Do you have news, announcements, or events that you would like NYSCASA to share in our Monthly Digest? Email submissions to Chelsea R. Miller, Communications Director, at cmiller@nyscasa.org.

Announcements

Announcing NYSCASA’s Survivor Survey

Do you live in the State of New York and identify as a victim or survivor of sexual violence? Please complete NYSCASA’s Survivor Survey. We are collecting this information to learn more about how survivors are experiencing various systems in the state of New York. We also want survivors to have a space to share their stories and to decide how they may want to engage in some of our efforts to prevent and respond to sexual violence.

Volunteer at NYSCASA!

NYSCASA is currently seeking volunteers to assist with our Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Project. We are looking for individuals who are able to volunteer at our office in Albany, NY, within the hours of 8AM-5PM Monday-Thursday. Click here to read more about the project.

Please submit your resume to jzannoni@nyscasa.org or call our office at 518-482-4222 to get more information. All are encouraged to apply!

Request SUNY’s Got Your Back Comfort Bags

Every day, adults and children across the State of New York seek services from rape crisis programs and domestic violence shelters, hospitals and law enforcement after crimes of violence. With the help of the New York State Office of Victim Services, the State University of New York launched SUNY’s Got Your Back in 2016 to provide victims and survivors with bags filled with comfort items, a pen and notebook, and important information about available resources.

Any New York State rape crisis or domestic violence program, hospital or related medical provider, or law enforcement agency may request comfort bags in intervals of 50 at tinyurl.com/gotyourbackrequests. Organizations wishing to request more than 1,000 bags at a time may do so by emailing gotyourback@suny.edu.

Bags are delivered to service providers by program staff at no cost. Pursuant to the terms of the Victims of Crime Act, information about recipients must be submitted in aggregate only (no personally identifiable information or case information is submitted) to track general information about recipients.

You can learn more about the program at www.suny.edu/gotyourback.

Raising Awareness About ‘Court-Ordered Rape’

NYSCASA was contacted by a survivor who has been working with attorneys, advocates, and academics to raise awareness and bring an end to a traumatic practice referred to as ‘court-ordered rape,’ or invasive gynecological exams that survivors of sexual assault are ordered to endure in the course of proceedings against their perpetrators.

• Villanova University Professor of Law Michelle Madden Dempsey provides preliminary legal research into ‘court-ordered rape’
• National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse panel discussion on ‘court-ordered rape’

If you are a survivor who has been ordered to undergo such an exam, you can access free, confidential help by calling the New York State Hotline for Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence at 1-800-942-6906, or by reaching out to your local rape crisis program,

Sexual Violence in the News

(Content warning: These news articles contain descriptions of sexual violence.)

• Rape Victim Who Smuggled DNA Evidence Out of Rikers Wins Settlement, The Intercept
• She Fought for Stronger Sexual Abuse Laws. Her Son Was the Reason, The New York Times
• More than 100 Priests Accused of Sex Abuse Are Named by Brooklyn Catholic Diocese, The New York Times
• Young Inmates Say They Were Shipped Upstate, Held in Isolation and Beaten, The New York Times
• Thousands of Migrant Children Were Reportedly Sexually Abused in US Government Custody, Insider
• Federal Prosecutors Broke Law in Jeffrey Epstein Case, Judge Rules, Miami Herald
• Kelly Charged with Criminal Sexual Abuse: Records, NBC Chicago
• Abuse of Faith: Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News Investigation Reveals Decades of Sexual Abuse from Southern Baptist Church Leaders and Volunteers, Houston Chronicle
• ‘Utterly shocked and terrified’: Fairfax Accuser Details Alleged Assault, Politico
• Nurse Arrested on Suspicion of Sexually Assaulting Woman in Vegetative State, Jezebel

NYS Legislative News

Public Hearing on Sexual Harassment at the Capitol

Victims of sexual harassment and abuse by state officials and staff provided harrowing accounts of their experiences working in the Legislature as they testified before a panel of lawmakers at the Capitol on Wednesday, February 13, 2019. The hearing was largely a result of the efforts of the Sexual Harassment Working Group, which is made up of seven former legislative employees who experienced or reported sexual harassment in Albany.

Governor Cuomo Signs Child Victims Act into Law

On February 14, 2019, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed the Child Victims Act into law, extending the statute of limitations so survivors of child sexual abuse in New York State have more time to pursue criminal charges or civil suits. “This bill brings justice to people who were abused, and rights the wrongs that went unacknowledged and unpunished for too long,” said Gov. Cuomo. Read more here.

