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Global Panel Discussion: Envisioning Liberty & Justice for All – This World Was made for You & Me
Blame. Fear of Authority. Lack of Peer Support. Language Barriers. Survivors of assault and domestic violence around the globe are faced with many obstacles as they tirelessly seek justice. Many do not speak up. Those that do seek justice are often misunderstood and blamed for their experiences.
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Gender-Based Violence and Faith: Toward a Faith Sensitive Approach
Too often, when victim advocates, social workers, and therapists begin their work with victims of gender- and power-based violence, we assess the survivor and the case using a standard needs assessment format. When a victim/survivor tries to tell us about abuse and violence, they frequently leave out some of the most traumatic incidents because they are convinced, we won't understand them - and they are right. The use of spirituality to maintain control over a victim/survivor is not unique to any one faith, but it is discounted by many (or most) system professionals. Victim advocates, social workers, human service workers, law enforcement and prosecutors discount spiritual abuse because we don't understand it and we don't know how to address it.
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Image-Based Abuse and Trauma
Image-based sexual abuse, which is sometimes referred to as “revenge pornography” is the distribution of sexually explicit images or video of individuals without their permission. The material may be used by the perpetrators to blackmail the subjects into performing sex acts, to punish them for ending a relationship, to coerce them into continuing a relationship, or to silence them. In addition to these dynamics, extortion and monetary payment are often involved. Image-based sexual abuse is a form of psychological and domestic abuse, as well as a form of sexual abuse. This type of evidence, coupled with the suspect’s manipulative behavior, is used to control victims in domestic violence and human trafficking situations.
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Survivors Justice Project: A Radical Collaboration to Decarcerate Survivors of Domestic Violence
The Survivors Justice Project (SJP) is a collective of survivors of domestic violence, currently and formerly incarcerated women, activists, lawyers, and students working for the decarceration of domestic violence survivors through the implementation of the New York State Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA).
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When Victims of Crime Become Defendants: Should Context Matter?
What does justice look like when a victim of a crime becomes a defendant? This session will inspire every kind of professional to consider context in their response in these cases. Incarcerated women experience staggering rates of sexual assault and domestic violence across the life span leading up to the offenses for which they are charged or convicted.
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“Changing the Shape” How an Expert Advisory Workgroup is Shifting the Culture at their Institution
In 2018, MSU faced an institutional crisis when over 200 survivors gave victim impact statements at the sentencing hearing of the former MSU physician who had abused them over a 20-year period. 2018 was also a breaking point for many other survivors — hundreds of MSU students, faculty, staff, and alumni came forward to report abuse and harassment they had been afraid to report for years, even decades. The university had created a culture in which survivors were afraid to report, and those who did disclose abuse often felt re-victimized and re-traumatized. In response to this crisis, the Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct Expert Advisory Workgroup was formed.
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Alternative Responses to Intimate Partner Prosecution: From Diversion to High Lethality
In 75% of intimate partner violence homicides, the victim experienced violence within the preceding 30 days. Victims of intimate partner homicide who have been strangled are 750% more likely to be victims of intimate partner homicide. However, not all cases involve high lethality. Therefore, communities may consider alternatives to prosecution in intimate partner violence cases, as a result of data driven factors that address outside stressors and engagement of survivors.
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Project Empower: Best Practice in Hospital-based Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Patient Care
This session will highlight the development of Project Empower, a hospital-based violence intervention and prevention program, as the result of a 10-year development process. The presenters will describe the initial development, sustainability, and growth of a hospital-based intimate partner violence/domestic violence intervention program at a Level I trauma center.
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Only the Faces and Names Change – Witness Intimidation in Intimate Partner Violence Cases
Witness intimidation in intimate partner violence cases is a significant problem because offenders use complex interpersonal processes to keep violent relationships intact. Research suggests that as many as 80 percent of cases that reach the court system involve victims that recant or refuse to testify because savvy offenders know how to influence victims. In this environment, what can communities do to improve case outcomes, hold offenders accountable, and ensure victim safety?
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Social Justice Disparities in Utilizing Forensic Nurses – The Innovative Generalist Perspective
Forensic nurses have historically been deployed for cases of sexual assault and are under-utilized by law enforcement, advocates, and healthcare settings. As our communities experience even greater numbers of violent crimes, it is essential that forensic nurses are better utilized to care for victim patients and create stronger outcomes. The “generalist perspective” is a paradigm shift designed to eliminate the inequities between victims of violence and assures that all victims of trauma across the lifespan are cared for by skilled, trauma-informed nurses. The generalist model assures care responses that work in urban, rural, and tribal communities with a variety of staffing options.