tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242633882022-08-16T02:49:18.415-05:00abyss2hopeA rape survivor's zigzag journey into the openMarcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.comBlogger2114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-59689354134277670492010-08-31T12:55:00.002-05:002010-08-31T12:58:33.953-05:00Carnival Delayed Due To Low Volume of NominationsI'm postponing tomorrow's edition of the <a href="http://carnivalagainstsexualviolence.blogspot.com/">Carnival Against Sexual Violence</a> until the 15th of Sept. due to the very low number of nominations. The nomination deadline has therefore been extended to the end of the day on Sept. 11.<br /><br />Please take a few minutes and <a href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_328.html">nominate</a> a post you've written or a post you've read.<br /><br />For anyone unfamiliar with blog carnivals, this terminology is used for collections of blog posts with different carnivals focusing on different topics. You can learn more by reading the <a href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/faq.html">Carnival FAQ</a>.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-54867902637560343022010-08-01T00:03:00.002-05:002010-08-01T00:03:00.256-05:00Carnival Against Sexual Violence 97Welcome to the August 1 edition of the Carnival Against Sexual Violence.<br /><br />Quick FYI for those unfamiliar with blog carnivals and who wonder about this terminology, the term refers to collections of related blog posts. Check out <a href="http://www.blogcarnival.com/">blogcarnival.com</a> for more information.<br /><br />I'm now on Twitter as <a href="http://twitter.com/abyss2hope">Abyss2hope</a> so if you Twitter please follow me and then let me know you arrived from this blog through the @ reply or DM.<br /><br />Thank you to everyone who nominated a post or who wrote a post against sexual violence whether it was nominated/selected or not. Nominations that came in after the nomination deadline will be considered for the next edition of the carnival.<br /><br />If you support the purpose of the carnival, you can <a href="http://carnivalagainstsexualviolence.blogspot.com/2006/08/help-get-word-out.html">help get the word out</a> about it and all of the posts included in the carnival.<br /><br />Here are the selections for this edition of the carnival against sexual violence:<br /><br /><h2>gender</h2><br />In <a href="http://madreblogs.typepad.com/mymadre/2010/07/more-to-say-about-un-women.html">More to Say About UN Women</a> posted at <a href="http://madreblogs.typepad.com/mymadre/">myMADRE</a>, we get a discussion of how previously disjointed and ill-funded UN groups working on women's rights were combined into a single, more effective agency.<br /><br /><h2>legal</h2><br />In <a href="http://thecurvature.com/2010/07/06/experts-believe-arizona-immigration-law-will-harm-domestic-abuse-victims/">Experts Believe Arizona Immigration Law Will Harm Domestic Abuse Victims</a> posted at <a href="http://thecurvature.com/">The Curvature</a>, we get a discussion of how a law requiring the police to verify immigration status will help those committing abuse.<br /><br />In <a href="http://mediamisses.wordpress.com/2010/07/12/blaming-the-victim-2/">Blaming the victim</a> posted at <a href="http://mediamisses.wordpress.com/">Media Misses</a>, we get a discussion of an Iowa case where a woman who was the victim of domestic violence was wrongfully placed on a child abuser list for the impact her husband's crime against her has on their children.<br /><br />In <a href="http://jimhines.livejournal.com/519379.html">False Rape Reports</a> posted at <a href="http://jimhines.livejournal.com/">Jim C. Hines</a>, we get a discussion about false rape reports including how often an allegation or second-hand story is accepted as fact with little or no evidence.<br /><br />In <a href="http://thecurvature.com/2010/07/19/south-african-sea-cadet-found-dead-hours-after-rape-allegations-were-filed/">South African Sea Cadet Found Dead Hours After Rape Allegations Were Filed</a> posted at <a href="http://thecurvature.com/">The Curvature</a>, we get a discussion of a woman who died after disclosing rape.<br /><br />In <a href="http://abyss2hope.blogspot.com/2010/07/technology-used-by-girl-to-seek-help.html">Technology used by girl to seek help</a>posted at <a href="http://abyss2hope.blogspot.com/">Abyss2hope: A rape survivor's zigzag journey into the open</a>, I discuss a case where technology helped a girl reach out for help.<br /><br /><h2>media watch</h2><br />In <a href="http://calcasa.org/prevention/sin-by-silence-a-documentary-on-domestic-violence/">Sin by Silence – a documentary on domestic violence</a> posted at <a href="http://calcasa.org/">CALCASA</a>, we get an interview with 2 women behind this documentary.<br /><br />In <a href="http://happybodies.wordpress.com/2010/07/05/where-sexual-violence-prevention-starts/">Where sexual violence prevention starts.</a> posted at <a href="http://happybodies.wordpress.com/">Happy Bodies</a>, we get a discussion sparked by the premise that a female condom being marketed in South Africa is rape prevention.<br /><br />In <a href="http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2010/07/today-in-rape-culture_16.html">Today in Rape Culture</a> posted at <a href="http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/">Shakespeare's Sister</a>, we get a discussion of victim blaming comments made to Larry King by Lynette Taylor (the wife of NFL Hall-of-Famer Lawrence Taylor—who was indicted last month).<br /><br />In <a href="http://www.feministing.com/archives/021867.html">Michael Kimmel on male entitlement, anger and invisible privilege</a> posted at <a href="http://www.feministing.com/">Feministing</a>, we get a discussion of the author of the book, Guyland, about the pressures placed on young men to prove their masculinity.<br /><br /><h2>raising awareness</h2><br />In <a href="http://thecurvature.com/2010/06/25/on-dismissing-sexual-violence-against-some-women-as-cultural/">On Dismissing Sexual Violence Against Some Women As “Cultural”</a> posted at <a href="http://thecurvature.com/">The Curvature</a>, we get a discussion of how the high rate of rape in the Congo is often dismissed as the norm by those working to improve the security there.<br /><br />In <a href="http://thatfuckinghippy.info/so-im-pretty-that-doesnt-oblige-me-to-sleep-with-you">So, I’m pretty? That doesn’t oblige me to sleep with you.</a> posted at <a href="http://thatfuckinghippy.info/">thatfuckinghippy</a>, we get a discussion of sexual harassment which is justified by the prettiness of the person being harassed.<br /><br />In <a href="http://icedteaandlemoncake.wordpress.com/2010/07/03/why-even-street-sexual-harassment-is-hard-to-get-over/">why even street sexual harassment is hard to get over</a> posted at <a href="http://icedteaandlemoncake.wordpress.com/">Iced Tea and Lemon Cake</a>, we get a discussion about the impact of behavior which many people dismiss as harmless.<br /><br />In <a href="http://www.safercampus.org/blog/?p=2630">Ms. Foundation Report on Gender-Based Violence</a> posted at <a href="http://www.safercampus.org/blog">Change Happens</a>, we get a discussion of the report titled, “Efforts to Address Gender-Based Violence: A Look at Foundation Funding.”<br /><br />In <a href="http://womensrights.change.org/blog/view/raped_by_dad_just_turn_lemons_into_lemonade">Raped By Dad? Just Turn Lemons Into Lemonade</a> posted at <a href="http://womensrights.change.org/">Women's Rights Change.org</a>, we get a discussion about the dismissive response to girls become pregnant from rape.<br /><br />In <a href="http://www.safercampus.org/blog/?p=2704">Protect yourself?</a> posted at <a href="http://www.safercampus.org/blog">Change Happens</a>, we get a discussion of the danger of telling girls and women to protect themselves from rape which includes positioning rape as being caused by the actions of victims.<br /><br /><h2>research</h2><br />In <a href="http://abyss2hope.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-study-challenges-stereotypes-of.html">New Study Challenges Stereotypes of Adolescent Sex Offenders</a>posted at <a href="http://abyss2hope.blogspot.com/">Abyss2hope: A rape survivor's zigzag journey into the open</a>, I discuss research which contradicts the belief that rape by adolescents is caused by poor communication or social skills.<br /><br /><h2>solutions</h2><br />In <a href="http://rcasa.wordpress.com/2010/07/10/rcasas-saturday-prevention-reaching-rural-communities/">RCASA's Saturday Prevention: Reaching Rural Communities</a> posted at <a href="http://rcasa.wordpress.com/">Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault Blog</a>, we get a discussion of the challenges which are unique to providing help to people who live in rural communities.<br /><br />In <a href="http://thecurvature.com/2010/06/29/scotland-anti-rape-ad-tackles-she-was-asking-for-it-myth/">Scotland Anti-Rape Ad Tackles “She Was Asking For It” Myth</a> posted at <a href="http://thecurvature.com/">The Curvature</a>, we get a discussion of the "Not Ever" campaign which challenges the too common belief that people can ask to be raped.<br /><br />That concludes this edition of the carnival against sexual violence. Thank you for taking the time to visit this carnival and thank you to the authors of all the posts included in this edition.<br /><br />To nominate a post (your own or someone else's) to the next edition of carnival against sexual violence, use the <a title="Submit an entry to carnival against sexual violence" href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_328.html" target="_blank">carnival submission form</a>. If you have any problem with the form, please let me know so your submission can be considered for the next edition.