So much wrong...

Coming out a Detroit is this terrible story. After being sexually assaulted, the 14 year old victim was then the target of bullying by both her perpetrator and other students at her school. Like so many other bullying cases, social media was used, making the bullying a non-stop experience. Sadly, the victim committed suicide. Following her death, prosecutors dropped the charges against the perpetrator.

What!

There is so much wrong here:

• High schoolers bullying a victim for being assaulted. Points out just how much we need education about sexual violence in schools.
• Once again we see social networking used to harass someone. The use of social networks to bully makes the bullying far more constant, invasive, and public.
• Dropping a case because the victim passed away? A crime was still committed. To add to that, even more charges could be pressed. Depriving someone of a civil right through creating an unsafe learning environment? Harassing someone to the point of bodily harm? Simply dropping the case illustrates a lack of concern for bringing rapists to justice.

What are your thoughts on this case?

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Rape in the United States

Here's a statement made before the Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate by Susan Carbon, the director of the Office on Violence Against Women. The full title is "Rape in the United States: The Chronic Failure to Report and and Investigate Rape Cases". While we all know the severity of this problem, it is very exciting to see such a eloquent, passionate statement made before the Senate and to see some members of the Senate taking this problem seriously. Hopefully, we will see a shift in the treatment of rape cases by the justice system.

Read the statement here.

Viewing rapists as monsters?

Here's an interesting article out of South Africa. The writer considers the labeling of rapists as "monsters" troubling and makes a pretty decent case for why we as advocates should work to humanize rapists.Pretty much, he argues that rape is a product of extreme masculinity. And, since masculinity is a product of society- the dehumanizing of rapists prevent us from being able to really acknowledge the problem: the way boys are socialized to behave.

A couple interesting quotations:

• But seeing rapists as monsters, or as a separate category of people, means that we miss the very simple observation that rapists are men.

• To cut a long story short I would argue that the act of rape embodies much of what is associated with (a particular version of) masculinity: power, virility, domination, sexual prowess, control over women. 

Take a look at the article and share your thoughts in the comments sections!

Conference on Black Masculinity

The Conference on African American Culture and Experience will be focusing their conference on Black Masculinity.

When: Oct 14-16
Where: University of North Carolina, Greensboro
How Much: $ 175 (includes tour of the International Civil Rights Museum, which is pretty sweet!)
For more info visit: http://www.uncg.edu/ure/news/stories/2010/sep/CACE092210.htm

New training tool

Here's a new publication from the CDC. It focuses on training professionals to conduct intimate partner violence. Take a look- it has some pretty good ideas!

The Girl Effect

Here's a great video called "The Girl Effect". It's short, simple, and powerful. This could be a great, easy tool for explaining the importance of taking issues that face young girls seriously. All too often people forget about the needs of girls and the importance of the women those girls grow into.

The Girl Effect

Language Matters

Here's a great piece from The Guardian about the flippant use of the word rape that we all hear so often. Language tends to be one of the things that people are the most willing to let slide.

I'm sure many of us have challenged someone's use of language and have been met with "chill out, it's not that big of a deal" or "whoa, I think there are a lot bigger problems than me saying _______". I'm guessing this is a pretty common experience. I know for myself I've heard these excuses and, at times, have even been led to believe them. But, this article about the word "rape" reminds me of the power of language. If people don't take the word "rape" seriously, will they take it seriously when they are sitting on a jury? Or, listening to the disclosure of a friend? The way we use language indicates our beliefs, even if we aren't aware of those beliefs. But more than that, the way society uses language and the way certain words are socially accepted indicates how society believes. As advocates and activists, this should very much matter to us. Here are a couple more examples:

