health Conditions and Health Risk Behaviors Associated with Intimate Partner Violence, Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report. February 2008. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5705a1.htm.
11 Costs of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in the United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. 2003. Available at
http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/IPVBook-a.pdf.
12 Davis, Antoinette, MPH. 2008. Interpersonal and Physical Dating Violence among Teens. The National Council on
Crime and Delinquency Focus. Available at http://www.nccdcrc.
org/nccd/pubs/Dating%20Violence%20Among%20Teens.pdf.
13 Eaton DK, Kann L, Kinchen S, et al. 2010. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance — United States, 2009. Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report. 59(SS5);1-148. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss5905.pdf.
14 Halpern CT, Young ML, Waller MW, Martin SL & Kupper LL. 2004. Prevalence of Partner Violence in Same-sex
Romantic and Sexual Relationships in a National Sample of Adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health. 35(2): 124-131.
15 Hebert M, Lavoie F, Vitaro F, McDuff P & Tremblay RE. 2008. Association of Child Sexual Abuse and Dating
Victimization with Mental Health Disorder in a Sample of Adolescent Girls. Journal of Traumatic Stress. 21(2): 181-189.
16 Decker M, Silverman J, Raj A. 2005. Dating Violence and Sexually Transmitted Disease/HIV Testing and Diagnosis
Among Adolescent Females. Pediatrics. 116: 272-276.
17 Liz Claiborne Inc. 2005. Omnibuzz® Topline Findings-Teen Relationship Abuse Research. Teenage Research
Unlimited. Available at http://www.loveisnotabuse.com/surveyresults.htm.
18 Ibid.
19 Impact of the Economy and Parent/Teen Dialogue on Dating Relationships and Abuse. 2009. Conducted by Teenage
Research Unlimited for the Family Violence Prevention Fund and Liz Claiborne. Available at
http://www.loveisnotabuse.com/pdf/Liz%20Claiborne%20Teen%20Dating%20Abuse%20and%20the%20Economy%20Research%20RPT.pdf.