The Joyful Heart Foundation and 1in6 graciously provided me with a venue this past year in which I was able to share my voice on behalf of the voiceless – the male survivors of childhood sexual abuse whose voices are silenced with threats of violence, the survivors whose screams are muted by the “man box” and the victims who are too afraid to speak. As one of this blog’s voices, I want to leave you in my final blog post with a message of both hope and challenge.

Looking at the 1in6 website traffic in 2012, there was a 57% increase in visitors from the previous year. This increase gives us hope that healing is possible. Unfortunately, it also highlights the fact that our efforts to support male survivors of childhood sexual abuse must continue as there are still a large number of men who continue to suffer in silence.

We must no longer allow the plight of male survivors of childhood sexual abuse to fall on deaf ears. We must hear their cries, however faint they may be, and raise them up to full volume in order to improve our communities. We can no longer remain silent while our partners, brothers, uncles, neighbors, co-workers and classmates endure the pain of childhood sexual abuse. By remaining silent, we hinder their journey towards healing.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.” We must all take some sort of action, big or small, because we all have a stake in the outcome, and as a fellow reader of this blog, it is the perfect time to forge ahead with a plan of action.

Institutions, like city governments, universities and local churches must lead their constituents, students and followers down a path of non-violence by focusing on prevention rather than merely responding to sexual abuse after the fact, and individuals must hold them accountable by speaking out, demonstrating, calling or writing letters to the editor about the issue of male childhood sexual abuse.

Each of us is a piece of the puzzle. How we come together determines what the picture will look like. I urge you to rise to the challenge and to do your part. As insignificant as you think it might be, it is still more than what was being done yesterday and combined with the efforts of others, it can power the change we seek in order to create a picture of a community that we can all be proud of – a community of healing for male survivors of sexual abuse.

- By Emiliano Diaz de Leon

Emiliano C. Diaz de Leon is a Cultural Capacity Specialist for 1in6. Besides his work with 1in6, Emiliano has more than a decade of experience working for multiple domestic and sexual violence centers in Texas.  Since 2008, Emiliano has worked as a Primary Prevention Specialist for the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA) and since October 2011 providing technical assistance to the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Engaging Men Program grantees around the country as a Men’s Engagement Specialist. The mission of 1in6 is to help men who have had unwanted or abusive sexual experiences in childhood live healthier, happier lives.

1in6′s mission also includes serving family members, friends, and partners by providing information and support resources on the web and in the community.

Joyful Heart and 1in6 invite you to visit 1in6.org for info, options and hope, and to learn more about our partnership and Engaging Men initiative at men.joyfulheartfoundation.org.

The views expressed above are not necessarily those of the Joyful Heart Foundation or 1in6.

“I didn’t know it was a rape. I don’t know what rape looks like.”

This is the comment from a 16-year-old high school boy who witnessed the sexual assault of a female student in Steubenville, Ohio when asked why he didn’t do something to stop it. This comment has not left my mind. It’s very discouraging. After all the “progress” that has been made in working to change the social norms that support violence and the attitudes that allow rape and other sexual violence to persist, clearly we are not there yet! What is wrong with this picture that in a suburban high school in Ohio, not only was a young girl repeatedly raped and assaulted, then videotaped but many students participated and/or witnessed the assault, did nothing, laughed and sent the images virally around the world.

Boys being boys? Bystanders in denial? Witnesses caught like deer in the headlights? Unconscious accomplices? Immaturity combined with entitlement? Of course it reminds me of the Jerry Sandusky case at Penn State where the assistant coach saw “something” in the locker room between Sandusky and a youth and although disturbed by what he saw, he wasn’t sure and he didn’t know what to do and so did nothing to intervene.

So here we are in April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and also Child Abuse Prevention Month. Yesterday, Wednesday, April 24^th was the 14^th annual Denim Day USA, is a sexual violence prevention education campaign dedicated to supporting survivors of all ages, genders, races, ethnicities and nationalities, and preventing rape. Each year we promote wearing jeans with a purpose and invite youth to participate in educational opportunities to debunk the myths that continue to persist. Clearly, there is so much more education to do. We need more bystander education that aims to engage everyone to become aware and alert and to care about this issue for their own well-being and for the well-being of others. There is something to say for “doing the right thing” kind of education. Are there enough courses in schools teaching how important it is to do the right thing and if you are not sure — to find out?