• Gay: In schools all across the country (and even by adults) the word "gay" (or a whole bunch of even more derogatory synonyms) is used as an insult. In doing this, they are saying that it is bad, wrong, embarrassing to be gay. Rather than just insulting one person, they put down an entire group of people- ranking them as less than people who are heterosexual. Maybe that helps to explain why 9 out of 10 LGBT students have faced harassment in school.
• Bitch: Here's an insult that is used so commonly to degrade both men and women. It does so simply by invoking ideas of femininity. "Bitch" is undoubtedly a gendered word. When said to a man or a woman, it, much like the word gay, says that it is bad to be woman. The word "bitch" being socially acceptable says that it is ok to believe that there is something inherently wrong with women, that they are inherently less than men. No good!
• Lame/Retard: These words have kind of escaped a lot of people's radar. But, in an environment where people with disabilities are often forced to the margins, it's important to think about the way society has historically referred to people with disabilities and how we use the words now. Even though most people would be mortified if one of these words was used to describe a person with disabilities, there prevalence in our vocabulary reinforces out-dated, oppressive ideas about people with disabilities.
• Guys: Here's one that gets people who challenge it a lot of flack. People say "guys" all the time, to almost everyone. Tyra Banks almost always refers to her group of all women models as guys. How would a group of men respond if someone walked up and said "What's up, girls?". Yeah, they wouldn't really like it. So, it is interesting to consider why it is ok to refer to women as men but not men as women? The common use of this word makes women invisible in mixed gender groups and the absence of an equivelent tells people that women should be happy to be referred to as men but not vice versa. People think this is a small issue, but it has some pretty big implications.

 Just a couple of examples. Anyone else have any examples of words out there that pack a pretty powerful, unfortunate punch? Which ones really make you cringe? How do you respond to their use? And, what are your thoughts about the words listed above?

Active Bystander!

Quick story about a woman who saw a sexual assualt and the stopped it! Great to hear about people out there getting involved to stop sexual violence. Being in a place where you have the opportunity to stop a sexual assault like this is rare. But, it's important to remember that there are tons of ways to stop sexual assault.  A couple ideas:

• Don't support the objectification/degredation of women and girls.
• Challenge negative media.
• Shake up gender norms in an effort to promote gender equality.
• Make active consent a part of your relationships and encourage your friends to do the same.

Simple and effective. That's how I like it.  Any other ideas?

Art therapy for survivors who are deaf

Here's some more good news! This is a great program that uses art to help survivors of domestic and sexual violence. It is really refreshing to see a program that focuses solely on supporting people who are deaf. Far too often, people with disabilities are excluded from services. This serves as a great reminder to create inclusive services that meet the needs of marginalized communities.

And, a little good news!

OK, so that DA story was a downer. Well, here's a little pick-me up. This is a great example of being an active bystander. After a viscous bout of victim-blaming was leveled against a 16 year old in Canada, someone started a facebook page in response. The great news- 5,000 people have liked the page, proving that there's a ton of people out there who won't stand for victim-blaming.

DA further victimizes victim of abuse

Things don't look good in Calumet County, Wisconsin. Their district attorney sent lewd, suggestive, downright creepy text messages to a victim of abuse whose abuser he was prosecuting! Now, let's hope nothing like this ever happens in our communities, but it does provide an interesting opportunity to consider how we would respond to such a gross violation of power. Just a couple ideas:

1. The victim who was harassed by the DA will need further support and affirmation. Her experience was clearly not valued by the DA and so it is even more important to let her know that she matters and her experience matters. 
2. The DA plans to run for re-election. If this was in our communities it would be an opportunity to involve yourselves in the election. Let people know that a vote for him is a vote for his behaviour and thus a vote against supporting victims of abuse.
3. While this is a terrible story, it is also a teachable moment. The DA's actions have legitimized viewing women as objects and that must be confronted. This is an opportunity to begin community conversations about the the connection between objectification and physical violence. 

Any other thoughts? How would you all confront this within your own agencies, communities?

NCCASA is now blogging!

NCCASA will now be blogging regularly giving you the opportunity to check in with NCCASA whenever you want! The purpose of this blog is three-fold:

1. Provide information to members concerning sexual assault and NCCASA news and events.
2. Through the comments section of this blog, readers from across the state will be able to be in constant conversation about issues concerning sexual assault.
3. Act as a forum for NCCASA members to share their needs for support and technical assistance.

There's no doubt that with all of you reading and commenting this will be a place of lively conversation and rich information! Posts will be diverse- from related news stories to information on specific NCCASA events. So, let's get to it!