<br /><br />Links to everything related to the carnival can be found on the blog dedicated to this carnival, <a href="http://carnivalagainstsexualviolence.blogspot.com/">http://carnivalagainstsexualviolence.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/20590912">Marcella Chester</a>Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-66423807460424906572010-07-31T09:58:00.001-05:002010-07-31T10:06:28.072-05:00Portland Authorities Announce No Charges To Be Filed Against Al GoreThe district attorney's office in Portland, Oregon has announced that there will be no <a href="http://abyss2hope.blogspot.com/2010/06/ilogical-reasons-to-doubt-al-gore.html">charges filed against Al Gore</a>. This announcement and the reasons given for it have been mistaken by some to mean that the woman who made the report has been proven to have lied to the police, meaning that this is a proven hoax. This is false. "Lack of credible evidence," means just that.<br /><br />Those who twist this into something more are promoting a false claim. Too often this includes the police and prosecutors who make claims which go beyond the evidence. People who seem to never forget "innocent until proven guilty" and who are concerned over the taint of unproven allegations suddenly seem to have never heard of either of those concepts. The <a href="http://www.ndaa.org/publications/newsletters/the_voice_vol_3_no_1_2009.pdf">pervasive bias </a>about false sex crimes reports causes many people to read more into the evidence than is actually there.<br /><br />The requirement for claims by the police and the prosecution against someone who reported a crime before they can be taken as fact are the same as if they are making these claims against the person accused of the original crime. Both are unproven allegations until proven in court. Anyone who is claiming this case has been proven to be a hoax is making a false claim. Nothing has been proven.<br /><br />Selling your story to the National Enquirer is proof of nothing related to the original claim. If it were then everyone who has ever sold their story must be a liar. Yet this blanket claim is clearly false. People can and do sell the truth to media outlets.<br /><br />The woman's failed polygraph is also presented as evidence, but polygraphs are not proof. People who are innocent can fail them and people who are guilty can pass them.<br /><br />Thanking the hotel management for referrals after an alleged crime at that hotel by a referred client is also not proof. There are practical reasons to not mention an assault.<br /><br />Not providing requested material to the police and prosecutors is also not proof. If it becomes clear in a crime victim's mind that investigators have turned on them it makes perfect sense to not volunteer any material to people who seem likely to view that material through their biased filter.<br /><br />These items do explain why the decision was made that the original allegations against Al Gore cannot be proven in court. But that is different from making a claim that Al Gore has been proven innocent. None if the supporting items given by the DA's office provide any proof that Al Gore is innocent.<br /><br />The reality is that there are many cases where nothing can be proven in criminal court and the just thing to do is to openly acknowledge this even if those making the announcement believe they know the truth. When officials fail to acknowledge all that has not been proven many people add cases such as this one against Al Gore to their list of proven hoaxes and then they will use an unproven hoax to instantly cast doubt on the next allegation against someone who is famous.<br /><br />This is negligent and must never be tolerated.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-24931909342994842602010-07-27T09:36:00.001-05:002010-07-27T09:36:00.455-05:00Carnival Deadline ApproachingTomorrow night at 11 pm is the next deadline for the <a href="http://carnivalagainstsexualviolence.blogspot.com/">Carnival Against Sexual Violence</a> so please take a few minutes and <a href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_328.html">nominate</a> a post you've written or a post you've read.<br /><br />For anyone unfamiliar with blog carnivals, this terminology is used for collections of blog posts with different carnivals focusing on different topics. You can learn more by reading the <a href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/faq.html">Carnival FAQ</a>.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-6163662521135545152010-07-26T11:48:00.001-05:002010-07-26T11:48:59.569-05:00New Ad Urges Congress To Pass International VAWA ActI've blogged about the importance of passing the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) (<a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:H.R.4594:@@@N" target="_blank">HR 4594</a>/<a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:S.2982:@@@P" target="_blank">S 2982</a>) before and urged my readers in the US to contact their representative and senators. I was reminded that this legislation is still pending by an email from the <a href="http://www.endabuse.org/">Family Violence Prevention Fund.</a><br /><br />This is an important piece of human rights legislation that should have been passed years ago, but many people who claim to support human rights fail to do so when the humans are primarily female. Too often women's human rights are viewed as special, and therefore lesser, rights.<br /><br />Sometimes this lesser status is positioned as a natural result of protecting individual rights. However, there is nothing natural about this so-called natural result, but selling it as such works to convince far too many people.<br /><br />In this stratified version of individual rights only the rights of those accused of violence against women and those who enable this violence have rights which must be protected. This gendered view is often falsely presented as if it were gender neutral by framing who gets rights without mention of gender. Those accused have individual rights, those harmed do not.<br /><br />Sometimes <a href="http://abyss2hope.blogspot.com/2008/08/afghan-women-jailed-for-being-raped.html">harm to women </a>who are victims of sexual violence is viewed as positive such as expressed by a man who learned that women in Afghanistan were jailed for reporting rape. Here's his response to this human rights abuse:<br /><blockquote>I bet there aren't any false rape allegations in Afghanistan!!!</blockquote>While other people might not respond to this injustice with such glee, too many people who feel bad for these women refuse to do anything to stop this type of injustice and on a practical level align themselves with this man who sees unjust imprisonment as something to celebrate.<br /><br />Fortunately, there is a new push to get members of the US Congress to make this legislation a priority and to pass it this year. <a href="http://www.womenthrive.org/">Women Thrive Worldwide</a> created a <a href="http://endabuse.org/userfiles/file/PublicPolicy/AD%20Eyes%20FINAL%20VERSION%207-18.pdf">print ad</a> which includes:<br /><blockquote>Her Eyes Will See So Much.<br />An aunt brutally punished for being RAPED.<br />A friend forced into PROSTITUTION.<br />A cousin SOLD INTO MARRIAGE at age 12.<br />A sister BURNED WITH ACID for going to school.<br />Don't turn your back on her.<br />Pass the International Violence Against Women Act, so she can see a world free of violence against girls and women.<br /></blockquote><br />Those who don't support girls' and women's human rights don't truly support human rights, but instead only support men's human rights. We can do better and we must do better and we must demand this from those who are supposed to represent us.<br /><br />Please contact your US <a href="https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml">representative</a> and your <a href="http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm">senators</a> to let them know that this legislation is a priority and should be passed this year.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-87866664217362725412010-07-21T15:37:00.000-05:002010-07-21T15:37:07.204-05:00Technology Used By Girl To Seek Help During Rape AttemptA 12-year-old girl who had her cell phone taken away from her by her mother's ex-boyfriend before he started sexually assaulting her was able to use her iPod's <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/girl-12-ipod-report-rape-attempt/story?id=11217191">Internet connection to seek help</a>.<br /><br />This case is an example of how technology can help combat sexual violence. So often when sexual assault and technology are mentioned, only the efforts of predators are mentioned. This needs to change.<br /><br />Technology can be a useful tool for those being assaulted and it can be useful for bystanders. If technology is exploited fully by all non-offenders that may cause some offenders to have more fear of detection.<br /><br />H/T: twitter feed of <a href="http://twitter.com/hollydes">Hollydes</a>Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-23043053124553206612010-07-20T10:51:00.000-05:002010-07-20T10:51:48.364-05:00New Study Challenges Stereotypes of Adolescent Sex OffendersA new study which looks at the data from a variety of samples confirms what many of us have been saying for years and that is that sexual violence among non-strangers should never be dismissed as just a misunderstanding and needs to be looked at as a matter of the person's values and ethics related to how they treat other people sexually in the context of how personal sexual ethics are reinforced or undermined by wider social norms.