Organizations like Peace Over Violence and 1in6 work on the issue of sexual abuse everyday, not just on Denim Day. Every month is sexual abuse awareness and prevention month for the network of an agencies that provides intervention services, prevention and policy toward the vision of a culture that doesn’t ignore, allow, excuse or condone sexual violence in any form.

Our efforts must persist but we also have to rethink, reframe and perhaps reinvent how we do what we do to have greater impact. We have to find more ways to engage individuals—especially young people, communities, families and all of our institutions in this effort. We have a long way to go. I personally refuse to give up or to abandon this vision. It’s time to organize and engage with one another so that our very culture says NO MORE to sexual violence, domestic abuse and child abuse.

I believe we can get there. Will you believe too?

- By Patti Giggans

Patti Giggans is the Executive Director of Peace Over Violence. Peace Over Violence is dedicated to building healthy relationships, families and communities free from sexual, domestic and interpersonal violence. She is also the Vice-President of the Board of Directors for 1in6.

The mission of 1in6 is to help men who have had unwanted or abusive sexual experiences in childhood live healthier, happier lives.

1in6′s mission also includes serving family members, friends and partners by providing information and support resources on the web and in the community.

Joyful Heart and 1in6 invite you to visit 1in6.org for info, options and hope, and to learn more about our partnership and Engaging Men initiative at men.joyfulheartfoundation.org.

The views expressed above are not necessarily those of the Joyful Heart Foundation or 1in6.

It finally feels like spring is here to stay, and we are ready to jump into action as we celebrate two very important awareness months. Although Joyful Heart works yearlong to raise awareness about our issues, April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), and a great time to highlight the discussion about sexual assault. We are honored to join our partners across the nation in spreading information about ways we can prevent sexual assault and better serve survivors in their path to healing.

There are many ways you can use your voice this month to help us bring attention to these issues.

SAY NO MORE

Go to www.nomore.org to pledge to say NO MORE to sexual assault and domestic violence. Ways to participate include:

1. 1. Add the “NO MORE” symbol to your social networking sites
2. 2. Tell us: what do you say “NO MORE” to?
3. 3. Submit a photo to our gallery
4. 4. Shop for NO MORE related products

WEAR JEANS WITH A PURPOSE ON DENIM DAY

On April 24^th, Denim Day will unite people across the country to deliver the message that there is no excuse and never an invitation to rape.

Denim Day is a rape prevention campaign that takes place every year during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The first Denim Day was organized in 1999 by Peace Over Violence, a Los Angeles-based non-profit dedicated to building healthy relationships, families and communities free from sexual, domestic and interpersonal violence. The day grew out of 1998 Italian Supreme Court decision that overturned a rape conviction because the victim wore tight jeans. The judges reasoned the victim’s tight jeans meant that she had to have helped her assailant remove them, implying consent. Though this particular case occurred outside our own borders, the victim-blaming culture and myths about sexual assault exist within our own communities here in the United States.

This year, millions of Americans and citizens worldwide will join together on April 24th to wear jeans in solidarity and say that sexual violence is never acceptable.

Denim Day events are being organized across the country. YOU can participate too—by wearing jeans or hosting an event to bring awareness to your community.

Los Angeles

To learn more about the events in Los Angeles, including tonight’s Dodgers game to support Denim Day, a film screening, productions of the Vagina Monologues and more, click here.

New York City

Joyful Heart’s New York City partners are holding a city-wide op-ed writing contest open to all college students. With the contest comes $500 cash prizes, but more importantly, the chance to raise awareness on your campus to end sexual violence. To lean more about the official rules, click here. To learn about other events happening in New York City, click here.

To learn more about what you can do to participate in the day from wherever you are, check out POV’s Denim Day toolkit here. And be sure to check out the some ideas for ways to raise awareness throughout the month from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

TALK ABOUT IT,

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center provides resources about Sexual Assault Awareness Month to give us an opportunity to reflect and join together in unity as we take action and speak out against sexual assault and violence. The theme of the month this year is “Talk Early, Talk Often”, focusing on breaking the silence surrounding sexual assault. They provide tools to encourage parents to open up communication with children from an early age about these issues so they will develop the courage to end the cycle of violence. To learn more about this campaign, click here.

Every Tuesday during April, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center will host Twitter chats related to SAAM and ending violence, featuring experts in the field. Join the conversations using hashtag #TweetAboutIt to learn more about sexual assault prevention initiatives and interact with experts on these issues. To see the schedule and learn how to lend your voice (and handle!) to raise awareness about sexual assault and violence prevention, click here.

ADVOCATE AND TAKE ACTION

On March 29th, President Obama made an official proclamation declaring April Sexual Assault Awareness Month. In the memo, he emphasized that sexual violence is an affront to human dignity, and we all can do something to end it. 

“All Americans can play a role in changing the culture that enables sexual violence. Each of us can take action by lifting up survivors we know and breaking the silence surrounding rape and sexual assault.” 

Send a letter, make a phone call or sign a petition. The Violence Against Women Act was signed into law less than a month ago—contact your senator or representative thanking them for their vote to make communities safer for women and girls. If they voted against it, voice your disappointment.

To get involved and learn more about the Obama Administration’s efforts to end violence and abuse, visit: www.WhiteHouse.gov/1is2many.

Vice President Joe Biden stands with Attorney General Eric Holder and actress Mariska Hargitay to advocate for more grants to protect and support survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Visit Break the Cycle and Love is Not Abuse to download and request tools that you can bring into your school and community—as a student or as an educator—to teach our youth about healthy relationships and consent.

While we know that violence and abuse don’t take the month off, we also know that together, our voices mean more engagement, more awareness, more unity. When we unite our voices together, we bring our world closer to the day without violence and abuse.

With this year’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) almost upon us, we are engaged, inspired and challenged to reach more students than ever before. Many campus awareness campaigns are brilliantly successful. The perfect recipe for effective outreach is specific to the school culture, media headlines and the all-powerful budget.

But what if you do find that perfect mix of ingredients? What happens when the information reaches your target population? Does your mental health department have a higher intake rate? Do hotline numbers skyrocket? We spend so much time creating the events that we often forget about the potential impact. Making sure we have adequate resources is just as important as outreach.

Triggers are everywhere during the month of SAAM. This year’s campaign also puts a spotlight on childhood sexual abuse and the adults dealing with its effects. For many, college is a time where we engage in new relationships and more importantly a great deal of introspection. Students are forming connections with people who may influence their current and future standing in the community and this may stir abuse reactive feelings. Undoubtedly, these new relationships can challenge any student’s learned form of communication and capacity to set and respect boundaries.

Men—well known to be silent-survivors of childhood sexual abuse—are usually just seen as supporters of female survivors. We ask them to “Walk In Our Shoes” and to “Step-Up” as bystanders. In our understandable focus on women, sometimes we may forget that men also may be triggered and recall their own experiences with abuse. Research tells us that one in every six of our male students, faculty and staff have had unwanted or abusive sexual experiences in childhood and others have experienced abusive sexual interactions as adults. Have we missed the mark? Are we prepared to also support the men on campus who have had those unwanted or abusive sexual experiences?

Experienced in advocacy and prevention education, I am the first to admit that my work revolved primarily around the 1 in 4 females that will or have experienced sexual violence on campus. Yet, I was grateful for the opportunity to learn more about how we can better respond to other underserved populations, including men.  As many of you know we found little to no resources specific to male survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

As the new Community Education, Awareness & Outreach Director at 1in6, I am inspired to offer the much-requested resources to students, educators, and administrators. We invite you to be involved in an exciting and safe discussion concerning the advocacy and healing of all survivors on your campus.

 - By Martha Marin, Community Education, Outreach & Awareness Director for 1in6

Martha is a Colombian native raised in L.A. and South Florida where she received a B.A. in Business Management from the University of North FL. She brings us a unique set of skills acquired from many years of for-profit management and a deep dedication to human rights. As a Program Coordinator for the Women’s Center of Jacksonville and FL Dept. of Health, she taught thousands of students on topics related to the prevention of sexual assault including cyber bullying, LGBTQ/sexual harassment and teen dating violence as well as human trafficking. Martha is a public speaker, consultant and professional trainer.

Most recently she served as the Chair of the Northeast Florida Human Trafficking Coalition. Her international projects include a large-scale bi-lingual internship for the USAID Scholarship for Economic Education and Development at FL State College at Jacksonville. Martha first identified the lack of services for male survivors while teaching at a correctional facility. The need was overwhelming. In response she developed the life skills and healing curriculum, “YOU ARE WORTHY”!

The mission of 1in6 is to help men who have had unwanted or abusive sexual experiences in childhood live healthier, happier lives.

1in6′s mission also includes serving family members, friends and partners by providing information and support resources on the web and in the community.

Joyful Heart and 1in6 invite you to visit 1in6.org for info, options and hope, and to learn more about our partnership and Engaging Men initiative at men.joyfulheartfoundation.org.

The views expressed above are not necessarily those of the Joyful Heart Foundation or 1in6.

We at Joyful Heart are thrilled to be a part of NO MORE Day, happening tomorrow, March 13. This day marks the public launch of NO MORE, the nation’s first unifying awareness symbol to end domestic violence and sexual assault.

It’s been nearly a week sincethe President signed the Violence Against Women Act into law, the nation’s cornerstone response to domestic violence and sexual assault. Yet it was over 400 days since it had expired, leaving the resources that protect victims and organizations that prevent violence and abuse in limbo from October 2011 to February of this year.

It marks four days since people across the globe celebrated International Women’s Day and a century since this celebration first began. Yet one in three women across the world experience violence in their lifetimes—rape, assault or abuse, including those who live right here in the United States.

Today, in communities across the country, advocates will join forces to address the need to end domestic violence and sexual assault by launching NO MORE, the first overarching symbol that is bringing together all people in our society to end domestic violence and sexual assault.

We invite you to join us—from wherever you are in the country—to help launch NO MORE and participate in one of the most concerted and collaborative efforts to end domestic violence and sexual assault.

Regardless of where you are located, you can follow along with NO MORE Day activities and updates at our online liveblog here: www.scribblelive.com/Event/NO_MORE_Day.

We’ll be using the NO MORE symbol, helping to release critical research on bystanding and tweeting along with @NOMOREorg, actress and advocate @Mariska and many, many more of our partners. Please join us.

WHAT IS NO MORE?

You’ve likely seen the pink breast cancer ribbon or the red AIDS ribbon. NO MORE is a groundbreaking new symbol designed to transform our response to domestic violence and sexual assault, end the stigma, shame and isolation, galvanize millions into action and radically increase the awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault everywhere.

WHAT IS NO MORE DAY?

On March 13, NO MORE Day, thousands of advocates and supporters across the country will unite to officially launch NO MORE.

WHY NO MORE?

Domestic violence and sexual assault are not easy to talk about, although they impact millions of men, women and children every year. Because of the stigma and shame, these issues often remain hidden in our society. NO MORE seeks to bring domestic violence and sexual assault into the national spotlight to generate more attention, more resources and more action to prevent them. NO MORE aims to empower bystanders of domestic violence and sexual assault in every community to break the silence around these issues and get involved.

WAYS TO TAKE ACTION:

• KNOW MORE. Learn the signs of domestic violence and listen without judgment to victims/survivors of sexual assault. Get the facts and know the resources available.
• Say NO MORE. Break the silence. Speak out. Seek help when you see this problem or harassment of any kind in your family, your community, your workplace or school.
• Share NO MORE. Share the NO MORE symbol with everyone you know. Facebook it. Tweet it. Pin it. Instagram it. Email it. Wear it. Help to increase awareness about the extent of domestic violence and sexual assault. Visit the NO MORE Shop at nomore.org.
• Ensure NO MORE. Get involved. Volunteer in your community, or donate to a local, state or national domestic violence or sexual assault organization.

To help elevate this conversation even more, we invite you to participate in the NO MORE Day Thunderclap, a social media tool that allows everyone who signs up to share a tweet or a Facebook post all at once. By lending your voice today—and 140 characters—to our Thunderclap, you can help make sure our message of ending domestic violence and sexual assault gets heard loud and clear on March 13.

On Wednesday at 3pm ET, NO MORE will host a special Twitter chat about NO MORE, these issues and the many ways you can take action. We’ll be tweeting along during this chat too, along with Mariska. No matter where you are, we welcome you to join by following us and the #NOMOREday hashtag.

