These milestones—key initiatives, events, court cases and more from the past two decades—brought about pivotal shifts in the public consciousness towards sexual assault and the experience of survivors, and how we as individuals and as a society can prevent it.
Tag: Sexual Assault
Restless Is the Social Media Platform Fighting Sexual Assault
Olivia DeRamus on Restless, her new social media platform for women and sexual violence survivors.
“I knew I had to find a way to empower myself again within the circumstances I couldn’t change. I thought that maybe if I couldn’t tell my own story, I could at least facilitate the stories of other women. That maybe I could speak indirectly through them, and feel like I was reclaiming my narrative, even if indirectly.”
Why Preventing Violence Against Women Requires Men and Boys
Under usual circumstances, risk factors for violence perpetration include job loss, economic stress, substance abuse, depression and feelings of isolation; all of these issues have worsened as the pandemic has continued. As a result, intimate partner violence and femicide have increased dramatically.
To end violence in society, we must address the drivers: the perpetrators of violence who are most often men and boys.
How to Intervene If You Witness Street Harassment
Have you seen someone being harassed and simply looked away because you don’t know what to do? Learn how to safely intervene through Hollaback!’s free online training.
How a First of Its Kind Settlement Account is Empowering Survivors of Sexual Assault
For survivors of sexual assault, a prolonged legal battle is often a source of retraumatization, and even after winning a settlement, the barrage of new decisions that need to be made over how to handle the money can be overwhelming.
Fortunately, Milestone Consulting created a first-of-its-kind national qualified settlement fund solely for survivors of sexual assault. By structuring payments over a fixed period of time, The Settlement Account empowers survivors to explore their options and tend to their post-trial needs.
Judge Says Justice Department Cannot Defend Trump in E. Jean Carroll Rape Defamation Suit
Bill Barr’s Justice Department attempted (unsuccessfully) to argue in court that those harmed by Trump’s lies—such as rape survivor E. Jean Carroll—should not be able to sue him for the harm he causes.
“Nobody in this nation is above the law. Nobody is entitled to conceal acts of sexual assault behind a wall of defamatory falsehoods and deflections.” says journalist and writer E. Jean Carroll, who brought a lawsuit against the President.
Kamala Harris Committed to Ending the National Rape Kit Backlog
When women are elected to office they make a difference for woman. Kamala Harris has been committed to resolving the rape kit backlog and ensuring an administrative and legislative system that brings justice to all who have been raped or sexually assaulted.
The U.S. Immigration System’s History of Reproductive Control
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform published findings from its investigation on for-profit ICE detention facilities, revealing horrific conditions and medical neglect that led to four preventable deaths.
But as alarming as the findings are, these human rights abuses are not new. Immigrants in detention and their loved ones have been telling us about the harm caused by the U.S. immigration system for years.
“Sands of Silence”: Documentary on Healing from Sexual Violence Premiering on WORLD Channel and PBS
Shot in Spain, Nepal, Mexico and the U.S., “Sands of Silence” explores the spectrum of sexual violence—from sex trafficking, to child molestation, to trusted adults sexualizing the young people in their care. journalist and filmmaker Chelo Avarez-Stehle delves into the devastating and long-lasting impact of this violence, showing how childhood experiences of abuse make women vulnerable to future violence, and the ways girls and women are silenced or encouraged to deny the impact of this violence.
DeVos Threatens Rights of Rape Survivors—But California is Fighting Back
Since 2016, when the Trump Administration rescinded Obama-era guidance on how schools should handle reports of sexual violence, colleges nationwide have struggled to responsibly respond in a way that’s fair and does not retraumatize the survivor. Survivors and advocates in California have decided to take matters into our own hands.
We want to protect students’ safety and access to education. California Senate Bill 493 would do exactly that.