<br /><br />When people claim misunderstanding as the cause of sexual offenses many times it is presented as acceptable for someone to proceed sexually without ensuring willing participation and to proceed even when any agreement or compliance is not freely given. This teaching about acceptable perpetration happens every time someone blames a victim for not being clearer in their non-consent.<br /><br />A <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-07/apa-nsc071910.php">new study</a> looks at the contrast between the stereotypes of young sex offenders and the reality.<br /><blockquote>WASHINGTON – Adolescent sex offenders are often stereotyped and treated as socially inept, but new research negates this image, finding that they are more likely to be characterized by atypical sexual interests -- such as desire for prepubescent children, coercive sex with peers and adults, and exposing their genitals to strangers. Adolescent sex offenders are also more likely to have a history of sexual abuse themselves, been exposed to sexual violence in their families, and experienced early exposure to sex or pornography.<br /><br />"If you walked into a typical group treatment for adolescent sex offenders, you might notice a lot of focus on social skills, like how to approach a girl, how to deal with conflict and understanding non-verbal communication," said Michael C. Seto, PhD, lead author of the study. "Our research suggests that social skills training is not what young sex offenders need most in order to be rehabilitated. Discussing sexuality -- early exposure to sex or pornography, sexual fantasies, and sexual arousal -- would likely get us closer to understanding why the offenses were committed and prevent similar ones from being committed again."<br /><br />Seto, of the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group, and Martin Lalumiere, PhD, of the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, conducted a meta-analysis of 59 independent studies comparing a total of 3,855 male adolescent sex offenders with 13,393 male adolescent non-sex offenders between ages 12 and 18. Their research is published in the July issue of Psychological Bulletin, published by the American Psychological Association.</blockquote>When studies find that sex offenders have a higher rate of sexual abuse victimization than non-offenders many times people believe that a continuing of the cycle of sexual violence is caused by something internal to the survivor, but I believe that the rationalizations given by those who victim blame and deny sexual violence actively reinforces dangerous norms. When victimization is nullified then so too is perpetration.<br /><br />There is too fine of a line between, "You asked for," and, "It's okay to do to others what someone did to you as long as people would tell them they asked for it." Same goes for "It doesn't count because you never said the word no," and "It won't count as a crime as long as your victims never say no." These fine lines don't widen just because many victim blamers give disclaimers stating that they are against all sexual violence.<br /><br />We do a disservice to all socially awkward children and adolescents when we allow this stereotype to continue. We also do a disservice to all survivors sexual abuse when we link the abuse itself to the choice to abuse sexually.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-40177141262490918482010-07-19T09:59:00.000-05:002010-07-19T09:59:33.489-05:00EvPsych Narrative That Domestic Abusers Are Guarding Their VictimsI came across an article which asks <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-scientific-fundamentalist/201007/why-do-some-men-beat-their-wives-and-girlfriends">Why do so men beat up their wives and girlfriends?</a> on Psychology Today by Satoshi Kanazawa which conflates statistical outcomes with evidence of causation. The article begins with:<br /><blockquote>In a previous <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-scientific-fundamentalist/200804/why-do-some-battered-women-stay" target="_blank" jquery1279547316460="96">post</a>, I address the question of why so many battered women stay in their abusive relationships. (Answer: So that they could produce violent sons with the abusive husbands, who will grow up to kill many men.) </blockquote><br />This answer clearly conflates an outcome of remaining in an abusive relationship: violent sons with the premise that this is the true underlying reason women stay. In that previous post, staying is positioned as in opposition to the "importance of life, survival, and individual welfare" but this is based on ignorance. Leaving an abuser can result in the loss of all 3 of these. This can happen even when the victim is using the best resources available.<br /><br />The number of boys and girls fathered by abusers vs. non-abusers can clearly be impacted by more than biology. An abuser who wants sons and not daughters can adapt the abuse to increase or decrease the chance of a miscarriage. Yet this reality is ignored just as the very real risks of leaving an abuser were ignored.<br /><br />In the investigation of why men abuse their partners, the competing premises Kanazawa presents neatly reduce domestic violence to being caused by the valuing of the abused person's reproductive value or not valuing this. Then DV statistics are positioned as by necessity proving one of these premises true and the other false. This misuses data since it presents any data set as proving evolutionary psychology to be a valid explanation for abuse. <br /><br />Too often when I see someone supporting evolutionary psychology to explain domestic or sexual violence, that person's understanding of the behaviors they are trying to explain seems based on popular narratives about violence rather than on solid research or scientific thought.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-70895966825679909732010-07-16T14:21:00.000-05:002010-07-16T14:22:08.727-05:00ESPN's Erin Andrews Sues Hotels For Giving Stalker Information HeI'm glad to see that Erin Andrews has sued 7 hotels who gave her stalker her room number. From the <a href="http://detnews.com/article/20100716/SPORTS07/7160416/1361/ESPN-s-Erin-Andrews-sues-seven-hotels-for--permanent-emotional-distress-#ixzz0tsGRoYrL">Detroit News</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, who was secretly videotaped nude while staying at hotels, filed a lawsuit Thursday against seven hotels and the suburban Chicago man who admitted making the tapes.<br /><br />Andrews filed the suit in Cook County against the hotels for negligence and invasion of privacy, about seven months after Michael David Barrett, of Westmont, Ill., pleaded guilty in federal court in Los Angeles to interstate stalking.<br /><br />Andrews' lawsuit alleges the hotels confirmed where Barrett was staying and gave out her room number without her permission. </blockquote>These lawsuits are important because it isn't only celebrities who can be harmed because companies or their employees gave out this type of information. Other stalking victims can also be harmed as well as victims of domestic violence who may use going to a hotel as part of their safety plan.<br /><br />In 3 cities hotels not only gave out her room number, they allowed Andrews' stalker to book a room next to hers.<br /><br />Too often basic security and privacy considerations are ensured only when companies believe they will be hurt financially if they fail to have effective policies in place.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-27786796743939890302010-07-13T10:26:00.000-05:002010-07-13T10:26:36.798-05:00Milwaukee Police Response To Sexual Assault Failures and Improvement PlanMany times the failures in how sex crime victims are treated by investigators aren't acknowledged as real problems until those problems are associated to the mishandling of victims who turned out to be linked to a serial sex criminal. That seems to be the case in <a href="http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/98143309.html">Milwaukee</a>.<br /><br /><blockquote>A new assessment on Milwaukee sex assault advocacy was released this week. It was compiled by the Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance, The Healing Center and Aurora Healthcare. The report reveals some victims feel officers treat them with suspicion. [...]<br /><br />Also this week, prosecutors charged 36-year-old Gregory Below with attacking, raping and torturing seven women. Some of his alleged victims claim officers downplayed their abuse.<br /><br />In response to the serial rape case and broader assessment report, [Milwaukee Wisconsin Police Chief Edward] Flynn announced Friday that all officers will undergo sex assault sensitivity education during their annual in-service training days.</blockquote>At the beginning of this story Flynn stated in a press conference that "training may not be where it needs to be." This choice to not acknowledge this as a clear failure in how investigators are trained is a problem. If something is only maybe a problem then the design of the solution is more likely to be ineffective.<br /><br />When the police fail victims in the way they treat those victims most of the time the honesty of the victim is viewed as in doubt because that failure results in a lack of investigation and therefore a lack of proof of the perpetrator's guilt.<br /><br />Most victim complaints will therefore be discounted by those who view investigator treatment of victims as a way to separate true victims from fake victims or who view this as a way of deciding whether a sex crime is likely to be winnable in court. The problem with this view is the failure to link how investigators treat different victims with the outcomes of those cases.