Volume 31| Issue 6 | June 2020
NYSCADV IS EXCITED TO VIRTUALLY ADVOCATE WITH NNEDV ON BEHALF OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SURVIVORS AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAMS!

NNEDV VIRTUAL ADVOCACY DAYS IS JUNE 9-10, 2020! It is free to attend! NNEDV and NYSCADV welcome and encourage the participation of domestic violence programs across New York State to attend. Each year in June, NYSCADV attends NNEDV Advocacy Days in Washington, D.C. to advocate on behalf of NYS domestic violence survivors and programs for more funding and resources. Although we will miss attending D.C. in person this year, we are exciting to participate and to bring Advocacy Days directly to all of you, virtually!

We will be to talking to NYS Congressional Representatives to share information about the changing needs of domestic and sexual violence survivors in NYS during the current COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Click here to register for Advocacy Days! Once you register, please send an e-mail to Jane Ni, Policy and Community Engagement Coordinator, at jni@nyscadv.org stating that you have signed up in order for NYSCADV to keep you apprised of our activities for the advocacy days!

B ecause the majority of the domestic violence awareness movement has focused on heterosexual relationships, members of the LGBTQ community have been largely left out of the movement. However, research has shown that LGBTQ members fall victim to domestic violence at equal or even higher rates compared to their heterosexual counterparts. 

LGBTQ individuals may experience unique forms of intimate partner violence as well as distinctive barriers to seeking help due to fear of discrimination or bias. There are several aspects of intimate partner violence which can be unique to the LGBTQ community. "Outing" or threatening to reveal one partner's sexual orientation/gender identity may be used as a tool of abuse in violent relationships and may also be a barrier which reduces the likelihood of help-seeking for the abuse. Prior experiences of physical or psychological trauma, such as bullying and hate crime, may make LGBTQ victims of domestic violence less likely to see help.*

With social distancing guidelines still in place due to COVID-19, LGBTQ individuals may be isolated while continuing to experience abuse by their intimate partner. We must do all that we can to provide support to the LGBTQ community.

For more information and resources:
  • The National LGBTQ Institute on IPV identifies and responds to the specific and emerging needs of diverse LGBTQ intimate partner violence survivors. The Institute informs research and policy agendas, coordinatse with other Domestic Violence Resource Network members, and provides training and technical assistance to improve violence prevention and intervention efforts nationwide.
  • NYC Anti-Violence Project empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and HIV-affected communities and allies to end all forms of violence through organizing and education, and supports survivors through counseling and advocacy.
  • In Our Own Voices is the only culturally specific nonprofit organization in NYS dedicated to providing services to LGBTQ people of color.
  • QUEERY is a resource for art-based violence prevention educational programs that use creative art and media projects to raise awareness around LGBTQ issues and prevention.
  • The Rainbow Library is an initiative driven by GLSEN Connecticut that sends LGBTQ+ affirming text sets to schools and libraries for free.

FATHER'S DAY
This year for Father's Day, the NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NYSCADV) recognizes the impact our fathers and father figures have on promoting women's rights, gender equality, and healthy relationships. Fathers have a significant role in the lives of their children and have the opportunity to promote healthy relationships and nonviolence. To highlight the impact that fathers and father figures have on our lives, NYSCADV will be launching the "Because We Are Dads" initiative. Stay tuned for more information coming soon.

In the meantime, for more information on how to engage men and boys, here are a few resources from the NYSCADV Prevention Toolkit :
WEAR ORANGE WEEKEND IS JUNE 5-7TH
We wear orange to fight for a future free from gun violence. Wear Orange Weekend is an opportunity for us to show the country just how powerful we are. National Gun Violence Awareness Day is the first Friday in June, which is tomorrow June 5th. Together, with hundreds of thousands of Americans, we turn America orange. But the work doesn’t end there. Everytown and our partner organizations continue to do life-saving work so that we can get closer to realizing a future free from gun violence. We wear orange to be seen, and demand that we be heard.
  • Every day, more than 100 Americans are killed with guns
  • In an average month, 53 women in America are shot to death by an intimate partner
  • Firearms are the leading cause of death for American children and teens
  • 4.6 million children in the U.S. live in homes with guns that are both loaded and unlocked
  • Black Americans are ten times more likely than white Americans to die by gun homicide
  • Access to a gun triples the risk of death by suicide*
For more information click here .

ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS DAY IS JUNE 15TH
While the taboo topic of elder abuse has started to gain visibility across the world, it remains one of the least investigated types of violence in national surveys, and one of the least addressed in national action plans. Elder abuse is a global social issue which affects the health and human rights of millions of older persons around the world, and an issue which deserves the attention of the international community.
  • Around 1 in 6 older people experience some form of abuse, a figure higher than previously estimated and predicted to rise as populations age worldwide.
  • Rates of abuse may be higher for older people living in institutions than in the community.
  • Elder abuse can lead to serious physical injuries and long-term psychological consequences.
  • Elder abuse is predicted to increase as many countries are experiencing rapidly ageing populations.*

As social distancing guidelines are still in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and because the virus disproportionately impacts the elderly, we must do all that we can to support the elderly community. For more information and resources:
  • The National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL) provides technical assistance and consultation, training, and resources.
  • Lifespan of Greater Rochester, a regional nonprofit based in Rochester, NY, is a trusted source of unbiased information, guidance and more than 30 services and advocacy for older adults and caregivers. Lifespan also provides training and education for allied professionals and the community.
  • New York State Coalition on Elder Abuse is a multidisciplinary, statewide network of over 1,800 individuals, organizations and government agencies working together to protect older adults from abuse, neglect and exploitation by raising awareness and offering solutions for prevention and intervention through education, advocacy and research.

PTSD AWARENESS DAY IS JUNE 27TH
Domestic violence survivors may still feel the effects of the abuse even after the abuse has ended. Some survivors may even develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of the trauma that they have experienced.

According to the National Institute for Mental Health , people with PTSD relive the traumatic event, avoid situations that remind them of the past, and have negative thoughts about themselves or the world. They also experience hyper-arousal (being anxious and on the lookout for danger, having trouble sleeping, or getting angry or irritable). This is why trauma-informed care is so important, it offers survivors a chance to rebuild the connections and trust that were fractured by abuse and betrayal. Someone who has experienced trauma needs the space to make their own decisions.*

To learn more about how to support domestic violence survivors and their mental health during this time of COVID-19 crisis, you can visit:

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES