Email submissions with "Newsletter" in the subject line to [email protected].

Domestic Violence Awareness Month (#DVAM) is a time when survivors come forward to share their stories, both directly and through the words of advocates. Our sibling coalition, the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NYSCADV), educates advocates, policymakers, and the public-at-large about survivors' most pressing needs, both during abusive relationships and after they decide to leave.

Domestic violence was already an epidemic before COVID-19, but the health crisis has caused a tremendous spike in incidents of abuse. Even as lockdown restrictions are lifted, the abuse will not simply end. It remains a critical time for survivors, and greater awareness, education, and bystander intervention are desperately needed. This October, join us in activating bystanders and sharing information that can help those who are experiencing violence during this unprecedented time.

Together, we can help our friends, neighbors, and communities by #ListeningFromHome. We're also participating in the #1Thing social media campaign, organized by the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence. This year's theme is "No Survivor Justice Without Racial Justice." Learn more here.

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder and ongoing violence experienced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), nearly 50 sexual assault and domestic violence coalitions, including NYSCASA, signed on to the following statement.

As an organization dedicated to ending sexual violence, NYSCASA is committed to ending oppression in all of its forms, including racism, white supremacy, and state-sanctioned violence. NYSCASA stands in solidarity with calls for justice and accountability for the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others whose lives have been taken by anti-Black violence. Read statements released this summer here and here.

We are still experiencing a pandemic. During this time of crisis, sexual violence, domestic violence, and child abuse will continue to occur – most likely at increased rates than ever before. The New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault, the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Seven Dancers Coalition, and Prevent Child Abuse New York encourage New Yorkers to support their friends, family members, or colleagues whenever they seek help.

Read our joint statement and learn about available resources here.

NYSCASA is pleased to revisit our 2020 webinar series, Ending Violence Without Violence. The series will introduce participants to the core principles of Restorative Justice, Transformative Justice, Community Accountability, and other community-centered approaches to violence prevention and response.

Participants will develop a shared analysis of interpersonal violence—specifically sexual violence—and a shared understanding of the importance of community-based approaches to sexual violence prevention and intervention. The webinar series will underscore the importance of building communities that can prevent sexual violence, respond to harm, and heal trauma.

Upcoming Events:

Stay tuned for announcements about additional webinars and virtual learning opportunities! Click here to sign up for our Ending Violence Without Violence mailing list.

Click here to register.

Join NYSCASA on October 22 at 2:00 PM ET for our second webinar exploring the potential for yoga practice to help us de-stress, become grounded, and become more present in the work we do in the world, including our personal relationships and care we offer loved ones, peers, and survivor clients.

Click here to register.

NYSCASA is pleased to share information about upcoming training opportunities from our friends at the Women of Color Network, Inc., and In Our Own Voices, who coordinate the OVW African American, African, Black, and Afro-Caribbean (ABC) Virtual Technical Assistance Academy. Closed captioning and interpretation will be provided. For more information, please contact Aleese Moore-Orbih at [email protected].

Upcoming Events:

Systemic racism and sexual and domestic violence are deeply entwined, and developing an understanding of this connection is critical for our movement. Click here for a great introduction to the topic.

Conversations around safety, healing, and prevention need to address the inadequacies and harms inherent in incarceration and policing. Laura Chow Reeve, Youth Engagement Manager with the Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance, recently published a primer on transformative justice, the connections between state violence and gender-based violence, and developing a framework for primary prevention on VAWnet. Click here to read more.

This webinar from Everyday Feminism will help you understand how your organization may be complicit in systemic racism and white supremacy culture. Participants will learn strategies to build an organizational culture based on racial equity. Click here to access the training.

Accountability is a familiar buzz-word in contemporary social movements, but what does it mean? How do we work toward it? In this series of four short videos, anti-violence activists Kiyomi Fujikawa and Shannon Perez-Darby ask and explore: What does it look like to be accountable to survivors without exiling or disposing those who do harm? Learn more and watch the series here.

How do we turn back to our communities and strengthen community-based systems to resist violence in all of its forms? Creative Interventions created a toolkit to guide us: Click to access the toolkit.

Your support helps NYSCASA improve response to sexual assault survivors and strengthen prevention efforts across New York State.