<br /><br />When victims don't report or stop cooperating they are too often blamed by police who represent agencies which allow investigators to repel victims from reporting and to repel victims from trusting investigators after the initial report. This type of victim blaming endangers public safety even when it doesn't help a serial rapist continue raping. When potential sex criminals believe that their potential victims will be be treated poorly by the police they will be more likely to cross the line from potential criminal to real criminal.<br /><br />For effective change to be a priority those in charge need to understand that a lack of training or bad training of investigators on how they interact with those who report sex crimes is linked to public safety whether that link is measurable or not.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-15172787641931899322010-07-12T12:17:00.000-05:002010-07-12T12:18:13.292-05:00Great Info Related To Teen Survivors Of Sexual ViolenceThanks to the twitterfeed of <a href="http://twitter.com/wcsap">wcsap</a> I discovered an issue of Connections, a publication of the Washington (state) Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, which focuses on <a href="http://www.wcsap.org/advocacy/PDF/EffectiveAdvocacyforYouth09.pdf">issues related to teen survivors</a> (pdf).<br /><br />As the <a href="http://www.wcsap.org/advocacy/PDF/EffectiveAdvocacyforYouth09.pdf">Winter 2009 issue</a> highlights, youth between 12 and 18 suffer the highest rate of sexual victimization. Unfortunately, these victims are often viewed less sympathetically than younger victims. In a society which too often looks for excuses to blame the victim, once a child hit puberty the common excuses given by those who commit sexual violence start to gain traction.<br /><br />For example, too many people still hold onto the idea that if the victim was alone with the perpetrator willingly then what was done to that victim is unlikely to have been a serious offense and if the victim continued to spend time with the perpetrator then what was done could not possibly be anything but fully consensual -- no matter what the law says.<br /><br />Sexual violence by someone slightly older is too often immediately dismissed as a Romeo and Juliet relationship, especially if the older teen or young adult is convicted of a statutory crime. Little consideration is given to whether what was done also qualified as forcible rape, rape by coercion or rape by intoxication or was done as part of relationship abuse.<br /><br />Here's the table of contents for this issue:<br /><blockquote>Teen Sexual Assault Survivors: Legal Impacts and Considerations<br /><br /><strong>Serving Youth</strong><br />Effective Advocacy for Youth -- Know their rights<br /><strong>Privacy Concerns</strong><br />Balancing Obligations: Serving Teen Victims & Mandated Reporting of Child Rape<br />Why Teens Don't Tell<br /><strong>Safety Concerns</strong><br />Challenges Facing Teens Seeking Protective Orders<br /><strong>Health Care Concerns</strong><br />Providing Health Care to Minors Under Washington Law<br />Emergency Contraception<br /><strong>Education</strong><br />Teens, School & Sexual Violence<br /><strong>Spot Light</strong><br />Legal Considerations for Teenage Victims of Sexual Assault<br /><strong>Abstract</strong><br />Who Pays the Price? An Assessment of Youth Involvement in Prostitution in Seattle</blockquote>Take the time to read the <a href="http://www.wcsap.org/advocacy/PDF/EffectiveAdvocacyforYouth09.pdf">entire issue</a>.<br /><br />We can learn where the gaps are and we can fill those gaps so that all children including all teens are at a lower risk of sexual violence and so that those who are victimized can get the support they should be able to depend upon.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-37226448704013291092010-07-09T09:05:00.000-05:002010-07-09T09:06:54.506-05:00An Attitude All Investigators Should ShareSo often actions and statements made by those who investigate sex crimes demonstrate why so many victims of sexual assault don't trust that they will be treated as a genuine victim deserving of respectful treatment. Harmful bias, incompetence and/or a desire to rebuff most reports is still too common. Too often those in charge work to uphold the perception of safety from sex crimes over the reality of safety.<br /><br />When people ask me if I would report if I were raped again, my answer is that if I were raped in my current home of Rochester, MN that yes I would report in the company of a victim's advocate because of what I know about those who would be entrusted to respond to my report.<br /><br />In Wednesday's Rochester Post-Bulletin, Eli Umpierre, a sergeant in the Rochester Police Department wrote an <a href="http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=12&a=460032">editorial</a> which highlights why I would report here.<br /><br />Here is the opening:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>If I have a specialty within policing it is my knowledge of issues and truths related to sexual assault. With more than 18 years of policing experience, I have come to believe that the prevalence of women and girls being sexually assaulted is much higher than what most people know.<br /><br />National statistics are trending toward the belief that one-in-three women, rather than the previously held belief of one-in-four women, have been sexually assaulted at some point during their lifetimes. Of course, men and boys can and have been sexually assaulted as well, but by all known accounts the percentage of such an occurrence is much lower than that of females who have been victimized.<br /><br />I'm sure much of what I say here has been heard by many before, but just maybe somebody will read something that will touch a place that they thought nobody would ever recognize as a whisper of their own experience. Even if not recognized by your own experience, perhaps having this information will allow you be more empathetic to those who have been sexually assaulted.<br /><br />1) If you were sexually assaulted it was NOT your fault. I don't care if you were dancing naked with heroin needles sticking out of your arms in a room full of men. In the United States of America, bad decisions are not justifiably punishable by sexual assault.</blockquote>This first point of 10 is one where too many investigators and too many citizens flunk. The belief that some victims deserve rape (or cause it) is often expressed indirectly, but softening the words does nothing to soften the reality that too many people are quick to find excuses for all but the most horrific sex criminals. Excuses and shifting blame to victims are key contributors to sex crimes since they provide practical help to perpetrators.<br /><br />Another contributor to the prevalence of sex crimes are mistaken beliefs about what doesn't count. Umpierre highlights one such example.<br /><blockquote>6) You can start making out with somebody and then decide you do not want to go further. When you either said "no" or indicated "no" with your body and the person continued the sexual actions on you, the definition of the continued actions is sexual assault.</blockquote><br />I encourage everyone to read the <a href="http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=12&a=460032">entire commentary</a> and to expect this level of understanding in action from the sex crime investigators in your jurisdiction. Victim blaming investigators are incompetent investigators and they must either improve or be replaced.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-56599290976920783062010-07-07T00:03:00.001-05:002010-07-07T12:04:09.434-05:00Abducted 4 Year Old Girl FoundIn too many cases where a child is abducted by a stranger either a body of a murdered child is found or the child remains missing. Thankfully, a <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38120690/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/?Gt1=43001">recent case</a> didn't end in murder or lingering uncertainty.<br /><blockquote>FENTON, Mo. — They're calling it another Missouri miracle — a 4-year-old girl abducted from her front yard and found safe 70 miles away more than 24 hours later.<br /><br />The FBI said witnesses late Tuesday saw what they thought was a little boy wandering around a suburban St. Louis car wash. It turned out to be 4-year-old Alisa Maier, abducted Monday night from the yard of her home in Louisiana, Mo. </blockquote>The abducted girl's brother witnessed the abduction and provided enough information about the man, a stranger, and the car he was driving so that the police were able to issue an Amber Alert. This alert and the information contained in it is most likely the reason the man let the girl go.<br /><br />I understand why some would view this as a miracle to be celebrated, but it is important to look at what practical elements of the response by all involved, private citizens and police, which made the difference between a miracle and a tragedy. We need to focus on these elements to increase the number of so-called miracle outcomes and to decrease the belief by those who are tempted to abduct that they will have any chance of getting away with their intended crimes.