We take strong issue with the position Mr. Walker takes on the proposed legislation to more fully protect our youth from bullying, harassment and violence. Both MensWork and the Center for Women and Families do extensive work throughout Kentuckiana to combat bullying and harassment – and thus we are the “anti-bullying crusaders” that Mr. Walker mentions in his op-ed. We provide education and leadership development with youth, train teachers, coaches and other adults on how they can work to effectively combat bullying, and work with administrators on how they can create environments that promote respect and prevent bullying.
We believe that the proposed legislation is vital to our efforts, and those of others, to combat bullying throughout the state. Generic efforts to promote respect do not go far enough and do not provide the strategies, initiatives or skills necessary to combat the kinds of bullying that some people within certain targeted groups (or who are assumed to be of those targeted groups) experience.
It seems important to point out that the Family Foundation does not offer any bullying prevention programs, does not offer any kind of training for staff, adults or youth about how to recognize or prevent bullying, does not offer or recommend any curricula regarding the prevention of bullying. In fact, they do nothing to combat bullying.
We see and work to counter every day, the kinds of bullying that girls, smaller-stature boys, children who are perceived to be gay or lesbian, children with disabilities, or those who are not Christian experience. They deserve to be protected, and it is the responsibility, nay our moral obligation, to ensure that ALL of children experience the right to be safe in their educational settings. We would like to challenge Mr. Walker and the Family Foundation to get behind this legislation in order to insure that ALL Kentucky children are safe.

Marta Miranda, President and CEO of the Center for Women and Families
Rus Ervin Funk, Executive Director of MensWork: eliminating violence against women, inc.

Young women between the ages of 16-24 experience high rates of sexual assaults, stalking, and relationship violence. One in five women will be sexually assaulted while in college, and one in four women will be a victim of domestic violence in her lifetime.

This pledge was developed as part of a Town Hall meeting in October 2011 which brought together domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions, community leaders, activists and advocates, and other stakeholders to have a conversation on how men can become more active in stopping violence against women.

In conjunction with Vice President Joseph Biden’s initiative to raise awareness on dating violence and sexual assault among young people, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services- Office on Women’s Health, the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Housing and Urban Development hosted town hall meetings across the country to focus on the role of men and boys in violence prevention. The Chicago town hall meeting focused specifically on the role of men in ending dating violence and sexual assault on their campuses and in their communities.

By signing this pledge, I recognize that I have a central role in stopping violence against women. I know that violence includes physical violence, aggressive or sexist language, and sexual pressure. As a man, I have a responsibility to ensure that my sisters, classmates, partners, and friends have the right to live a life free of violence. I know that this is not about blaming men; it is about holding my brothers, classmates, partners, and friends to a higher standard that eliminates the pressure to be aggressive, unemotional, homophobic, and sexist.

Click here to sign the petition and find out more.

For many rape survivors, today is an important day. It means that the devastating violence they suffered will now be counted in this nation’s crime statistics. Attorney General Holder announced today that the FBI will be changing the definition of rape used to collect data from local law enforcement about these crimes. This data is published in the Uniform Crime Report and is the nation’s main source of information about crime trends.

The definition of rape used to compile these crime statistics has not been revised since 1927. Revisions are long overdue and welcomed by law enforcement officials and victim advocates. The definition will now include rapes committed against men, as well as a broader range of sexual acts. The new language also removes “forcible” from the definition of rape. These changes mean that rapes that are already being reported to local law enforcement will now be included in our nation’s crime data.

Changing this definition is about more than statistics – it’s about the women and men behind the statistics and what happened to them. It’s about how we view rape and how seriously we take this crime. The act of rape causes intense physical and emotional suffering. Rape victims are much more likely to need mental health services, to attempt suicide, and to face ongoing health problems than those who have not experienced this type of crime. When victims are suffering so greatly yet are invisible in our crime data, it limits our ability to fully understand the extent of the problem.

Improving our nation’s response to rape and sexual violence has long been a priority for Vice President Biden and the White House Council on Women and Girls. Early in the Administration, the Vice President convened federal agencies to assess trends and identify gaps in our response to violence and abuse. We identified data collection as one of the biggest challenges we face in understanding and combatting these crime. Thanks to the hard work of the Attorney General Holder, the FBI, law enforcement leaders, and the women’s organizations who have long advocated for this change, we are one step further towards meeting that challenge.

Lynn Rosenthal is the White House Advisor on Violence Against Women.

The Prostitution Debate: Should sex work be legalized?
Thursday, January 12th from 4:00-5:30pm
Chao Auditorium (lower level of Ekstrom Library)

Panelists

• Dr. Kaila Story, Assistant Professor, Pan-African Studies
• Alisha Dawn West, Graduate Student in Women’s and Gender Studies
• Rus Funk, Executive Director of MensWork
• Katie Adams, Graduate Student in Kent School of Social Work

Light Refreshments will be provided

For more info contact Robin Valenzuela at remalo01@louisville.edu

This expanded and more accurate definition will ensure that more women and men have their experiences of victimization counted and will likely increase the willingness of police and prosecutors to arrest and prosecute different forms of sexual assault.

For more information, see the link below:

MensWork received a grant from Verizon in support of our Voice Your Opposition Program.

VAWA was critical legislation in martialling in efforts to strengthen the “coordinated community responses” to domestic violence (bringing all the various partners in communities who address domestic violence to come around the same table on a regular basis and strategize how to  improve services, enhance responses, and coordinate efforts within those communities); expanding our Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Programs; increasing the training of police and other law enforcement officers; and develop our prevention efforts.  The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is a direct result of VAWA, and OVW currently provides a significant amount of funding streams and other initiatives to help local communities and states combat violence against women.

VAWA also helped to strengthen and stabalize our state coalitions against sexual assault and domestic violence, and through that, provide enhanced support for the local programs who work with and on behalf of women, children and men who are victimized by sexual and domestic violence every day.

President Obama remarked on this occasion:

“…Communities recognize the special needs of victims and appreciate the benefits of collaboration among professionals in the civil and criminal justice system, victim advocates, and other service providers. With the support of VAWA funds, dedicated units of law enforcement officers and specialized prosecutors have grown more numerous than ever before. Most importantly, victims are more likely to have a place to turn for help — for emergency shelter and crisis services, and also for legal assistance, transitional housing, and services for their children.

Despite this great progress, our Nation’s work remains unfinished. More families and communities must recognize that the safety of our children relates directly to the safety of our mothers. Access to sexual assault services, especially in rural America, must be increased. American Indian and Alaska Native women experience the highest rates of violence, and we must make it a priority to address this urgent problem. We must also work with diverse communities to make sure the response to violence is relevant and culturally appropriate. We must prevent the homicide of women and girls who have suffered from domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

Far too many women in our communities and neighborhoods, and across the world, continue to suffer from violence. Inspired by the promise and achievement of the Violence Against Women Act, our Nation stands united in its determination to end these crimes and help those in need.”

Please take a moment with me and MensWork to honor the passage of VAWA, and then another moment to strengthen yoru resolve to be a part of the solution by ending violence against women in all of our communities!

Rus Ervin Funk, Executive Director, MensWork