Spring 2022
NCEDSV'S QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
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APRIL IS SEXUAL ASSAULT
AWARENESS MONTH
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By Sarah Slavenas, NCEDSV
Victim-survivors of sexual violence, as well as advocates, researchers in the field and allied champions continue to urge policymakers and others to heed their calls for better research and more funding for sexual violence prevention and intervention. This is more than 100 years after White women, 55 years after Black women, and a mere 20 years after women with disabilities were guaranteed basic voting protections and rights. That much sought after right to vote should have guaranteed them greater power and safety than it appears to have done thus far. The fact that at least 30% of women will experience abuse in her lifetime, and 20% will experience a completed or attempted rape, is not where we should be after generations of the vote though.
That people within this movement, predominantly those who have always experienced one or more forms of oppression, have, and continue to have to, make a case for why they deserve to be safe on the streets, safe in their homes, safe in their schools and safe at their places of employment is simply beyond comprehension. Yet here we are. And so, we fight. We fight because we deserve to be safe on the streets, safe in our homes, safe in our schools and safe at our places of employment. This in addition to every other place we venture out into the world, whether it is locally, nationally or internationally. Gender-based violence, in all of its forms cannot be tolerated, no matter how seemingly large or small the incident, because violence falls on a continuum. When we condone one abusive action, we are tacitly signaling that we tolerate it period. If you have not already, please decide whether you condone gender-based violence at all.
To that end, we are deeply grateful to Bon Iver and their #2ABilliion campaign for their grant of $5,000 that will MATCH every dollar donated THIS MONTH ONLY in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month! Their contribution, plus yours, will greatly help us as we continue to be the statewide leader in advocacy, training and technical assistance.
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APRIL IS ALSO CHILD ABUSE
PREVENTION MONTH
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By Sarah Slavenas, NCEDSV
In addition to April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, it is also Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month. NCEDSV was thrilled to join Advocates to End Domestic Violence and Prevent Child Abuse Nevada at the annual pinwheel planting ceremony at the Nevada State Legislative Building last week!
Childhood should be a relatively pain free and easy-going time for children in the wealthiest country in the world, aside from some skinned knees and the standard bumps and bruises many of us suffered from growing up. However, what should be, and the reality are two starkly different things.
Child abuse, like domestic and sexual violence, can take many different forms. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), it can include physical, sexual and emotional abuse, as well as neglect, and 1 in 7 children experienced one of those in the last year.
While that data is overwhelming and robs children of a childhood they deserve, certain forms of childhood abuse, specifically child sexual abuse, also sets them up for much higher rates of adult victimization for sexual assault.
In fact, adult victims of child sexual abuse are more than two times as likely to experience sexual assault. So, in effect, preventing child sexual abuse is also an effective way of preventing adult sexual victimization.
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Photo of pinwheels being planted on April 1st at the Nevada State Legislature.
If you are out and about this April and you see blue pinwheels on courthouse lawns or in other public spaces, it is very likely that that agency or program is demonstrating their support for Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month. For a one-minute read on what can increase children's vulnerability to sexual abuse, click here. |
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LET'S CELEBRATE TRACI TRENOWETH TOGETHER!! |
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By Sarah Slavenas, NCEDSV
NCEDSV and NSVRC are thrilled to announce this year's Visionary Voice Awardee is Traci Trenoweth of Advocates to End Domestic Violence!
Traci is known for always going the extra mile to address and prevent sexual violence in her community for more than 20 years now.
In honor of her deep dedication, we invite you to join us in celebrating her commitment to ending gender-based violence on April 29th from 11-noon.
You can register here. And please contact Communications and Policy Director Sarah Slavenas here, if you would like to host a watch party and share your own experiences in working with Traci!
We look forward to seeing you there!!
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By Sarah Slavenas, NCEDSV
Pride Month is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of people from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) communities. However, it is not relegated just to the LGBTQ folx, it also includes those who identify as nonbinary, pansexual, intersex, two-spirit, asexual and aromantic, or who identify in other ways, or are questioning their sexual or gender identity or expression. According to the History Channel's website page, Pride parades began... read more here!
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NCEDSV PUBLIC POLICY UPDATES |
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By Serena Evans, NCEDSV
On March 9th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Fiscal Year 2022 omnibus appropriations bill, which included the passage of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization of 2022, S. 3623. Following the House, the U.S. Senate... Read more here
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UPCOMING TRAININGS:
PAST TRAININGS:
Visit our training and events webpage to view recorded trainings.
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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS |
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Interested in becoming a corporate sponsor? Contact Amanda Bullard, Administrative Director, at accounting@ncedsv.org or return this FORM.
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FAREWELLS
We are deeply saddened to announce our wonderful colleague Misty Stewart has decided to move into the substance use field. Although we will miss her terribly, we know that her contributions and impact there will be just as meaningful as the many that were felt in the anti-violence movement during her tenure here at NCEDSV. We miss you already!!
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