Governor Cuomo Announces Expansion of Assistance for Victims of Domestic Violence and Hate Crimes

New legislation expanding assistance available for victims of hate crimes and certain other crimes often associated with domestic violence who were not physically injured during the crime is now in effect. The new law allows these individuals to apply for reimbursement of shelter costs and crime scene cleanup expenses from the New York State Office of Victim Services. Read more here.

For more information about services offered by the Office of Victim Services, including eligibility guidelines, visit www.ovs.ny.gov or call 1-800-247-8035.

A New Bill to End “Severe or Pervasive” Standard in Sexual Harassment Cases

On Monday, February 25, 2019, Assemblywoman Nily Rozic and Brooklyn state Senator Andrew Gounardes introduced legislation that would end the use of the “severe or pervasive” standard in determining sexual harassment cases. The new legislation would clarify and define what constitutes sexual harassment, strengthening current sexual harassment laws for victims of sexual harassment, regardless of the level of pervasiveness or severity of the alleged conduct.

• Lawmakers Seek to End “Severe or Pervasive” Standard for Sexual Harassment, Times Union
• Queens Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Toughen State’s Existing Sex Harassment Laws, QNS

Upcoming NYSCASA Events

Save the Date: NYSCASA’s 2020 Conference

The New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault invites you to our 2020 conference, to be held June 4–6, 2020. Location, speakers, and additional details to be announced.

Upcoming Non–NYSCASA Events

Beyond the Border Wall: The Spatial, Racial, and Sexual Mapping of Seen and Unseen Women Migrants (Brooklyn, NY)

The Museum of Women’s Resistance, an International Site of Conscience, invites you to sojourn through the spatial, cultural, sexual and digital mapping of the seen and unseen lives of women migrants, their survival and the radical and subversive reconfigurations inherent in the movement of their very bodies through the elements. The installation attempts to capture the movement and transport of the collective (un)conscious– thoughts, memories, knowledge, prayers, dreams, and evidence of exploited countries, remnants of wars waged.

With Beyond the Border Wall: The Spatial, Racial, and Sexual Mapping of Seen and Unseen Migrants, the Museum of Women’s Resistance attempts to juxtapose and trace human movements toward the US Southern border and within the US. Curated by Black Women’s Blueprint, the exhibit calls on people to pay attention the current administration’s efforts to create more physical boundaries between nation-states and communities and push back against the indignities being waged on our sisters around the world who are subject to the borders drawn across their communities, homes, and bodies.

An opening reception will be held March 4, 2019, at 6PM. RSVP here.

The exhibit will be on view through May 2019 at the Museum of Women’s Resistance, 279 Empire Blvd., Brooklyn, NY.

April 2019 is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

April, Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), will be here before we know it! This year’s theme, I Ask, centers around empowering everyone to put consent into practice. On the SAAM website, individuals, organizations, and communities can find resources like how asking for consent intersects with our digital lives and with power dynamics, as well as resources on planning events, a campaign toolkit and social media guide, and how to get involved with #30DaysofSAAM.

Check out the NSVRC SAAM event planning blog for continual updates and resources, and be sure to register your SAAM event with NSVRC!

Take Back the Night 2019 (Albany, NY)

The Albany County Crime Victim and Sexual Violence Center invites all to attend Albany’s Take Back the Night event on Wednesday, April 17. This will be an event for community members to come together and remember and acknowledge all of those who have been affected by sexual violence and show a united front in stopping this epidemic that has effected not only our nation but our world.

The event will kick off at 5:00pm with community tabling and a musical performance by Conor Walsh and Christine Bile Music, followed by a survivor speak out and march down Lark Street and will conclude with a candlelight vigil.

Be sure to stop by NYSCASA’s table at the community tabling event!

NYSCADV Legislative Day of Action (Albany, NY)

On May 14, join a vibrant, diverse and innovative group of advocates and allies from across New York State to raise our voices and relay a unified message to the Legislature and Governor: it’s time to pass meaningful legislation to protect survivors of domestic violence in New York State. Registration and additional information to come.

Conferences

• March 2 – Survived and Punished 2019 National Convening: Defending Survivors & Liberating Futures (New York, NY)
• March 12–14 – Embracing Change & Growth Conference (Chicago, IL)
• March 25 – New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence Annual Meeting (Albany, NY)
• April 11–12 – Third Annual Survivor-Led Symposium: Engaging Survivors of Commercial Sexual Exploitation to End Gender-Based Violence (Villanova, PA)
• April 12 – The Many Faces of Family Violence Conference (Brookville, NY)
• April 26–28 – The Fourteenth Battered Mothers Custody Conference (Albany, NY)
• May 7 – 6th Annual Capital District Symposium on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Trauma, and Response (Albany, NY)
• May 19–22 – NYS ATSA and NYS Alliance for the Prevention of Child Abuse 24th Annual Joint Conference (Saratoga Springs, NY)
• June 5–7 – (EM)POWER UP: Social Workers as the Vanguards of Change, NASW-NYS Statewide Conference (Saratoga Springs, NY)
• August 21–23 – National Sexual Assault Conference: ‘Beyond the Breakthrough’ (Philadelphia, PA)