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-30452161985183069742010-07-05T12:28:00.001-05:002010-07-05T12:29:06.272-05:00Denying Women's Right To Their Own BoundariesIn a comment to an excellent post titled <a href="http://icedteaandlemoncake.wordpress.com/2010/07/03/why-even-street-sexual-harassment-is-hard-to-get-over/">Why even street sexual harassment is hard to get over</a> at <a href="http://icedteaandlemoncake.wordpress.com/">Iced Tea and Lemon Cake</a>, a commenter using the name Jen <a title="Direct link to this comment" href="http://icedteaandlemoncake.wordpress.com/2010/07/03/why-even-street-sexual-harassment-is-hard-to-get-over/#comment-175">wrote</a>:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>You are insane if you think you are making a valid point. This concept of ‘education of womens feeling and rights’ misses the mark entirely because of your subject emphasis; is rape. (And rape culture? You must be kidding!) No shit it’s not accepted! No shit it’s not tolerated! But it will happen because BAD PEOPLE EXIST. Not because men lack the proper sensitivity. If you had real world experience you would already know this and you would not have to make up stories and ‘friends that said’ to state your clique and bigoted opposite view point. Poor writing my dear. Now be a real woman and leave this post up! Take the criticism as harsh as you like to hand out!</blockquote>Here's my comment of response which I wrote on that post:<br /><br /><blockquote>Jen, just because you refuse to get the point of this post doesn't make the woman who wrote it insane.<br /><br />Clearly your personal values differ greatly related to unwanted actions taken against women by men. If you are okay with certain actions that only applies to actions taken against you. Just as men have no right to cross women's personal boundaries, you have no right to nullify other people's personal boundaries.<br /><br />The willingness to nullify another person's boundaries is needed for people to justify the types of sex crimes you would never mock. Bad people don't just exist, they are formed by the beliefs they hold and the standards they are held to.</blockquote>I had additional thoughts about this comment by Jen which didn't fit into a comment. Since this type of comment is echoed in many similar ones girls and women get when they speak out against boys and men treating their sexual boundaries as meaningless, the mindset behind it is worth analyzing.<br /><br />By invoking the "you are insane" argument Jen is abandoning logic for personal attack. Jen is refusing to think about any perspective except Jen's own perspective and justifies this refusal by declaring those who think differently as insane. This is laziness and entitlement at it's extreme since Jen feels qualified to make a mental health assessment of someone Jen has never met and most likely without any mental health training.<br /><br />Jen has no interest in getting the point of this post and instead wants only to vent anger against someone who speaks out against having her personal boundaries violated and who puts the full responsibility onto those who take the unwanted actions. Speaking out against those who dismiss sexual harassment and the harm it causes would not be seen as insane if Jen didn't agree with those called out in this post.<br /><br />Jen has chosen to make contradictory claims. 1) Bad people exist. 2) The behavior of bad people is not tolerated, is not accepted. The problem with these 2 claims is that if this behavior were not tolerated, those who report it or discuss it would never be met with responses like Jen's. The way many people dodge this contradiction is to either deny that the behavior happened (behavior is a lie) or to deny that the behavior is in fact bad (impact of behavior is a lie). Jen does this by making the allegation that the author has made up stories. This allegation has as it's only possible foundation the belief that bad people do not exist, something Jen has specifically claimed not to believe.<br /><br />If Jen truly believes that bad people exist and their bad behavior is not tolerated, Jen would always hold the bad people 100% responsible for their actions. However, in Jen's comment all the anger is directed at a woman who disclosed being subjected to sexual violence.<br /><br />The claim that "bad people exist" is not only false since it implies that bad people spring fully formed bad, it also allows those who make this claim to justify apathy. If boys don't learn values which make the difference between them being willing to sexually harass and/or sexually assault girls and/or women or not being willing to take these actions then we can ignore boys and men's values when it comes to how they interact with girls and women.<br /><br />Since most people understand that we teach children right from wrong and that a toddler's shoplifting isn't caused by innate badness and also shouldn't be ignored, it shouldn't be a challenge to understand this concept of learning when right and wrong involve respecting or violating other people's personal sexual boundaries.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-41943156324644845222010-07-02T10:29:00.000-05:002010-07-02T10:31:50.255-05:00California Reached $20 Million Settlement With Jaycee DugardI was glad to read that California has approved a $20 million <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/2010/07/01/2864453/california-reaches-20-million.html">settlement </a>of the civil case filed by the family of Jaycee Dugard over inadequate parole supervision of Phillip Garrido. Part of the settlement will go toward the needs of Dugard's 2 daughters who were born while Dugard was being kept in Garrido's back yard.<br /><br />For the few people who haven't heard about this case, Dugard was kidnapped when she was 11 and held captive for 18 years.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-91458864529406194142010-07-01T00:01:00.005-05:002010-07-01T00:01:02.403-05:00Carnival Against Sexual Violence 96Welcome to the July 1 edition of the Carnival Against Sexual Violence.<br /><br />Quick FYI for those unfamiliar with blog carnivals and who wonder about this terminology, the term refers to collections of related blog posts. Check out <a href="http://www.blogcarnival.com/">blogcarnival.com</a> for more information.<br /><br />I'm now on Twitter as <a href="http://twitter.com/abyss2hope">Abyss2hope</a> so if you Twitter please follow me and then let me know you arrived from this blog through the @ reply or DM.<br /><br />Thank you to everyone who nominated a post or who wrote a post against sexual violence whether it was nominated/selected or not. Nominations that came in after the nomination deadline will be considered for the next edition of the carnival.<br /><br />If you support the purpose of the carnival, you can <a href="http://carnivalagainstsexualviolence.blogspot.com/2006/08/help-get-word-out.html">help get the word out</a> about it and all of the posts included in the carnival.<br /><br />Here are the selections for this edition of the carnival against sexual violence:<br /><br /><h2>gender</h2><br />In <a href="http://calcasa.org/education/guest-post-valuing-the-work-of-women-at-non-profit-agencies/">Guest Post: Valuing the work of women at non-profit agencies</a> posted at <a href="http://calcasa.org/">CALCASA</a>, we get a discussion of the expectation that women who care about the services they provide should expect to be underpaid.<br /><br /><h2>legal</h2><br />In <a href="http://abyss2hope.blogspot.com/2010/06/i-dont-understand-fallacy.html">I Don't Understand Fallacy</a> posted at <a href="http://abyss2hope.blogspot.com/">Abyss2hope: A rape survivor's zigzag journey into the open</a> I discuss the faulty analysis methodology too many people use to on the legal testimony of alleged victims with the current example being responses to allegations of sexual assault against Al Gore.<br /><br /><h2>media watch</h2><br />In <a href="http://thecurvature.com/2010/06/03/how-not-to-critique-anti-rape-campagins/">How Not to Critique Anti-Rape Campaigns</a> posted at <a href="http://thecurvature.com/">The Curvature</a>, we get a discussion of the premise that if an anti-violence poster results in men thinking about sex that this campaign must be counter productive.<br /><br />In <a href="http://helloladies.com/2010/06/al-gore-accused-of-sexual-assault/">Al Gore Accused of Sexual Assault</a> posted at <a href="http://helloladies.com/">Hello Ladies</a>, we get a discussion of the allegations and various troubling responses.<br /><br /><h2>personal stories</h2><br />In <a href="http://thecurvature.com/2010/06/04/rape-victims-tell-of-mistreatmet-by-the-nypd/">Rape Victims Tell of Mistreatment by the NYPD</a> posted at <a href="http://thecurvature.com/">The Curvature</a>, we get 4 examples of how those who reported sexual violence were mistreated when they reported the crimes committed against them.<br /><br /><h2>raising awareness</h2><br />In <a href="http://www.safercampus.org/blog/?p=2552">Former UVA Student, and Rape Survivor, Speaks Out About School?s Apathy</a> posted at <a href="http://www.safercampus.org/blog">Change Happens</a>, we get a discussion about how after the domestic violence murder of Yeardly Love, little attention has been paid to UVA’s longstanding lack of education about intimate partner violence and sexual assault.<br /><br />In <a href="http://thecurvature.com/2010/06/11/rape-male-victims-and-why-we-need-to-care/">Rape, Male Victims, and Why We Need to Care</a> posted at <a href="http://thecurvature.com/">The Curvature</a>, we get a response to a post titled, "Can women rape men? I'm not sure I care" which highlights that tolerating rape jokes based on the gender of the victim supports the attitudes which harms all victims of sexual violence.<br /><br />In <a href="http://womensrights.change.org/blog/view/teenager_forced_to_apologize_to_her_church_for_being_raped">Teenager Forced to Apologize to Her Church for Being Raped</a> posted at <a href="http://womensrights.change.org/">Women's Rights Change.org</a>, we get a discussion of a church's response to the disclosure which the leaders believed and how this response protected a rapist.<br /><br />In <a href="http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2010/06/15/the-absence-of-no-re-considering-the-yes-focus-in-critique-of-rape-culture/">The Absence of No: Re-considering the Yes focus in critique of rape culture</a> posted at <a href="http://www.feministe.us/">Feministe</a>, we get a discussion of how sex borne of manipulation is not consensual and should not be dismissed as nothing more than manipulated person's regret.