24 Aug NYSCASA Monthly Digest – September 2021

Posted at 15:53h in news by New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault

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Coalition News

NYSCASA Responds: Governor Cuomo Resigns Amid Revelations of Sexual Harassment, Hostile Work Environment

On August 10, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation after the Office of the Attorney General released a report detailing sexual harassment perpetuated by the governor and a broader culture of abuse within the Executive Chamber.

Sexual harassment is unacceptable in any workplace, including the highest levels of New York State government. Removal from office is a necessary consequence of Mr. Cuomo’s workplace behaviors while acting as Governor of New York State.

NYSCASA echoes continued calls for true accountability, and we will continue to advocate for policies that prevent workplace sexual harassment and abuse and promote mechanisms for accountability and healing that are survivor-centered and trauma-informed.

NYSCASA gives thanks to the survivors who have come forward, speaking truth to power at great personal and professional risk. To each survivor, we say, unconditionally: we believe you and we commend you for your courage.

Ending Violence Without Violence Recordings and Resources

NYSCASA, Seven Dancers Coalition, and Interrupting Criminalization: Research in Action are grateful to all who have participated in our Ending Violence Without Violence virtual training series during 2020 and 2021. All available recordings, plus additional resources, are now available on the event website at www.endviolence2020.com/past-events

Downstate Regional Meeting for NYC Rape Crisis Programs (September 9)

Please join the Crime Victims Treatment Center (CVTC) for a regional gathering for New York City Rape Crisis programs, sexual assault prevention providers, state agencies, or anyone providing services to sexual assault survivors. CVTC will be offering a space to come together on Thursday, September 9, from 9am-3pm to strategize around the future of prevention and services for sexual assault survivors. The day will feature an exciting structure of facilitated conversations, panels and collaborative workshops. Staff from all levels of programs are welcome!

Questions can be directed to Eric McGriff at CVTC (emcgriff@cvtcnyc.org), and one can register by clicking here. The location is TBD in lower Manhattan.

Upcoming Events

Crime Victims Legal Network: Virtual Open House for NYSCASA Members (September 2)

On September 2, join NYSCASA and the Empire Justice Center to learn about the Crime Victims Legal Network, the resources and content on NY Crime Victims Legal Help, and how the website can assist victims of crime and those who work with them.

Note: Attendance for this event is limited to NYSCASA members. If you are not a member but would like to attend, please become a member here: https://nyscasa.org/members/become-a-member

Defending Survivors and Ending the Criminalization of Survival (September 8)

On September 8, join NYSCASA and partners for a Zoom webinar with Mariame Kaba, an organizer, educator and curator who is active in movements for racial, gender, and transformative justice.

Learn about the work of Survived and Punished, a national collective committed to defending criminalized and incarcerated survivors and ending the criminalization of survival. The session will introduce participants to the collective’s analysis and vision, survivor solidarity actions, and the #FreeThemAll commutations campaign.

This offering is part of the Ending Violence Without Violence Virtual Training Series, a collaborative effort of the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Seven Dancers Coalition and Interrupting Criminalization. Learn more and access resources at http://www.endviolence2020.com.

Walking in Balance with All Our Relations: Leadership from and Partnerships with Indigenous Communities to End Gender-Based Violence and Restore Wellbeing (September 9)

Through culturally rooted practices, Indigenous women, two spirit, nonbinary, and transgender leaders are transforming relations among humans, more-than-humans, and the whole of the earth, working to end gender-based violence and restore wellbeing. At the same time, organizations that are not Indigenous-led or -centered are building stronger partnerships in mutuality and reciprocity with Indigenous communities to support language justice, culturally-rooted health and healing, and tribal sovereignty.

On September 9, join PreventConnect and the Prevention Institute in this conference where participants will learn about Visioning B.E.A.R. Circle Intertribal Coalition’s prevention education and training and technical assistance work to eliminate interpersonal violence in tribal, intertribal, or multicultural communities. Participants will also learn about emerging work at The Center at McKinleyville to promote racial justice and equitable partnerships with Indigenous communities in Humboldt County, California.

Click here to register.

Digital Advocacy Skills (September 13)

The Safety Net Project at the National Network to End Domestic Violence is excited to announce a webinar highlighting recent research findings on successful approaches to chat and text hotline services.

The COVID-19 pandemic and rapidly shifting changes in communication preferences have expanded the ways staff working with survivors of intimate partner violence to address their needs. Chat and text are increasingly used to provide services, but there is little guidance for staff and programs on how to implement trauma-informed and survivor centered services in digital communications. This presentation will share the results of a formative evaluation of a regional chat/text hotline, SAFEline in Austin, Texas.

Click here to register.

