Transitioning Times

At a recent Keith Urban concert, a 17 year old was sexually assaulted.  This news alone has been far too common lately.  But, what I would like to highlight is the following from the article .   The attack only allegedly came to an end when a woman asked the victim if the act was consensual. “Do you want this?” the woman was heard saying. According to a police report,  the girl said , “no,” and then a witness “saw the female break free and run.” This is what everyone, ourselves included, is talking about when we preach bystander intervention.  It is this easy!  Simply asking this young woman "do you want this?" showed her that she didn't have to continue, and it allowed the sexual assault to end.  Four words.  That powerful. Lots of people in the media talk about what we can do to end sexual assault.  THIS.  This is what we can do.  Men or women, when you see a situation that seems out of control or odd, if you feel sa...

One of the Baltimore Ravens' star players, Ray Rice, was caught on camera dragging his seemingly unconscious then-fiance out of an elevator after he assaulted her.  He was indicted on aggravated assault charges earlier this year.  The National Football League decided to suspend Ray Rice for 2 games.  There has been outcry over this lack of punishment.  See the above rant from Keith Olbermann.   Yes.  Outcry.  From a man, Keith Olbermann, who admits he has made comments that were inappropriate. Many feminist organizations say that men need to get involved in the fight to end violence against women.  Yes, men do need to get involved and this is exactly what we are talking about!  Would this type of rant have gotten the same attention if it was from a host on The View?  Or Rachel Maddow?  Probably not.  So, even though I am wholeheartedly grateful to Mr. Olbermann, I also have to question why his rant has garnered attention w...

In case, you think women are only objectified on entertainment magazines, behold the cover of Science .   This is the cover for their annual HIV/AIDS issue. Is Science magazine resorting to sex to sell magazines?   Shameful.

Many thanks to The Daily Item, who has published a number of articles recently about the Lethality Assessment Program.  I thought now would be an opportune time to re-post a blog Susan wrote a few months ago about this life-saving program. Fatality and Domestic Violence Domestic Violence is a life-threatening crime that affects millions of individuals regardless of age, economic status, race, religion or education.  Nationwide, an average of three women are killed by a current or former partner every day.   Advocates who work in the field of domestic violence know the high-risk stakes of the domestic violence situations that they encounter daily.  At Transitions, the first step we take when speaking with a victim contacts us is to safety plan to make sure that the person is not in immediate danger.  We must always be alert to the potential danger that may be present.  This article will explore fatalities in the US...

We are proud to participate in the Lethality Assessment Program locally, and were happy to share information with The Daily Item .   Here is the text of the article: July 20, 2014 Program boosts aid to domestic-abuse victims By Marcia Moore The Daily Item The Daily Item Sun Jul 20, 2014, 11:00 PM EDT A program designed to get domestic abuse victims into a shelter to reduce their chances of being assaulted again or becoming a homicide victim is being picked up by Central Susquehanna Valley police departments. Paul Yost, chief of the Buffalo Valley Regional Police, serving Lewisburg and East Buffalo Township in Union County, adopted the Lethality Assessment Program, or LAP, as policy two months ago after his department’s 19 full- and part-time officers received training on how to measure the safety risk faced by victims of domestic abuse. Other police departments, including Mifflinburg, Selinsgrove and Shamokin Dam, are considering a similar policy. “I think ...

Next time you shop on Amazon , please shop through www.smile.amazon.com, and select Transitions of PA as your charity.  Amazon will then donate  0.5% of the  price of eligible items purchased to us.  What a great way to help Transitions without any cost to you!

I wish I didn't have to write blogs like this.  I wish those people who think domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking are not accepted by society were right.  Alas, this is not the case. In our training of new staff and volunteers, we watch films by Jean Kilbourne , and Sut Jhally , including Killing Us Softly and Dreamworlds 3 .  These films focus on the role that violence against women plays in advertising and music videos.  This awareness has bred outrage and outcry from feminists about the images and messages from the media.  In the recent past, there was loud descent from the feminist blogosphere about rape culture, specifically about the song of last summer, Blurred Lines .  I thought maybe this reaction would cause record labels and artists to consider more thoughtfully the messages they are promoting, not because of any dedication to social justice, but in light of commercial sales figures.  I was wrong.  In fact, ...