<br /><br />In <a href="http://www.redstateprogressive.com/2010/06/rape-education-and-hope-for-humanity.html">Rape, Education, and Hope for Humanity</a> posted at <a href="http://www.redstateprogressive.com/">Red State Progressive</a>, we get a discussion of how misinformation about the nature and consequences of rape remains widespread.<br /><br /><h2>research</h2><br />In <a href="http://calcasa.org/prevention/do-peers-influence-young-men-to-perpetrate-intimate-partner-violence/">Do peers influence young men to perpetrate intimate partner violence?</a> posted at <a href="http://calcasa.org/">CALCASA</a>, we get a discussion of research that examines risk and protective factors that go beyond individual attitudes, beliefs and experiences.<br /><br />In <a href="http://rustbeltphilosophy.blogspot.com/2010/06/when-i-said-that-its-getting-harder-to.html">When I said that it's getting harder to conceive of the U.S. as The Good Guys...</a> posted at <a href="http://rustbeltphilosophy.blogspot.com/">Rust Belt Philosophy</a>, we get a discussion of genital altering surgery performed by US doctors.<br /><br /><h2>solutions</h2><br />In <a href="http://genderacrossborders.com/2010/05/31/performing-resistance-to-sexual-violence-suzanne-lacys-the-violence-series/">Performing Resistance to Sexual Violence: Suzanne Lacy?s The Violence Series</a> posted at <a href="http://genderacrossborders.com/">Gender Across Borders</a>, we get a discussion of the work of an artist whose performance art work has often dealt with community outreach and group performances rather than solo work.<br /><br />In <a href="http://womensrights.change.org/blog/view/sexual_harassment_talks_speak_to_the_wrong_audience">Sexual Harassment Talks Speak to the Wrong Audience</a> posted at <a href="http://womensrights.change.org/">Women's Rights Change.org</a>, we get a discussion of the importance of true prevention which requires going beyond talking to those most likely to be subjected to unwanted behaviors.<br /><br />In <a href="http://rcasa.wordpress.com/2010/06/20/family-and-childrens-trust-fund-recognition-of-our-latino-program/">Family and Childrens Trust Fund recognition of our Latino Program</a> posted at <a href="http://rcasa.wordpress.com/">Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault Blog</a>, we get a discussion of a program which is doing a good job.<br /><br />In <a href="http://www.safercampus.org/blog/?p=2599">Celebrating Title IX Day: It Isn't Just About Sports</a> posted at <a href="http://www.safercampus.org/blog">Change Happens</a>, we get a discussion about how Title IX applies to sexual violence.<br /><br />That concludes this edition of the carnival against sexual violence. Thank you for taking the time to visit this carnival and thank you to the authors of all the posts included in this edition.<br /><br />To nominate a post (your own or someone else's) to the next edition of carnival against sexual violence, use the <a title="Submit an entry to carnival against sexual violence" href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_328.html" target="_blank">carnival submission form</a>. If you have any problem with the form, please let me know so your submission can be considered for the next edition.<br /><br />Links to everything related to the carnival can be found on the blog dedicated to this carnival, <a href="http://carnivalagainstsexualviolence.blogspot.com/">http://carnivalagainstsexualviolence.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/20590912">Marcella Chester</a>Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-16453277929054864372010-06-28T11:55:00.001-05:002010-06-28T11:56:22.147-05:00The I Don't Understand FallacySo far most of the commentary I've read in coverage of the allegations of sexual assault against Al Gore reveal little about the case itself and instead reveal how different people commonly filter these types of allegations.<br /><br />As I highlighted in <a href="http://abyss2hope.blogspot.com/2010/06/ilogical-reasons-to-doubt-al-gore.html">my previous post</a>, so-called logical reasons given to doubt the accuser are often illogical. The illogic is grounded in bias rather than sound analysis.<br /><br />This morning there is an <a href="http://womensenews.org/story/sexual-harassment/100625/sex-crime-expert-asks-gores-accuser-why-now">article in Women's eNews </a>written by Wendy Murphy which presents another logical fallacy. This one against those whose allegations are believed. The article begins with:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>I'm as fierce an advocate as exists for crime victims, but I'm having a tough time figuring out how to feel about Al Gore being publicly accused now of committing a sexual assault in 2006.</blockquote>The article goes on to speculate in order to eliminate a lack of understanding. The problem with this speculation is that it is an invalid substitute for evidence.<br /><br />Several of the claims Murphy makes about people's responses to this case are not correct. She wrote: "The most interesting issue for me, however, is the way nobody seems to be calling woman a liar." and "But Gore isn't even denying the woman's claims, much less calling her a liar."<br /><br />However, it only takes a few minutes on the Internet to find people who call this woman a liar and <a href="http://www.insideedition.com/news/4654/al-gore-and-his-accuser.aspx">Inside Edition </a>has the following on its website dated June 25th.<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>We're learning new details from Al Gore himself about the night a masseuse claims the former Vice President sexually assaulted her. A source tells The Washington Post that Gore confirms he got a therapeutic massage inside his hotel room, and that it was likely from the woman now making the shocking allegation. Gore was staying in a suite at the Hotel Lucia in Portland, Oregon, in 2006, and the source told the newspaper, "Gore remembers getting a massage without incident and the therapist leaving on good terms."</blockquote>I read this as a denial from Gore even if it comes through an anonymous source. Since this case wasn't investigated by the police, many people are assuming that means the allegations are false so how a denial is framed is likely to be based on opinions about how that response will be assessed by the media and the public. For those who are famous enough to be covered by The Daily Show, the choice of response might factor in whether the response would provide inspiration for a humorous clip.<br /><br />Murphy isn't positioning the woman as lying about Al Gore's actions in 2006, but is instead using her lack of understanding of the woman's decisions after she left Gore's hotel room as a justification to speculatively fill in the blanks and then to judge this woman based on Murphy's own speculation.<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>If the woman wanted money from Al Gore, should we care that she was victimized? Her lawyer said she was proceeding "civilly" when she refused to be interviewed by cops back in 2006, which indicates she was planning to ask Gore for money. What became of that civil case?</blockquote>The first problem with Murphy's questions is that they ask us to fix opinions of this woman in our minds without knowing if this woman wanted money from Al Gore. Once our opinion is fixed about whether we should care that will taint any later assessment of the original "if."<br /><br />The bigger problem is that they position sexual assault as tolerable if the victim responded in a way which doesn't fit the proper victim mold. Part of this proper victim mold is for victims to completely trust criminal investigators and prosecutors despite evidence that those they are supposed to trust are not always trustworthy.<br /><br />What does it say about us as a society if there are conditions where we should not care if someone was sexually assaulted? This attitude is jarring when it is compared to how our society in general views those on the sex offender registry. We say we are opposed to sex crimes but too often we as a society fail to live up to our claims.<br /><br />When our criminal justice system has a track record of doing a lousy job of responding to allegations of sex crimes against those who are famous it is logical for sex crime victims to look for other ways to respond to this type of crime both for themselves and for the benefit of potential future victim. Yet repeatedly these other avenues of response are treated as if they are legitimate reasons for condemnation or apathy.<br /><br />The assessment of allegations and alleged victims must be based on credible evidence and not based on filling the blanks in a case where we don't understand major element until we can come to some firm conclusion about all those involved.<br /><br />The reality is that many cases which involve the famous and the non-famous leave us with plenty we don't understand. We need to accept this until there is credible data to fill in the missing pieces.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-63471409157692594682010-06-25T12:51:00.001-05:002010-07-31T09:10:49.766-05:00Ilogical Reasons To Doubt Al Gore Sexual Assault AllegationIn an article titled <a href="http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/06/23/al_gore_sex_assault_story/index.html?source=newsletter">3 reasons to doubt the Al Gore sex assault story</a> published by Salon.com written by Steve Kornacki we are given the following list of reasons for skepticism:<br /><br /><blockquote>1) The Portland police declined to investigate the woman's claims any further after she made her statement, citing a lack of evidence.