If you know you can’t make the webinar, no need to register! Help NNEDV save space for this in-demand topic by filling out this form and they will send the recording and other follow-up resources about a week after the webinar.

Peer Support Call for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Advocates in NYS Victim Services (September–October)

NYS-based victim services staff/volunteers who identify as Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC), are invited to participate in NYSCASA’s upcoming peer support calls for BIPOC at victim services programs. These informal conversations will be facilitated by NYSCASA staff.

When: Wednesday, September 15, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAvf-murj0uH913yVceSF7zmNNIiM2yZo_-

Logistics: This event will be held via Zoom meetings. Video participation is not required. Registrants will receive the meeting link by email.

Accessibility: The meetings will be conducted in spoken English. Please indicate in the registration form or by email (ahill@nyscasa.org) if you require language interpretation and/or closed captioning. Please provide this information at least 3 business days prior to the start of the session.

Contact: Please contact Articia Hill (ahill@nyscasa.org) if you have questions or require assistance with registration.

Solidarity PLACE (Peer Learning, Accountability, and Community Education) for Aspiring Allies in NYS Victim Services

NYS-based victim services staff/volunteers who are white and aspire to be allies, accomplices, and co-conspirators in support of racial justice are invited to participate in NYSCASA Solidarity PLACE meetings for aspiring allies at victim services programs. These informal conversations will be facilitated by NYSCASA staff. Solidarity PLACE prioritizes Peer Learning, Accountability, and Community Education.

Listerv: Sign up for the Solidarity PLACE listserv Google group: https://forms.gle/TLhbzSW1Nnhk3tuQ6

Goals and community agreements: Click here to review NYSCASA Solidarity PLACE collaborators’ goals and community agreements.

When: October 2021; date/time to be announced.

Registration: Stay tuned for a future email with the registration link.

Logistics: This event will be held via Zoom meetings. Video participation is not required. Registrants will receive the meeting link by email.

Accessibility: The meetings will be conducted in spoken English. Please indicate in the registration form or by email (info@nyscasa.org) if you require language interpretation and/or closed captioning. Please provide this information at least 3 business days prior to the start of the session.

Contact: Please contact Chel Miller (cmiller@nyscasa.org) if you have questions or require assistance with registration.

Restore, Uplift, Ignite—Restoring Matriarchy, Uplifting Survivor’s Voices and Igniting Spaces of Healing (September 15)

Kristin Welch with the Waking Women Healing Institute Inc., will share how they are building culturally founded, sheltered places of learning to increase wellness, prevent acts of colonial violence such as: sexual assault, human trafficking, resource extraction, MMIW, and how we heal. In this presentation participants will gain an understanding of Matriarchal and Land-Based services, Eco Systems of Care, and how to utilize the power of the collective to uplift survivor voices and build future Indigenous leaders.

Join the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center for this important webinar on September 15, at 3:00 PM ET (1:00 PM MDT).

Registration: https://www.niwrc.org/events/restore-uplift-ignite-restoring-matriarchy-uplifting-survivors-voices-and-igniting-spaces

Survivor Writing Workshop with Donna Jenson & Dr. Emily Samuelson (September 16)

Survivors sometimes need opportunities to think, share, and collaborate together—as survivors. This workshop was developed by survivors in order to create a uniquely supportive environment within which participants can explore and share their experiences and have their voices heard, respected and understood. The survivor-led format is a unique platform using writing and mindfulness practices to facilitate personal exploration and community building.

The virtual workshop will be facilitated by Donna Jenson and Dr. Emily Samuelson. Donna Jenson is founder of Time To Tell™, playwright and performer of the one-woman play, What She Knows: One Woman’s Way through Incest to Joy, and author of Healing My Life from Incest to Joy, a narrative of the choices she made and experiences she had that helped her heal from her childhood trauma. Dr. Emily Samuelson is author of Soaring Above the Ashes: Thriving Beyond Childhood Sexual Abuse, a book which shatters a prevailing myth of brokenness by celebrating extraordinary “ordinary” people who have moved through their abuse to create joyful and empowered lives.

Sexual Violence in the News

Child Victims Act “Look-back Window” Comes to a Close

Until January 2019, New York State had one of the nation’s most restrictive statute of limitations when it came to bringing forward child sexual abuse cases in civil or criminal courts. Most survivors had only until age 23 to seek justice in the courts. The Child Victims Act (CVA) extends the statute of limitations for adult survivors of child sexual abuse, recognizing that many adults may not disclose their experiences until they are in their 30s, 40s, 50s or even later.

The Child Victims Act gives survivors of child sexual abuse more time to seek justice in our courts. Moving forward, under the law survivors who were under the age of 23 on February 14, 2019, will now have until their 55th birthday to file a civil lawsuit against their abuser, or their 25th birthday to file criminal misdemeanor charges against their abusers and their 28th birthday to file criminal felony charges.

