Transitioning Times

As we posted about before , in Pennsylvania, not everyone who is abused can get a PFA.   Currently, they are offered only to people who have suffered abuse at the hands of someone they dated or are related to by blood or marriage.   Unfortunately, people who have been assaulted, even sexually assaulted, by a stranger or acquaintance, cannot obtain a restraining order (PFA) in Pennsylvania.   In the last session of the PA Legislature, a bill was introduced to protect victims of sexual assault from their assailants.   It would have given them the right to file for a PFA and receive protection under a civil law.   At that time, the bill stalled in the Judiciary Committee and was not passed before the conclusion of the session.   Another bill, PA Senate 681 , was introduced and will be considered when the next session begins on June 3, 2013. This bill allows for victims of sexual assault to ask the court to order the assailant not to contact the vic...

  Happy National Nurses Week from the International Association of Forensic Nurses! National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6, also known as National Nurses Day , through May 12, honoring the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. As of 1998, May 8 was designated as National Student Nurses Day , to be celebrated annually. And as of 2003, National School Nurse Day is celebrated on the Wednesday within National Nurses Week (May 6-12) each year. The 2013 theme for National Nurses Week as set by the American Nurses Association is Delivering Quality and Innovation in Patient Care . For a brief history of National Nurses Week, go to the following link: http://nursingworld.org/FunctionalMenuCategories/AboutANA/NationalNursesWeek/MediaKit/NNWHistory.html Transitions would like to take a moment to recognize all of the nurses, who care for victims of intimate partner violence, sexual as...

Transitions is happy to report that we we were able to take part in this year's Sexual Assault Awareness Month campaign.  We participated in at least 6 Health Fairs and Community Events, distributed hundreds of coasters/brochures/tagged lollipops/other materials, posted several articles/links to our Facebook page and blog, and joined Susquehanna University in collaboration on their newly formed Sexual Assault Task Force. We were able to reach hundreds, if not thousands, of people in our communities. At just one health fair Transitions received compliments from individuals and agencies alike, heard personal stories of how Transitions was able to help that individual standing before us, their friend, co-worker, or family member, and received several requests for further information, training, or outreach programs, including a request to present programs at a summer camp for clients of a local foster care/counseling agency. Several agencies also offered to provide free...

Summation of an article by: Dr Scott Hampton, Psy.D. Submitted by Adam H.   Alcohol and sexual assault often happen together . According to some research , 30 percent of all sexual assaults occur when the perpetrator is under the influence of alcohol. In some cases, the victim is also intoxicated. Drinking makes it easy for the perpetrator to ignore sexual boundaries, while the victim's intoxication makes it more difficult for her/him to guard against an attack.   A common misunderstanding is that if people commit sexual assaults only when drunk, then (a) the drinking must have caused the assault and (b) sobriety and alcohol counseling are adequate to prevent future assaults. These erroneous conclusions confuse correlation and causation. To illustrate, consider the correlation between consciousness and sexual assault. Perpetrators of sexual assault typically commit sexual assaults only when they are awake, but it would be ridiculous to suggest that being ...

As Sexual Assault Awareness Month comes to an end, it beckons for everyone to reflect on how to continue opening other’s minds to the pandemic of sexual assault. This is not a 30-day sprint to educate the world about an ongoing oversight in public health, but should be seen as a month to brainstorm and reflect on progress, milestones reached, and the steps that need to be taken in the next year to continue the awareness.             A particular area of interest in sexual assault research and awareness is campus sexual assault. Many researchers have looked at a variety of causes and consequences of being sexually assaulted while attending a university. A recently published article investigated one of the many possible reasons why sexual assault is hardly ever reported, institutional betrayal. These institutions are often entrusted and are depended on by the individuals that are enrolled. When a sexual assault is reported a...

The poem below was something I wrote in 2009, only a year and a half into actively working on recovery. To me it's a statement of the silence and isolation that abuse often impose on it's victims. It's also a statement of the additional affects sexual abuse has on male victims. Our need to appear strong, to appear in control, and the mask of anger and distance boys and men often adopt to hide the fear and anxiety we feel inside. Our society tells us we're not allowed to be hurt, or feel pain, we're not allowed to be victims. So we often seize upon the ideas of independance, power, and anger to keep ourselves safe......   yet sadly in erecting that impressive fortress, we only build a prison that keeps us alone, in pain, and stuck without any idea how to break free and move forward into real living again. The Fortress Quiet and dark upon a perilous crag, sits a lonely fortress. Waves far below crash against it's foundation of stone. ...

  April is designated as Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM).   SAAM’s purpose is to educate our communities and raise awareness about sexual violence. Over the years, the national campaign for SAAM has emphasized the prevention of sexual violence. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) has unveiled the 2013 campaign. The focus of this year’s campaign is healthy sexuality and child sexual abuse prevention.   Their slogan is “It’s time…to talk about it!   Talk early, talk often.   Prevent sexual violence.” SAAM was nationally recognized for the first time in April 2001.   The roots of SAAM date back to the first documented Take Back the Night march that took place in Brussels, Belgium during The International Tribunal on Crimes against Women. The Tribunal was held March 4-8, 1976. As a result of this march a movement known as Reclaim The Night was born. Reclaim The Night marches occurred throughout Europe, Australia, and India...