<br /><br />2) The allegations were apparently known two years ago to at least one Portland media outlet -- the Portland Tribune, a weekly paper that declined to report on them. The paper's editor <a href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0610/The_Gore_complaint.html?showall" target="_blank">tells Ben Smith</a> that the allegations didn't meet the "test points" that the paper uses to determine whether a story is likely to be true.<br /><br />3) We have seen plenty of cases of baseless (if vivid) sexual allegations against celebrities before. Tucker Carlson was <a href="http://www.equityfeminism.com/articles/2003/tucker-carlson-and-false-rape-accusations/" target="_blank">once accused</a> of rape by a woman he'd never met, for instance. <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/david-copperfields-rape-investigation-vanishes/story?id=9675140" target="_blank">Something similar</a> happened with magician David Copperfield last year, too. (Plenty of celebrities have been guilty of sex crimes, too, of course.)</blockquote>This list is analytically meaningless but it and other similar lists are so common that too often these reasons are treated as if they really were logical tools of analysis when they are nothing more than popular justifications for baseless doubt.<br /><br />Kornacki wrote earlier:<br /><br /><blockquote>Who knows what, exactly, to make of the news that Al Gore has been accused by an Oregon masseuse of making repeated, unwanted sexual contact with her back in 2006?</blockquote>Unfortunately his list doesn't provide any credible help in answering this question.<br /><br />Item number 1: The failure of a police department to investigate an allegation of sexual assault is meaningless at determining the authenticity of the original allegation and therefore is meaningless at providing a reason to doubt the original allegation.<br /><br />This outcome is pathetically common even when the person accused isn't someone famous. If there is no forensic evidence the decision of whether to investigate can come down to a quick guess about the credibility of the person making an allegation versus the credibility of the person accused.<br /><br />Credibility most often relates to what biases investigators or jurors cling to. For example, even though there is plenty of research which shows that most victims of sex crimes don't call 911 immediately, the failure of a victim to take this action is often positioned as undermining that victim's credibility. There are good reasons for victims of sex crimes to be skeptical of investigators, but too often actions which can be described as lack of cooperation are falsely positioned as casting doubt on the original allegation.<br /><br />Not investigating "because of lack of evidence" is too often treated as if it is the same as "because of credible evidence that allegation is false." Treating these as equal shows inexcusable sloppiness.<br /><br />Item number 2: Media outlets are not trained sexual assault investigators so their decision not to print an allegation against someone not charged with a crime is meaningless. Because of liability issues the media needs to have a standard for what they will publish, but a choice not to publish is not credible evidence related to the original allegation.<br /><br />Item number 3: This one is canceled out at the end by Kornacki himself. He wrote, in parentheses: "Plenty of celebrities have been guilty of sex crimes, too, of course."<br /><br />The fact that there have been both false and true allegations of sexual assault against celebrities tells us nothing about a particular allegation which has not been proven false or proven true. The reality is that something which tells us nothing cannot be a logical basis for skepticism. Yet Kornacki fails to recognize this basic logic.<br /><br />An item not mentioned by Kornacki is that those who accuse celebrities of sex crimes are often subjected to the presumption of their guilt and to the denial or minimization of the reality Kornacki only acknowledges in parentheses. Being a celebrity doesn't make someone incapable of committing a sex crime yet far too many people act as if it does just that. When a celebrity is accused the number of people who pose a threat to the accuser goes up substantially.<br /><br />Some who presume guilt of alleged sex crime victims can go so far as to enact physical violence against the person who made the allegation. A man named <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2004/apr/20/local/me-kobe20">Patrick Graber</a> offered to murder Kobe Bryant's accuser for $3 million. While the prosecutors justified a plea deal which dismissed the original charges because they didn't believe he planned to commit the murder once he had what he believed to be the $1 million down payment they don't know for sure what this man would have done for an additional $2 million.<br /><br />All this means that nothing Kornacki cites eliminates any reason to doubt Al Gore's innocence. However, the one-sided doubt presented by Kornacki implies just the opposite.<br /><br />Meaningless lists such as given by Kornacki do nothing to help evaluate the authenticity of allegations but they can help people rationalize seeking out those they envision as false accusers. Death threats are far too common from people who think of themselves as upholding innocence.<br /><br />Those who are willing to make these kinds of lists must also be willing to accept responsibility for casting baseless one-directional doubt.<br /><br /><strong>Update (7/31):</strong> The Portland Police Dept. has announced that there will be no <a href="http://abyss2hope.blogspot.com/2010/06/ilogical-reasons-to-doubt-al-gore.html">charges filed against Al Gore</a>. This announcement and the reasons given for it have been mistaken by some to mean that the woman who made the report has been proven to have lied to the police, meaning that this is a proven hoax. This is false. "Lack of credible evidence," means just that.<br /><br />Those who twist this into something more are promoting a false claim. Too often this includes the police and prosecutors who make claims which go beyond the evidence. People who seem to never forget "innocent until proven guilty" and who are concerned over the taint of unproven allegations sudddenly seem to have never heard of either of those concepts. The pervasive bias about false reports causes many people to read more into the evidence than is actually there.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-80018888630812049722010-06-17T10:42:00.004-05:002010-06-17T10:48:07.002-05:00Carnival DelayedThe edition of the Carnival Against Sexual Violence originally scheduled for June 15 has been postponed to July 1.<br /><br />The process of moving is more disruptive than I'd anticipated.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-19993739535421606012010-06-11T09:26:00.003-05:002010-06-11T09:29:45.065-05:00Carnival Deadline Tomorrow NightTomorrow night at 11 pm is the next deadline for the <a href="http://carnivalagainstsexualviolence.blogspot.com/">Carnival Against Sexual Violence</a> so please take a few minutes and <a href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_328.html">nominate</a> a post you've written or a post you've read.<br /><br />For anyone unfamiliar with blog carnivals, this terminology is used for collections of blog posts with different carnivals focusing on different topics. You can learn more by reading the <a href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/faq.html">Carnival FAQ</a>.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-35958645330433990482010-06-03T09:49:00.001-05:002010-06-03T09:52:46.052-05:00Help Me Clear Out Books Before Move CompleteI'm beginning the process of moving and have extra copies of my novel Cherry Love which I'd rather give away than move. The only required cost is shipping. For US addresses that's $4.90 Priority Mail for either 1 or 2 books. If you are outside the US please contact me privately to determine shipping costs.<br /><br />The retail price is $11.95 each. This is an autobiographical novel which highlights how a family friend turned boyfriend could become a rapist while telling himself and her that he's just a normal guy.<br /><br />The only way to get the money to me before my move is complete is to use <a href="http://www.paypal.com/">PayPal</a> (if you send money from a credit or debit card you need to pay the fee). Payments need to be sent to <a href="mailto:marcella@abyss2hope.com">marcella@abyss2hope.com</a>. The books will be mailed at the latest 7 days after payment recieved.<br /><br />Regular blogging will resume when I'm unpacked and settled in my new home.<br /><br /><br /><iframe style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 240px" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=abyss2hope-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1888675500&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-88892771256231246892010-06-01T00:01:00.002-05:002010-06-01T00:01:00.181-05:00Carnival Against Sexual Violence 95Welcome to the June 1 edition of the Carnival Against Sexual Violence.<br /><br />Quick FYI for those unfamiliar with blog carnivals and who wonder about this terminology, the term refers to collections of related blog posts. Check out <a href="http://www.blogcarnival.com/">blogcarnival.com</a> for more information.<br /><br />I'm now on Twitter as <a href="http://twitter.com/abyss2hope">Abyss2hope</a> so if you Twitter please follow me and then let me know you arrived from this blog through the @ reply or DM.