The CVA also created a time-limited “window” that allowed ANY adult survivor of child sexual abuse to file a civil lawsuit against their abuser and/or a negligent institution, no matter how long ago the abuse took place. That window closed on August 13, 2021.

Learn more about the Child Victims Act and resources available for adult survivors of child sexual abuse on Safe Horizon’s website.

Media coverage and commentary:

Ginny Ryan, “‘Our voices are no longer silent’: Thousands of civil suits filed under Child Victims Act,” WHAM
Andrew Shubin and Debra Greenberger, “Opinion: NY Must Overhaul Statute of Limitations Laws for Childhood Sexual Abuse,” City Limits
Michael Hill, “NY let childhood sex abuse victims sue; 9,000 went to court,” Associated Press
Kathleen Culliton, “NY Faces Reckoning As Historic Child Victims Act Window Closes,” Patch
Nick Reisman, “Advocates make push for Child Victims Act lawsuits as deadline approaches,” Spectrum News 1
Michael Gartland and Denis Slattery, “Sex abuse victims’ lawsuits continue to pour in as NY’s Child Victims Act nears its deadline to file,” New York Daily News
Ari Ephraim Feldman, “‘Flood’ of new suits as Child Victims Act look-back window set to close,” Spectrum News NY1
Charlie Specht and Sean Mickey, “Child Victims Act window closes with 1,000 lawsuits filed in Western New York,” WKBW
Priscilla DeGregory and Gabrielle Fonrouge, “How the Child Victims Act revealed New York’s dark history of child sexual abuse,” New York Post

Governor Cuomo Resigns Amid Revelations of Sexual Harassment, Hostile Work Environment

Media coverage and commentary:

Sarah Taddeo, “As Andrew Cuomo Resigns, Women Who Say He Harassed Them Feel Vindicated, Grateful,” Democrat & Chronicle
Interview with Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou and Zephyr Teachout, “Gov. Cuomo Resigns After Sexual Harassment Probe; Critic Says He Is ‘Still Gaslighting New Yorkers’,” Democracy Now
“Attorney: Women Who Came Forward Helped Shine a Light on Gov. Cuomo’s Actions,” News12 Long Island
Laura Palumbo (National Sexual Violence Resource Center), “The Inexcusable Offense of Cuomo’s Satement: Gaslighting his Victims,” lohud.com
Melissa Gira Grant, “Andrew Cuomo Didn’t Do This Alone,” The New York Times
Andrew Gounardes, “What Men Owe Cuomo’s Accusers,” New York Daily News

Survivors Calling for Accountability for TIME’S UP

On August 9, collective group of survivors and victims published an open letter to TIME’S UP expressing their disappointment in the organization, saying, “TIME’S UP is failing all survivors.” Read their statement.

On the same day, TIME’S UP board co-chair Roberta Kaplan resigned from her position at the organization after it came to light that she reviewed a draft of an unpublished letter questioning the character of Lindsey Boylan, a survivor of sexual harassment perpetuated by Governor Andrew Cuomo. Read more.

Media coverage and commentary:

Amanda Becker, “Exclusive: Time’s Up to re-evaluate conflict-of-interest policy in wake of Cuomo scandal,” The 19th News
Emily Shugerman, “Former Staffers Say Problems at Time’s Up Run Deeper Than Cuomo,” The Daily Beast
Marie Solis, “An Organization Made Up of the Rich and Powerful Can’t Defend Women Against the Rich and Powerful,” Jezebel
Jodi Kantor, Arya Sundaram, Melena Ryzik, and Cara Buckley, “Turmoil Was Brewing at Time’s Up Long Before Cuomo,” The New York Times

Prompted by Cuomo Scandal, AM González-Rojas Introduces Bill That Would Prohibit Workplace Retaliation

On August 9, Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas introduced a bill that prohibits employers from disclosing personnel files as an attempt to discredit a victim of workplace discrimination. The legislation — which applies to employers in both the public and private sector — was drafted by State Senator Andrew Gounardes of Brooklyn in response to accusations that Cuomo’s staffers leaked the personnel files of one of his accusers to members of the press. Read more.

Virginia Giuffre Files Lawsuit Accusing Prince Andrew of Rape

Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent accusers, sued Prince Andrew in New York on Monday, saying that the scion of Britain’s royal family had raped and sexually abused her when she was 17. The lawsuit is made possible because of the “look-back window” created by New York’s Child Victims Act, which expired on August 14. Read more.

Everything That Has Happened Since the Activision Blizzard Lawsuit Was Filed

An ongoing lawsuit against Activision Blizzard has made public a pattern of harassment and abuse within the company while people in power seemingly did little to address it. Read more.