In–Person Training

• March 6–9 – NYS DOH–Approved Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) Training (New York, NY)
• March 13 – Mandated Reporter Training for Child Abuse – State Certification Course provided by the Safe Center (Bethpage, NY)
• March 14 – Enough Abuse: Strategies for Your Family & Community to Fight Child Sexual Abuse (Mineola, NY)
• March 26 – Mandated Reporter Training for Child Abuse – State Certification Course provided by the Safe Center (Bethpage, NY)
• March 28 – Resources for Medical Providers (East Hartford, CT)
• March 28–29 – A CALL TO MEN Training Institute (New York, NY)
• March 29–31 – Restorative Approaches to Sexual Harm & the Patriarchy (New York, NY)
• April 2 – Sexual Violence Support and Interventions for Non-Clinicians (East Hartford, CT)
• April 3–4 – The Council for Boys and Young Men Facilitator Training (Cazenovia, NY)
• April 16 – NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault Skills Lab (New York, NY)
• April 16 – Mandated Reporter Training for Child Abuse – State Certification Course provided by the Safe Center (Bethpage, NY)
• April 18 – Overview of Child Sexual Abuse (Bethpage, NY)
• May 7 – Mandated Reporter Training for Child Abuse – State Certification Course provided by the Safe Center (Bethpage, NY)
• May 15 – Training on Sexual Violence (Bethpage, NY)
• May 16–18 – Healing from Internalized Whiteness: An Everyday Feminism Training with Sandra Kim (New York, NY)
• June 7 – Tame Your Pain with Breath-Body-Mind Practices and Open Focus Attention Training (New York, NY)
• June 12 – Training on Elder Abuse (Bethpage, NY)
• June 18–22 – NYS DOH-Approved Adult/Adolescent Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Course (New York, NY)
• June 27 – The Intersections of Anti-LGBTQ Violence and Sexual Violence (East Hartford, CT)
• September 18–19 – A CALL TO MEN Community Institute (Brooklyn, NY)
• November 13 – Crime Victims Treatment Center SAFE Training Institute (Manhattan, NY)

Webinars

• March 5 – It Takes a Village, People! Advocacy Tools for Working with Survivors’ Friends and Families
• March 6 – PREA Power Hour: Chat with an Expert on PREA Standard 115.17 (Hiring and Promotion Decisions)
• March 6 – Creating Community Safety
• March 7 – Thinking Outside the “Kit”: Transportation Options for Improving Access to Sexual Assault Forensic Exams
• March 11 – Best Practices for Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity Data Collection
• March 12 – Best Practices for Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity Data Collection
• March 12 – Effectively Serving Survivors with Mental Health Disabilities
• March 12 – A Resiliency Model
• March 12 – Think. Rethink. Mandatory Reporting Practices
• March 14 – Addressing Domestic Violence: Working with Christian Faith Leaders
• March 20 – Anti-Oppressive Practice is Good Practice! Let’s Examine “The Why” About Anti-Oppressive Practice & Explore How to Implement It
• March 20 – Advocating for Victims of Stalking
• March 20 – SAVE Payment Program for Medical and Anonymous Sexual Assault Reports
• March 27 – Addressing Court-Related Barriers to Survivors’ Economic Security, Part I: Individual Survivor-Centered Advocacy
• April 2 – Domestic Violence Related Mass and Spree Killings
• April 3 – Addressing Court-Related Barriers to Survivors’ Economic Security, Part II: Multilevel Strategies for Change
• April 25 – Responding with RAHMA: Removing Roadblocks for Muslim Survivors
• April 30 – Nuestra Fe / Nuestra Fuerza: Apoyando a las víctimas y sobrevivientes latin@s de violencia doméstica
• May 2 – Our Faith / Our Strength: Supporting Latinx Victims and Survivors of Domestic Violence
• May 7 – Domestic Abuse through a Jewish Lens: Shanda, Stereotypes, and Shalom Bayit
• May 22 – Belief as Asset: Supporting LGBTQ Victims and Survivors of Faith
• July 17 –Addressing Economic Barriers to Housing/Employment, Part I
• July 31 – Addressing Economic Barriers to Housing/Employment, Part II

Funding Opportunities

• PREA Targeted Implementation Planning and Support Program (DOJ/BJA, via Impact Justice): For locally operated small and medium jails, juvenile facilities, community confinement facilities, lockups, and tribal facilities to receive federal funds in the amount of $20,000 – $200,000 to assist in PREA implementation. Applications open spring 2019.
• Professional Development Scholarships (OJP/OVC): For victim service professionals seeking educational/professional development opportunities. Application must be submitted at least 60 calendar days in advance of start date of professional development event.
• Tribal Sexual Assault Services Program (DOJ/OVW): Applications due by March 5.
• Consolidated Grant Program to Address Children and Youth Experiencing Domestic and Sexual Assault and Engage Men and Boys as Allies (DOJ/OVW): Applications due by March 6.
• Grants to Reduce Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking on Campus Program (DOJ/OVW). Applications due by March 14.
• Research and Evaluation Initiative (DOJ/OVW): Applications due by March 25.
• Integrated Services for Minor Victims of Human Trafficking (OJP/OVC): Applications due by April 4.
• National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (BJA/SAKI): Applications due by April 9.
• Research and Evaluation on Violence Against Women: Sexual Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, Stalking, and Teen Dating Violence (DOJ/NIJ): Applications due by April 15.

Resources

Reports

• Race to Lead: Women of Color in the Nonprofit Sector by the Building Movement Project
• A System of Prevention: Achieving Health, Safety, and Wellbeing for All by the Prevention Institute
• Community–Centered Health Homes: Bridging Healthcare Services and Community Prevention by the Prevention Institute
• Teen Dating Violence Among Latin@ Youth: Research-Based Facts by Rebecca Rodriguez, Casa de Esperanza

Recordings

• The Urgency of Intersectionality by Kimberlé Crenshaw
• The Latest on Asylum for Survivors of Violence by the Alliance for Immigrant Survivors
• Learning to Love Ourselves: Incorporating Compassion Care in Our Work by the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center
• Adult Survivors as Movement Leaders: Lessons Learned from the Just Beginnings Collaborative by PreventConnect
• Working with Transgender Survivors: Core Information for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Advocates by FORGE
• Learning to Love Ourselves: Incorporating Compassion Care in Our Work by the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center
• Creating Accessible Online Trainings by the Center on Victimization and Safety and National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
• Serving Victims of Teen Dating Violence by the Office for Victims of crime Training and Technical Assistance Center

Web Resources

• BlackWomenToo: Mapping Violence Against Black Women: an interactive site that visualizes the systems that put Black women’s minds and bodies at risk, created by Color Of Change.
• TransformHarm.org: A resource hub about ending violence that offers an introduction to transformative justice, created by Mariame Kaba.
• Trauma–Informed Care Implementation Resource Center: provides resources from trauma–informed care leaders across the country to help improve patient outcomes, increase patient and staff resilience, and reduce avoidable health care service use and costs, from the Center for Health Care Strategies.
• Human Trafficking Resource Library: includes factsheets, best practices, practical tools, and training materials, created by the Freedom Network Training Institute.
• ACEs Connection: An online platform for child health providers, child care providers, mental health professionals, and community based organizations to come together to promote a more trauma–informed community and improve outcomes for children.

Resource Alert: NYSCASA’s Training Archive

Visit our website to access NYSCASA’s training archive, including:

• What Does Self–Care Look Like in 2019? with Leah Green (Resource Sharing Project)
• Walking in Balance With All Our Relations: An American Indian Violence Prevention Approach Based on Indigenous Values with Strong Oak Lefebvre (Visioning B.E.A.R. Circle Intertribal Coalition, Inc.)
• Our Story, Our Truth: Women of Color Sexual Assault Survivorship with Teresa M. Stafford (Cleveland Rape Crisis Center)

Resource Alert: ‘Sex Talk Happy Hour’ Podcast

In this podcast hosted by the NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault, ‘Sex Talk Happy Hour,’ hear the Alliance and their guests talk about sex, sexuality, consent, violence, gender, gender norms, and more.

Support NYSCASA

Your support helps NYSCASA improve response to sexual assault survivors and strengthen prevention efforts across New York State. Donations are tax–deductible.

If you are interested in volunteering or serving as an intern, please visit our website for information.

Join the NYSCASA Board of Directors

NYSCASA is seeking candidates for its Board of Directors. We are interested in candidates from all regions of New York State who have knowledge and skills in: nonprofit management; organizational planning; fund raising; finance; personnel management; legal matters; or public relations. We are looking for candidates who are prepared to: raise funds; support the executive director; engage in Board and organizational development, including long–term planning; ensure the agency’s legal and ethical integrity and maintain accountability; and donate to the agency. For more information or to apply, please contact Sam Mitchell at smitchell@nyscasa.org or 518–482–4222 x311.