OTHER THINGS TO DO ON NO MORE DAY:

• Request the NO MORE Toolkit at nomore.org to get the symbol and start using it.
• Start following NO MORE on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
• Take a picture of how you’re using NO MORE in your community, or tell us why you say NO  MORE. Share photos on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #NOMOREday
• Share this with five friends!

Events will be taking place nationwide in celebration of NO MORE Day, including:

• Washington Wizards Game (open to the public) – Come support NO MORE, get free products and see the debut of our new PSA (Purchase tickets, here. Promo code: nomore)
• Invisible War Screenings (open to the public) – Find one near you.
• A National Press Club Luncheon Hosted by Founder and President of the Joyful Heart Foundation, Actress Mariska Hargitay in Washington D.C. (sold out, but you can watch it live on press.org at 12:30pm EST.
• Congressional Briefing on Capitol Hill, Washington D.C. (Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 538 at 9 am EST. Please RSVP with your name and number of guests) – Results of the new Avon Foundation-funded NO MORE Study: Teens and Young Adults on Dating Violence and Sexual Assault, to be presented by Ashley Greene, actress and ambassador for Avon.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.  Each year, during this time, survivors of childhood sexual abuse, their friends and family, and victim advocates from across the nation mark the occasion by speaking out about childhood sexual abuse and participating in candlelight vigils, walk-a-thons or fundraising drives. The issue of child sexual abuse, however, is one that needs to be confronted beyond this month.

The prevalence of male childhood sexual abuse is quite shocking. In the United States, one in six men have had unwanted or abusive sexual experiences before the age of 18, and even more stunning than the scope of the crime is the challenge of confronting it. Eighty-eight percent of child sexual abuse is never reported due to feelings of shame, self-blame or fear of not being believed.

Therefore, we must begin by believing:

• Believe that the sexual abuse of boys is occurring in your community despite few reported incidents.
• Believe it was not his fault.
• Believe his story.
• Believe that we have a responsibility to speak up when we see and hear abusive language and behavior.
• Believe that law enforcement and the criminal justice system must be held accountable to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of child sexual abuse.
• Believe that our elected officials must seek funding necessary to provide victim services, as well as legislation that protects victims regardless of their age, gender, sexual orientation or immigration status.
• Believe that your time and money makes a difference to organizations, like Stop It NOW!  that strive to prevent childhood sexual abuse.
• Most importantly, believe that you can do something to end the sexual abuse of boys. Speak out, demonstrate, protest, call your representatives, attend community events or write a letter to the editor about the issue of childhood sexual abuse.

For those that are ready to learn more about what they can do to prevent child sexual abuse please participate in the first of a series of free web conferences on ending child sexual abuse hosted by PreventConnect.org and sponsored by the Ms. Foundation for Women.

Together, we can put an end to child sexual abuse, but we must not become complacent when the month is over. April is not the end of our opportunity to work proactively on creating a community free of child sexual abuse. Instead, this month is just the beginning—the beginning of our belief that change can and will happen.

–By: Emiliano C. Diaz de Leon

Emiliano C. Diaz de Leon is a Cultural Capacity Specialist for 1in6, Inc

Emiliano C. Diaz de Leon is a Cultural Capacity Specialist for 1in6. Besides his work with 1in6, Emiliano has more than a decade of experience working for multiple domestic and sexual violence centers in Texas.  Since 2008, Emiliano has worked as a Primary Prevention Specialist for the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA) and since October 2011 providing technical assistance to the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Engaging Men Program grantees around the country as a Men’s Engagement Specialist. 

The mission of 1in6 is to help men who have had unwanted or abusive sexual experiences in childhood live healthier, happier lives.

1in6′s mission also includes serving family members, friends, and partners by providing information and support resources on the web and in the community.

Joyful Heart and 1in6 invite you to visit 1in6.org for info, options and hope, and to learn more about our partnership and Engaging Men initiative at men.joyfulheartfoundation.org.

The views expressed above are not necessarily those of the Joyful Heart Foundation or 1in6.

As you know, April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. And this year, Joyful Heart partnered with dozens of organizations, community-based programs and government officials to turn towards the issue of sexual assault in New York City with Denim Day.

Denim Day is an award-winning annual sexual violence prevention and education campaign started by our Los Angeles-based partner, Peace Over Violence. It grew out of a 1990s Italian Supreme Court case in which the Court’s decision overturned a rape conviction because the victim wore tight jeans. The judges reasoned the victim’s tight jeans meant that she had to have helped her assailant remove them, implying consent. People all over the world were outraged, and wearing jeans became an international symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes and myths surrounding sexual assault. Last year, more than 2.6 million people participated in Denim Day throughout the U.S.

This year is New York’s third year participating in Denim Day campaign and Joyful Heart is so proud to have joined the coalition. In addition to activities, workshops and programs happening throughout all five boroughs for youth and adults on Denim Day, we held a press conference on the steps of City Hall yesterday to kick off our coalition’s Denim Day events.

Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer kicks off the Denim Day NYC 2012 Press Conference.

In addition to our Denim Day organizers the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault, Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer, the St. Luke’s Roosevelt Crime Victims Treatment Center and Start Strong Bronx, we were joined by advocates, youth government officials and individuals who filled the steps of City Hall to bring the message to New york that there is no excuse and never an invitation to rape.

We’re sharing that message nationally too. Yesterday, Mariska penned an op-ed in the Huffington Post with Denim Day founder Patti Giggans. From their article:

The way our society thinks about rape and receives survivors is not only tragic, it’s dangerous. Fearing that they won’t be believed, survivors are less likely to report their rapes, which means rapists stay out of jail, which means they are free to rape again.

Denim Day is about coming together as a community that has no tolerance for sexual violence, a community that commits its resources—intellectual, financial, emotional—to responding differently to survivors and making their healing a priority.

To read the entire article, click here.

We and our partners are also sharing this message in social media (that would be #denimday, if you’re on Twitter) in hospitals and rape crisis programs, offices, schools and colleges throughout the country. Together, we can change these harmful victim-blaming attitudes about sexual violence. We can change the way we think about, respond to and support survivors of sexual assault.

If you are wearing denim today, please be sure you have registered your support on www.denimdayusa.org. We invite you to submit photos of yourself in your denim to blog@joyfulheartfoundation.org and share what you’re doing for Denim Day in the comments below.

Thanks to you and the other members of our community, today—Sexual Assault Awareness Month Day of Action—marks an important and revolutionary moment for the Joyful Heart Foundation. And because of your generosity and commitment, we’ve been able to help transform lives and create change in how communities and the criminal justice system respond to sexual violence.

Over two years ago, all of us at Joyful Heart decided to make passing “all crimes DNA” legislation in New York State one of our top priorities. We made this commitment because, among other things, we knew that increasing the chances that survivors would receive justice can reduce suffering and bring healing to those who have been victimized.

DNA is one of the most powerful tools we have to prevent and solve crimes, bring justice to survivors and prevent wrongful convictions. And yet until just weeks ago, New York State only required half of convicted offenders to provide a DNA sample to be matched against the 40,000 unsolved crimes, including thousands of sexual assaults and murders.

View Joyful Heart’s public service announcement on all crimes DNA by our Founder & President, Mariska Hargitay.

As part of our efforts, Joyful Heart worked with a state-wide coalition of survivors and victim advocates to press New York legislators to pass comprehensive DNA legislation. Last month, Joyful Heart stood with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as he signed a historic bill into law to expand New York’s DNA Databank. The law makes New York the first state in the nation to require DNA samples from everyone convicted of a felony or Penal Law misdemeanor.

At the bill signing, Ann M., the mother of a rape survivor and a courageous and passionate advocate for the families of survivors shared this:

“By signing this bill today, the Governor and the Legislature are taking the necessary steps to not only solve and prevent violent crimes, but also help other families from the pain my family has suffered over the past decade—pain no parent should ever be forced to suffer.”

While we are so proud of this accomplishment, there is still much more work to be done.

In recognition of today, Sexual Assault Awareness Month Day of Action, we ask that you consider making a meaningful gift in support of our mission to heal, educate and empower survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse, and to shed light into the darkness that surrounds these issues. To make a tax-deductible contribution to our efforts now, please visit our online donation form.

Thank you in advance for your generosity and, as always, for your dedication to our work and those we have the privilege of serving.

With deep gratitude,

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is due for reauthorization. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) will introduce a bipartisan bill on tomorrow, Wednesday, November 30th to reauthorize and improve VAWA.

We need your help to make sure VAWA has as much support in Congress as possible when it is introduced to the Senate tomorrow.

Over the past 17 years, VAWA has given survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking unprecedented access to improved services and ultimately, safety. VAWA has saved countless lives, protected families, given a voice to survivors and provided invaluable training to the criminal justice community. VAWA is landmark legislation in the movement to end violence against women and girls, and is both a symbol and actualization of what it means to create healing and justice for survivors and their communities.

The Joyful Heart Foundation is proud to be a member of the coalition of women and victim’s rights groups across the country who worked together with Senator Leahy’s office to draft the VAWA reauthorization bill and gather support. VAWA is so critical to the work we do to prevent and end violence against women and children.

We ask that you take a moment today to contact your Senators and encourage them to support this bill and sign on as an original co-sponsor.

We’ve listed the Senators that the VAWA coalition has identified as particularly important to gain as original co-sponsors below, as well as talking points to share during your phone call with your Senator(s).

Please share this message with your family, friends and colleagues as well and ask them to make a call to their Senator(s) today–we are hoping to get as many co-sponsors as we can before tomorrow. The time is now.

Talking points:

• We know that Senator _________ cares about ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.
• The Violence Against Women Act is critical to our ability to address these crimes in our state.
• There is evidence showing that VAWA has saved millions of dollars and countless lives.
• We are asking for you to be an original co-sponsor of the Leahy/Crapo bill that will be introduced on Wednesday.
• Please contact Anya McMurray or Noah Bookbinder at (202) 224-7703 to sign on to the bill.

***********

Alabama

Sessions, Jeff – (202) 224-4124
Shelby, Richard – (202) 224-5744

Arkansas

Boozman, John – (202) 224-4843

Alaska

Murkowski, Lisa – (202) 224-6665

Arizona

McCain, John – (202) 224-2235
Kyl, Jon – (202) 224-4521

California

Boxer, Barbara – (202) 224-3553
Feinstein, Dianne – (202) 224-3841

Florida

Rubio, Marco – (202) 224-3041

Georgia

Chambliss, Saxby – (202) 224-3521
Isakson, Johnny – (202) 224-3643

Hawai‘i

Akaka, Daniel – (202) 224-6361
Inouye, Daniel – (202) 224-3934

Idaho

Crapo, Mike – (202) 224-6142 – (Sen. Mike Crapo is already one of the original co-sponsors. If he is your Senator, be sure to thank him for his commitment to ending violence against women.)
Risch, James – (202) 224-2752

Illinois

Kirk, Mark – (202) 224-2854

Indiana

Lugar, Richard – (202) 224-4814
Coats, Daniel – (202) 224-5623

Iowa

Grassley, Chuck – (202) 224-3744

Louisiana

Vitter, David – (202) 224-4623

Kansas

Moran, Jerry – (202) 224-6521
Roberts, Pat – (202) 224-4774

Kentucky

McConnell, Mitch – (202) 224-2541
Paul, Rand – (202) 224-4343

Maine

Collins, Susan – (202) 224-2523
Snowe, Olympia – (202) 224-5344

Massachusetts

Brown, Scott – (202) 224-4543

Mississippi

Cochran, Thad – (202) 224-5054
Wicker, Roger – (202) 224-6253

Missouri

Blunt, Roy – (202) 224-5721

Nebraska

Johanns, Mike – (202) 224-4224

Nevada

Heller, Dean – (202) 224-6244

New Hampshire

Ayotte, Kelly – (202) 224-3324

North Carolina

Burr, Richard – (202) 224-3154

New York

Gillibrand, Kirsten – (202) 224-4451
Schumer, Charles – (202) 224-6542

North Dakota

Hoeven, John – (202) 224-2551

Ohio

Portman, Rob – (202) 224-3353

Oklahoma

Coburn, Tom – (202) 224-5754
Inhofe, James – (202) 224-4721

Pennsylvania

Toomey, Patrick – (202) 224-4254

South Carolina

DeMint, Jim – (202) 224-6121
Graham, Lindsey – (202) 224-5972

South Dakota

Thune, John – (202) 224-2321

Tennessee

Alexander, Lamar – (202) 224-4944
Corker, Bob – (202) 224-3344

Texas

Cornyn, John – (202) 224-2934
Hutchison, Kay Bailey – (202) 224-5922

Utah

Hatch, Orrin – (202) 224-5251
Lee, Mike – (202) 224-5444

Wisconsin

Johnson, Ron – (202) 224-5323

Wyoming

Enzi, Michael – (202) 224-3424
Barrasso, John – (202) 224-6441

Last week, Lendon posted about some recent advocacy work JHF was involved with in Albany. We were part of a broad coalition of survivors, advocates and members of the criminal justice community that is encouraging lawmakers to pass a simple All Crimes DNA bill into law for New York State.

Current law only allows for collection of DNA samples from offenders upon conviction of 48% of penal law crimes. We know that violent criminals also comment lesser crimes. When the DNA databank was expanded to include misdemeanors in 2006, 305 sexual assault and 71 homicide crime scene profiles hit to DNA profiles collected from persons convicted of petit larceny and criminal trespass alone. By collecting DNA upon conviction of all crimes, we increase the likelihood that a criminals DNA profile can be matched to crime scene evidence from violent sexual assaults and even murders.

Presently, a simple bill has passed the New York State Senate. A more complex bill has been passed in the Assembly. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo strongly supports the simple Senate bill. We’re calling on the Speaker of Assembly, the Honorable Sheldon Silver, to allow for a simple All Crimes DNA to come to the floor for a vote. We only have a few hours before the legislature adjourns. We don’t want crime victims and survivors to wait another year to get justice. And we don’t want to wait another year to keep violent criminals from harming others.

Will you join our efforts?

Please email Speaker Silver and ask him to allow for a vote on a simple All Crimes DNA Bill. You can find sample text below.

Email to: Speaker@assembly.state.ny.us

BCC: advocate@joyfulheartfoundation.org

Subjects: Crime Victims Need Your Support on All Crimes DNA

Body:

Dear Speaker Silver,

I urgently request your leadership in passing legislation that requires DNA collection from all those convicted of a crime in New York. The expansion of the DNA databank will require samples from those convicted of penal law crimes to be compared against profiles collected from thousands of unsolved crimes in New York State.

Both the Senate and Assembly have passed bills relating to expansion of the DNA databank: the Assembly has passed a bill (A.5886-A) which creates a new state commission for the integrity of the criminal justice system, along with an all crimes DNA expansion. The Senate has passed a bill (S. 5560) which only contains the all crimes DNA expansion. The Governor has called for passage of the Senate bill and I urge you to do the same. We cannot have the legislature adjourn without this critical element to protect victims and survivors, overwhelmingly women and children.

Collecting DNA from offenders holds violent perpetrators accountable, prevents future crimes and provides healing and justice for survivors. DNA exonerates the innocent and has dramatically prevented the incidence of wrongful conviction.

Since establishing New York’s DNA databank in 1996, thousands of crimes—including 3,353 sexual assaults and 800 murders—have been solved, and many, many more prevented. When the DNA databank was expanded to include misdemeanors in 2006, 305 sexual assault and 71 homicide crime scene profiles hit to DNA profiles collected from persons convicted of petit larceny and criminal trespass alone.

The recent arrest of Lerio Guerrero demonstrates the power of DNA in solving crimes, but it also demonstrates how urgent it is that we pass the All Crimes DNA legislation before the end of this session.

In 1998, Guerrero brutally attacked a woman in the Lower East Side. He cycled in and out of the criminal justice system, but never had to submit a DNA sample because his misdemeanors did not require collection. But a DNA sample collected last month matched the rape from 1998. Thirteen years later, the woman who was viciously attacked on Orchard Street may finally receive some peace and justice.

Expanding the State’s DNA databank to cover all remaining penal law convictions will ensure that even more New Yorkers can be protected from the horror and trauma of violence and abuse.

Today, you have the rare opportunity to do something now that we know for certain will solve and prevent crimes, make an immediate difference in the lives of thousands of crime victims and prevent thousands more from ever being crime victims in the first place.

Sincerely,

NAME

ADDRESS

Thank you for standing with us. Please share this link with all of your friends and family.