Category: Sexual Assault

With all of the news focusing on Roman Polanski, it seems like a good time to post this:

GEMS, the organization featured in the documentary Very Young Girls (previous post here), has a new initiative: The Council of Daughters. It’s a campaign “to strengthen laws that protect victims, encourage Americans to support girls empowerment initiatives at the local level, increase support for recovery services, and bring this urgent issue into schools, offices, dorms, places of worship and other community spaces.”

VAWNet has a new resource available focusing on culturally competent care of LGBT survivors of sexual violence. Aside from the comprehensive article by Sabrina Gentlewarrior (printable version here), you can also access a variety of linked resources over on the summary page. This is a topic that is sorely underrepresented in the literature, so we may have to do a full clinical guide sometime soon, if you think it would be of interest…

I don’t normally post personal issues here at FHO, but I am pretty worried about our friends and colleagues in American Samoa and the affected region. If you have news, could you please pass it along? And if you are so inclined, please consider donating to the Relief Fund for Sexual Assault Victims, established to collect donations that will aid affected sexual assault victims and advocacy programs in areas coping with disasters. You can read more about the Relief Fund and efforts to prevent sexual violence in disasters here.

Thanks.

For those of you out there struggling with issues around VAWA 2005 forensic compliance, technical assistance is now available through EVAW International. Additionally, they have a variety of materials available on the topic, as well as a couple webinars coming up. The first webinar will be October 15th at 2pm ET: Medical Forensic Exams Conducted without a Report Being Made to Law Enforcement.

Just back from a terrific trip to CO Springs/Alamosa (where, among other things, I got a tour of the gorgeous Memorial program and also ate my weight in Mexican food). We were also busy over at the Sustainability site this week:

• A reminder about the Victim Privacy webinar being hosted by SAFE TA on Oct. 13th  (also posted here)
• Information about the hands-on, day-long leadership and program management workshop we’re doing at IAFN next month: there are still a handful of spots left, so if you’re interested, please register soon. The session will be capped at 45 participants (plus table faculty)
• Two great posts on critical management issues: delivering praise and managing pessimists on your team

It may have been snowing in Colorado this week, but it’s gorgeous and sunny in the 216, and I’m actually home for a sustained period of time (3 weeks!). So I’m very much looking forward to my weekend. Hope yours is a good one, too!

The Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Technical Assistance (SAFE TA) project is hosting a free webinar October 13th from 2-3:30 ET on victim privacy. Susan Chasson MSN, JD, SANE-A (an IAFN past-president and practicing SANE) and Jessica Mindlin, Esq. (from the Victim Rights Law Center) will be the featured presenters.

In the wake of the Dugard case, it’s no surprise that the merits of sex offender registries are being debated. Time magazine has an interesting article about the potential globalization of sex offender registries here. But before we go there, perhaps we need to analyze the current national registry system, as was done in a brief editorial in last week’s USA Today by Suzanne Brown-McBride, Executive Director of CalCASA. It’s definitely worth a read.

It’s a great week at the sustainability site. First off, I’m so excited to be able to bring you a new Friday Coordinator Q&A with Emily Huggins in York, PA (thanks, Emily!). In addition:

• A terrific piece on why leaders should lighten up that I think is pretty relevant
• And an interesting way to look at what your website says about you and your program’s mission

Next week is the NSAC conference in Alexandria. I’ll be presenting a couple sessions there and am looking forward to seeing many of you. Please stop by the AEquitas booth or snag me after a session and say hello if you’ll be there.

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Well, people, this is my last week of being at home for the next month. I”ve had two uninterrupted weeks with the family, but this weekend, it’s back on the road for me. Assuming that the Navy base I’ll be on allows me internet access (and you just never know), there shouldn’t be any interruption in posts next week. In the meantime, check out what’s happening over at the sustainability site:

• a webinar from the Family Justice Center Alliance on setting up foundations and 501(c)3’s
• an interesting piece over at the Huffington Post on handling conflict
• and some unfortunate words many of us seem to live by (I’m talking to you, Val P)

I’m going to try and cut out a bit early today to enjoy this last day of summer break with my kiddo; there’s a wedding anniversary to celebrate tonight (you’ll have to ask Rob which number–I never get it right), and Sally’s birthday in Harrisburg this weekend. All in all, it’s shaping up to be a fantastic weekend. Hope yours will be, too. See you back here on Monday.

It’s been an insanely busy week, but a really good one. And there’s some great stuff over at the sustainability site this week. Aside from an evaluation webinar happening today over at OVC (I hope I’ll be able to share archived materials soon), you’ll also find:

• An interesting article on boomerang recruiting that gives some food for thought
• Information we’ve been waiting for for some time: study results from Dr. Rebecca Campbell and colleagues on the impact of SANE programs on the criminal justice system. It’s great information to add to the healthcare-related data she’s already published, to provide a well-rounded picture of why SANE programs work.

It’s going to definitely be a working weekend for me, but hopefully not for my friend Tara, who just passed her FNP boards. Considering she was sweating the exam in Oregon last week, allow me to be the first to say, “I told you so!” (oh, yeah, and congratulations…). Enjoy the fishing, Tara–you earned it.

Have a great weekend, everyone!