Sex Trafficking Isn’t What You Think: 4 Myths Debunked—and 1 Real-World Way to Prevent Sexual Exploitation

The common perception of sex trafficking involves a young, passive woman captured by an aggressive trafficker. The woman is hidden and waiting to be rescued by law enforcement. She is probably white, because, as the legal scholar Jayashri Srikantiah writes, the “iconic victim” of trafficking usually is depicted this way.

This is essentially the plot of the “Taken” movies, in which teenage Americans are kidnapped abroad and sold into sexual slavery. Such concerns fuel viral posts and TikTok videos about alleged but unproven trafficking in IKEA parking lots, malls and pizza shops.

This is not how sex trafficking usually occurs, writes researcher Corinne Schwarz in The Conversation. Read more.

Gymnastics Hasn’t Changed Since Nassar, Survivor Rachael Denhollander Says

Rachael Denhollander was the first person to publicly accuse former Olympic and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar of abuse. She’s now a lawyer who has represented survivors in court during USA Gymnastics’ bankruptcy proceedings. Ms. Denhollander told Steve Inskeep of NPR’s Morning Edition that the sport still has widespread problems with abuse. She also spoke about what Simone Biles’ courage meant to abuse survivors. Read more.

New and Noteworthy Resources

Resource List: Finding Mental Health Support for BIPOC Survivors

For many survivors of sexual violence, finding mental health support is a crucial part of their healing journey, but due to health inequities, mental health care is often inaccessible — or not culturally relevant — for BIPOC survivors. This resource list, compiled by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center and the Racial and Cultural Equity (RACE) workgroup, is intended to help advocates provide resources on mental health support specific to BIPOC communities. Click here to access the resource list.

Youth Theater Consent Guide

This Youth Theater Consent Guide created by Daniel Lipson, Youth Intern at the Advocacy Center of Tompkins County, includes an overview of critical definitions, such as consent, how to tell if a space is safe for you, self-care after the production, boundaries in dressing rooms and backstage, boundaries outside of the space, what to do if a space is unsafe for you or becomes unsafe, how to help a fellow participant, what to expect from consent-focused adults, and how to start a conversation about making a consent-focused space. The document focuses on empowering youth theater participants and giving them the tools to speak up. We should be able to expect adults in our spaces to prioritize our safety and informed consent at all times. Click here to learn more and access the guide.

A Health Equity Approach to Preventing Sexual Violence

Preventing sexual violence means we all must address deep-rooted abuses of power that contribute to inequities in health, safety, and well-being. A health equity approach to preventing sexual violence means that we need to both understand and address the factors that contribute to violence and safety and factors that expose some communities — especially communities that have been historically oppressed — to higher rates of sexual violence. A new joint publication by Prevention Institute and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), A Health Equity Approach to Preventing Sexual Violence, explores strategies to build communities where everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be safe from sexual violence. Click here to access the report.

Beliefs, Bias, and Bumpers: Implicit and Explicit Roadblocks to Trans and LGBQ+ Welcoming Services

This webinar recording from FORGE explores implicit and explicit barriers to providing welcoming services for transgender and LGBQ+ survivors. Topics covered include an overarching framework of bias vs. wholeness; an exploration of different forms of bias; techniques for building community; how to address differences; and putting bias reducing behaviors into action. Click here to access the recording.

COVID-19 and the Evolution of Human Trafficking

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) recently released a red alert report explaining a worsening sex-trafficking and exploitation trend during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent research has indicated that COVID-19 has increased the incident rate of sex trafficking by 40%, not just in globally but in the USA as well. This blog collection from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center explores how human trafficking has evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic and how we can identify and disrupt trafficking in our communities. Click here to access the collection.

Prioritizing Financial Security in the Movement to End Intimate Partner Violence: A Roadmap

A groundbreaking new report from FreeFrom, “Prioritizing Financial Security in the Movement to End Intimate Partner Violence: A Roadmap,” examines stories, challenges, and solutions from over 50 service providers working in the IPV movement to illuminate what will enable staff to prioritize client economic security. It also provides a roadmap for what building financial work in the movement to end IPV could look like. Click here to access the report.

Rape Culture Intervention Toolkit

Created by Hope Praxis Collective, the Rape Culture Intervention Toolkit was inspired by Mia Mingus’s quote “death by a thousand little cuts” — a reference to the way that we do a terrible job of responding to the kind of lower-level harm that often leads to an accumulation of unchecked trauma. The objectives of the curriculum are to provide people with an understanding of how rape culture maintains the status quo in the US (and abroad), identify what power we have to check and transform rape culture, and to provide people with skills on how to make amends for harm from an abolitionist perspective. Click here to access the toolkit and a recording of a webinar with Project NIA.

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