TALK STORY with the Hawai‘i Hearts

On November 12th, Joyful Heart staff members were joined by members of the Hawai'i Hearts to TALK STORY as part of our on-going series to shed the light on and engage in thoughtful conversation about issues surrounding  sexual assault and domestic violence. An important part of our mission at Joyful Heart is to raise visibility, encourage conversation, deepen understanding, inspire action and help break the deep social stigma surrounding domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. 

Each year we gain more ground on these issues, but the statistics remain staggering.  Despite the fact 1 in 3 women experience physical or sexual abuse by an intimate partner in her lifetime, and 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused before their eighteenth birthday, these issues remain largely misunderstood. More distressing, survivors are often trapped in silence and shame because these are topics we just don’t talk about. According to new research conducted by the Avon Foundation, 60 percent of Americans say they know a victim of sexual assault or domestic violence, and 57 percent report never actually discussing either issue with friends. 

Hosted at a private home, this TALK STORY session explored the roots of violence against women with an interactive presentation and discussion from Kata Issari, our Vice President for the Hawai'i Region. After the session, participants stayed for a brainstorming discussion about the new Hawai‘i Says NO MORE PSA initiative, first announced at our Joyful Mele celebration in August. As part of the ongoing What's Your #NOMORE? social media campaign, participants also made their own contributions, sharing the myths, excuses and victim-blaming attitudes that they say NO MORE to, which were photographed by Deborah Glazier.

We're so grateful to those who joined us and invite you to continue to TALK STORY. To take the TALK STORY pledge and share it with your community, click here.

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