Transitioning Times

Studies show that as many as one in four girls and one in six boys will experience sexual abuse by the age of 18.  Nine out of ten child abuse victims know the abuser.  Child sexual abuse can have long-lasting impacts on the victim, including behavior problems, poor school performance, and substance use.  April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention Month.  Transitions of PA and  Susquehanna Valley CASA – Voices for Children have partnered to bring Matthew Sandusky, adopted son of Jerry Sandusky, to the Lewisburg Area High School Auditorium at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27, 2016.  Matthew will share a message of hope as he talks about his journey of healing to support and encourage others.  Doors will open at 5:30 p.m.  This event is free to the public, but registration is required.  Tickets are available by visiting www.transitionsofpa.org . Matthew is the 2015 recipient of Darkness to Light’s Voice of Courage A...

I recently came across an article that documented the finding of a chip inside a trafficking victim. This chip was used to store the victim’s name, date of birth, and other information. The device is similar to ones people use to put in their pets, in case they get lost (Love, 2016).              As someone who is passionate about trafficking survivors and ending human trafficking, I have read a lot of stories and tactics that traffickers use. I have heard about traffickers using physical or sexual harm to keep their victims under their control or even tattoos to brand their victims. This, however, was a first for me. I had never heard of a trafficker using a device like this. This shows me the absolute devaluing of a human being, for the trafficker’s gain. Not only is it possible to buy a human being for less than $90 these days, but you can also keep a chip in them with their information in case they would try to escape...

In today’s technology-driven world, many people turn to their smartphones when they have questions. Even more specifically, people may be turning to their phone’s smart assistant, such as Siri or Cortana to aid in this search.  Earlier this month, the Journal of American Medical Association published a study about these conversational agents and their responses to mental health, interpersonal violence, and physical health.   Apple has changed Siri’s responses to rape and abuse to provide the hotline number and website of RAINN.   RAINN’s national hotline number links locally to Transitions. There is still some work to be done, though.  Siri recognizes the word rape, but does not recognize phrases about not wanting to have sex, and someone having sex with you anyway.  As the survivor states in this article , many survivors struggle to name what happened to them as rape, or even abuse. Siri also does not offer to call RAINN, like it does for other com...

It’s almost time! In case you didn't know, our Northumberland County Safe House is relocating. We are moving from our current location into Shamokin, where it will be easier for our clients to access our services.  The safe house will accommodate more families with children, and we will also have an accessible bedroom for people with disabilities. If you would like to help make our new safe house a comfortable place for our clients' stay, you can donate to our safe house shower .  Transitions is registered at both Target and Bed Bath & Beyond.   We look forward to serving our community in our new location!

Domestic violence is not gender specific. There is often a preconceived notion that abuse only happens to women. However, statistics show that 1 in 7 men has been the victim of   severe  physical violence by an intimate partner in his lifetime . Of course, domestic violence is not limited to physical violence. Other forms of domestic violence against men include verbal abuse, belittling, possessiveness, jealousy, controlling and/or manipulative behaviors, and isolation. There are many reasons men won’t disclose violence in their relationship or leave an abusive partner. Due to gender roles imposed by society, men who experience domestic violence feel ashamed because they believe they are not fitting into the quintessential role of “protector” and “provider”.  Abuse to men is often minimized because society has created a culture that believes a man should be able to protect himself. Men also may not disclose because they fear losing custody of their children or they a...

Since its origin in 2007, Transitions’ Internet Safety program for Middle and High School students has been presented in nearly 2,000 classrooms to more than 40,000 students.  The program summarizes a number of safety issues and concerns related to teens being online through social media sites and chat rooms, talking to others they don’t know.   The Internet Safety program is just one key program included in the sizable collection of programs for students in our local schools.  Classroom discussions include; domestic violence, sexual assault prevention, sexual harassment, and healthy relationships to name a few.  The curriculums are created to build on each other grade by grade, year after year, with age appropriate dialogue and media.  Several schools have arranged their schedules for the students to participate in multi-session programs within the school year.  This style of programming is more primary prevention based.  Other schools still...

Individuals with disabilities experience sexual violence at alarming rates.  Victims of sexual violence who have intellectual/developmental disabilities are often overlooked because they may not be able to speak for themselves.  Many times, these individuals are completely physically and emotionally dependent on someone else and may have a difficult time communicating. Individuals with disabilities are not always taught how to set specific boundaries for themselves, and they are encouraged to be compliant with others.  Some victims are not capable of  giving consent to a sexual relationship. More than 90 percent of people with developmental disabilities will experience sexual abuse at some point in their lives. Forty-nine percent will experience 10 or more abusive incidents (Valenti-Hein & Schwartz, 1995). There are many different ways to help individuals with developmental disabilities that have disclosed sexual violence. ·     ...