Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • As courts close for the coronavirus, officials and advocates adjust to protect domestic violence victims

    Stay-at-home orders keep us safe against the risk of infection, but for those suffering from domestic abuse they are no safe haven. The city of Philadelphia is working to let people know that services are still available despite the pandemic, although these services have had to adapt to the new circumstances. Some examples include special hotlines and FaceTime calls with judges for hearings. They also have a rotation of judges on call to deal with protection-from-abuse applications. There are also advocates and services outside the court system, like Philadelphia Legal Assistance.

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  • Our Bodies, Our Wen-Do

    A Belarus women’s-empowerment support group using the Wen-Do method ends each session with the students breaking a piece of wood with a chop of their hand, a literal show of strength that communicates how defending against men’s harassment and physical attacks may require physical force as well as assertiveness. In Canada, where the method began, the training -- a mix of martial arts lessons and support-group dialog -- is associated with a 46% reduction in rape and 64% drop in attempted sexual assault.

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  • Czech Schools Defeat Bullies With Understanding

    Students and teachers in the Czech Republic are learning what it takes to reduce bullying in their schools. Elementary school Lada Jelasicova students reported well below the national average as having experienced bullying. Administrators saw a reduction in bullying after they added assistant teachers to classrooms and got police and social workers involved whenever there was a serious aggression — in order to demonstrate a rapid response. Teachers are also attending training to break down their own biases and incorporate anti-bullying into their curriculum.

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  • After #MeToo, This Group Has Nearly Erased Sexual Harassment in Farm Fields

    The Fair Food Program, which educates and empowers farmworkers to report on-the-job sexual harassment, has all but eliminated sexual assaults at participating farms in an industry that otherwise is known for vast power imbalances between migrant labor and labor contractors. By giving employers key business incentives to participate and by cracking the code of silence among workers, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers-run FFP has protected employees by educating tens of thousands of them while enforcing standards through a rigorous investigation and hearings process.

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  • This Tiny Louisiana Police Force Is a National Leader in Taking Guns From Abusers

    Despite a strong gun-rights culture in the state, Louisiana law enforcement agencies use aggressive gun-confiscation laws and procedures to disarm domestic abusers as part of a wider array of protections for victims. Thanks to the work of one abuse survivor turned cop in the small south Louisiana parish of Lafourche, new laws and local-federal collaboration have spread statewide, making convicted abusers less likely to have ready access to a gun.

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  • Case-By-Case, Gun-By-Gun: Denver Investigator Is Removing Firearms From Domestic Abusers

    The Denver, Colorado, district attorney’s office assigned an investigator to methodically search for signs that domestic abusers possessed prohibited guns, and then uses that information to take the guns away. Firearm prohibitions are required by federal law or through protective orders issued by courts. But enforcement in many places is spotty to nonexistent. By taking an active rather than passive approach to enforcement, the office has confiscated dozen of guns from people deemed a threat.

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  • A Wait Too Long

    Sarah’s Place, a clinic based in Albany General Hospital focused on helping those who have been sexually assaulted, has proven to be the "gold-standard" for other hospitals in neighboring cities. Whereas most victims have to report to the emergency room where they often face long waiting periods, Sarah's Place focuses on minimizing further trauma by creating a welcoming environment and always having a sexual assault nurse examiner available.

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  • Can You Cure a Domestic Abuser?

    Duluth’s Domestic Abuse Intervention Project has served for decades as a model for men’s counseling groups that courts often mandate in lieu of incarceration after abuse leads to criminal charges. But a deep look at its methods, which are rooted in challenging men’s patriarchal views and pushing them to take responsibility for their behavior, shows that its rejection of other behavioral influences calls into question its entire approach to truly solving the problem. A solid body of research finds the approach minimally effective, at best, and that other forms of group therapy can be more effective.

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  • Native Americans foster healing from domestic violence through community, tradition

    To help address domestic violence and intervene in crises such as suicide and addiction within Native American communities, a decades-old culture-based program offers workshops that "foster healing through embracing community and tradition." These Gathering of Native Americans programs, which are designed specifically with the audience in mind, focus on community members helping community members as a form of counseling.

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  • Stamping Out Online Sex Trafficking May Have Pushed It Underground

    The passage of the 2018 Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act was meant to hold accountable the online platforms where sex trafficking and sex work took place, but a year into its existence, it has shown negative, unintended consequences. The legislation has effectively shown an impact in moving sex trafficking offline, but experts now say it has moved onto the street, making it harder to track and catch.

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