As the recent tragedy of Alecia Wheeler has shown in the District of Columbia, legal representation is incredibly important for survivors of domestic violence to be sure they receive the remedy they deserve; in most jurisdictions, a civil protection order. During domestic violence awareness month, we must keep in mind the significant hurdles that still [...]
Tag Archives: sexual assault
Making a Domestic Violence Advocate
Whenever I shared with people that I work with victims of domestic violence and am heavily interested in the issue, I used to constantly get strange looks. Why would I want to surround myself with such a depressing issue? It is just that which has made me realize that this type of crime should never [...]
SlutWalk NYC: What Are the Rules of Rape Prevention?
Sexual criminals are being regarded simply as men who can’t control themselves instead of sick human beings. Sexual predators are looking for females. Women are predisposed to be victims of sexual assault no matter what we wear. Case in point: recently, I was hollered at by two men in two separate cars within a six-second [...]
October: A Time to Get Tough on Domestic Violence
Falling leaves, cooler temperatures, and costumes in windows. Autumn is here, and for us over at Fem2.0, that can only mean one thing one thing: ramping up our efforts to fight domestic violence. September 23rd was the 17th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and this Saturday, October 1, is the start of [...]
Protecting Ourselves Against the Wrong Rapists
As Editor of Fem2.0, part of my job entails keeping up with news, campaigns, and events related to women’s rights. Because we tackle such a broad range of issues, I have Google Alerts set to a rather random smattering of keywords that do or may affect women. One of these is “sexual assault.” While a [...]
The Marriage Vow Point by Point (almost)
I spent some time over the last few days reading through the Marriage Vow, getting an idea of what the Republican candidates are really being asked to sign on to. I found the contradictions to their own statements confusing, and their constant mention of the protection of women and their rights while stating at the [...]
Take Back the Day: Should Fem2pt0 CoSponsor SlutWalk DC?
There is something about a large group of women marching down a busy, public street in the light of day that forces us to confront false ideas about sexual assault. All the better if a lot of the women are half-naked. There are no hoards of men chasing after them due to their lack of [...]
Rape is Rape is Rape
Rape has been everywhere in the news lately. It’s hard to escape it. At first I really wanted to. Then as more stories kept coming it seemed time to pay attention. Last week I wrote about sexual assault becoming a greater issue on college campuses and prevention programs that should be put in place. I [...]
Sexual Assault Prevention on College Campuses
A couple months ago American University (AU) made the news when one of the university’s vice presidents, Gail Hanson, refused to sign off on a $300,000 grant application because it required incoming students to complete mandatory sexual assault training. What was the grant for you ask? The grant would provide help and services to victims [...]
Why Victim-Blaming Hurts: My Story
Earlier this week, the New York Times was rightly criticized for victim-blaming and overall bad reporting in a story about the gang-rape of an 11-year-old girl in Cleveland, Texas. The reporter, James C. McKinley, seems preoccupied with what the survivor wore, who she hung out with, and whether her mother was keeping a close watch—the [...]