<br /><br />Thank you to everyone who nominated a post or who wrote a post against sexual violence whether it was nominated/selected or not. Nominations that came in after the nomination deadline will be considered for the next edition of the carnival.<br /><br />If you support the purpose of the carnival, you can <a href="http://carnivalagainstsexualviolence.blogspot.com/2006/08/help-get-word-out.html">help get the word out</a> about it and all of the posts included in the carnival.<br /><br />Here are the selections for this edition of the carnival against sexual violence:<br /><br /><h2>gender</h2><br />In <a href="http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2010/05/20/nun-excommunicated-for-allowing-dying-patient-to-have-an-abortion/">Nun excommunicated for allowing dying patient to have an abortion</a> posted at <a href="http://feministe.us/blog/">Feministe</a>, we get a discussion about the response to the agreement by a nun on a Catholic hospital's ethical board that the hospital could perform an abortion to save a patient's life.<br /><br />In <a href="http://hoydenabouttown.com/20100517.7530/are-you-a-sex-addict-or-merely-a-dirty-slut/">Are you a sex addict, or merely a dirty slut?</a> posted at <a href="http://hoydenabouttown.com/">Hoyden About Town</a>, we get a discussion about how often celebrities who admit to numerous sexual encounters are labeled sex addicts if they are men.<br /><br />In <a href="http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/05/25/some-college-students-earn-an-f-in-respect-for-women-teachers/">Some College Students Earn "F" in Respect for Women Teachers</a> posted at <a href="http://msmagazine.com/blog">Ms Magazine Blog</a>, we get a discussion of the role bias plays in how some students view certain professors.<br /><br /><h2>legal</h2><br />In <a href="http://thecurvature.com/2010/05/25/boys-aged-10-and-11-convicted-of-attempted-rape-as-apologists-deny-assault-was-possible/">Boys Aged 10 and 11 Convicted of Attempted Rape as Apologists Deny Assault Was Possible</a> posted at <a href="http://thecurvature.com/">The Curvature</a>, we get a discussion of various responses to the way 2 boys were treated by the criminal justice system.<br /><br />In <a href="http://pennyred.blogspot.com/2010/05/shiny-happy-rape-culture.html">Shiny happy rape culture</a> posted at <a href="http://pennyred.blogspot.com/">Penny Red</a>, we get a discussion about what led to a proposed law in the UK to grant anonymity to those accused of rape unless or until they are convicted.<br /><br />In <a href="http://thecurvature.com/2010/05/18/defense-attorney-claims-convicted-rapist-didnt-realize-the-severity-of-rape/">Defense Attorney Claims Convicted Rapist “Didn’t Realize” the Severity of Rape</a> posted at <a href="http://thecurvature.com/">The Curvature</a>, we get a discussion about how even when a rape is proven in court that there is support for not holding all rapists fully accountable.<br /><br /><h2>media watch</h2><br />In <a href="http://toomuchtosayformyself.com/2010/05/24/melanie-phillips-talks-shit-again/">Melanie Phillips talks shit, again</a> posted at <a href="http://toomuchtosayformyself.com/">Too Much To Say For Myself</a>, we get a discussion of a response to the proposal in the UK to grant anonymity to those accused of rape which wrongfully equated the acquittal rate with the rate of false allegations.<br /><br />In <a href="http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/sexist/2010/05/27/miss-dc-talks-groping-nbc4-is-shocked-and-confused/">Miss D.C. Talks Groping; NBC 4 Is Shocked and Confused</a> posted at <a href="http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/sexist">The Sexist</a>, we get a discussion of an interview of Jen Corey who talks about public sexual assault.<br /><br /><h2>personal stories</h2><br />In <a href="http://taasa.org/blog/uncategorized/her-name-was-lurline/">Her name was Lurline.</a> posted at <a href="http://taasa.org/blog">Speaking Out.</a>, we get a discussion about the sexual assault of a 82-year-old relative and the various responses which are far too typical.<br /><br />In <a href="http://www.peacexpeace.org/2010/05/we%E2%80%99re-not-keeping-it-in-the-family-anymore/">We’re Not Keeping It in the Family Anymore</a> posted at <a href="http://www.peacexpeace.org/">Peace X Peace</a>, we get a discussion about how more women are refusing to accept demands that women don't speak up about the violence inflicted on them because that violence is described by others as a private matter.<br /><br /><h2>raising awareness</h2><br />In <a href="http://abyss2hope.blogspot.com/2010/05/backhanded-enhancement-of-sexploitation.html">Backhanded Enhancement of Sexploitation</a> posted at <a href="http://abyss2hope.blogspot.com/">abyss2hope: A rape survivor's zigzag journey into the open</a>, I discuss how often statements against sexploitation reinforce the problem by normalizing troubling behavior toward children who have been sexualized.<br /><br />In <a href="http://www.safercampus.org/blog/?p=2521">What's Birth Control Sabotage and Why You Should Care</a> posted at <a href="http://www.safercampus.org/blog">Change Happens</a>, we get a discussion of a court ruling in Canada which classified birth control sabotage as a form of sexual assault.<br /><br />In <a href="http://disabledfeminists.com/2010/05/18/in-which-rape-makes-me-angry/">In Which Rape Makes Me Angry</a> posted at <a href="http://disabledfeminists.com/">FWD/Forward</a>, we get a discussion about sexual violence with an emphasis on assaults against people with disabilities.<br /><br />In <a href="http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/blog/marie-fortune/74">Dear Pope: Check This Out</a> posted at <a href="http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/blog/marie-fortune/">FaithTrust Institute</a>, we get a discussion about how leaders of organizations respond to allegations against someone within their organization.<br /><br />In <a href="http://abyss2hope.blogspot.com/2010/05/positioning-man-who-raped-woman-as.html">Positioning Man Who Raped A Woman As A Victim</a> posted at <a href="http://abyss2hope.blogspot.com/">abyss2hope: A rape survivor's zigzag journey into the open</a>, I discuss a comment which excuses a rapist who did not verify that the person seeking a rape fantasy was the woman pictured in the ad prior to attacking her.<br /><br /><h2>recovery</h2><br />In <a href="http://rmott62.wordpress.com/2010/05/15/grief-need-to-be-seen/">Grief Need to be Seen</a> posted at <a href="http://rmott62.wordpress.com/">rmott62</a>, we get a discussion about the pressures to keep grief hidden in order to be accepted while speaking out against the violence in prostitution.<br /><br />In <a href="http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/sexist/2010/05/26/vintage-victim-blaming-feminism-causes-rape-and-other-crime-prevention-tips/">Vintage Victim-Blaming: Feminism Causes Rape, and Other Crime Prevention Tips</a> posted at <a href="http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/sexist">The Sexist</a>, we get an analysis of a 1977 statement by the Venice, Florida police chief and how many of those old claims continue to be made.<br /><br /><h2>solutions</h2><br />In <a href="http://www.scarleteen.com/blog/heather_corinna/2010/05/11/how_can_sex_ed_prevent_rape">How Can Sex Ed Prevent Rape?</a> posted at <a href="http://www.scarleteen.com/blog">Scarleteen Newswire</a>, we get a discussion of a question which many people don't consider when they consider sex ed.<br /><br />That concludes this edition of the carnival against sexual violence. Thank you for taking the time to visit this carnival and thank you to the authors of all the posts included in this edition.<br /><br />To nominate a post (your own or someone else's) to the next edition of carnival against sexual violence, use the <a title="Submit an entry to carnival against sexual violence" href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_328.html" target="_blank">carnival submission form</a>. If you have any problem with the form, please let me know so your submission can be considered for the next edition.<br /><br />Links to everything related to the carnival can be found on the blog dedicated to this carnival, <a href="http://carnivalagainstsexualviolence.blogspot.com/">http://carnivalagainstsexualviolence.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/20590912">Marcella Chester</a><br /><br />Technorati tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/carnival+against+sexual+violence" rel="tag">carnival against sexual violence</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blog+carnival" rel="tag">blog carnival</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/Rape" rel="tag">rape</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/Crime" rel="tag">crime</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/Politics" rel="tag">politics</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/Sexual+Assault" rel="tag">sexual assault</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/Feminism" rel="tag">feminism</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/Sex" rel="tag">sex</a>Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-53925593482614393502010-05-28T15:30:00.002-05:002010-05-28T15:32:44.311-05:00Carnival Deadline TonightI know many people have already started their Memorial Day holiday weekend, but if for those who blog about sexual violence and have a few minutes to nominate a post you've written please consider doing so today. Tonight at 11 pm is the next deadline for the <a href="http://carnivalagainstsexualviolence.blogspot.com/">Carnival Against Sexual Violence</a> so please take a few minutes and <a href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_328.html">nominate</a> a post you've written or a post you've read.<br /><br />For anyone unfamiliar with blog carnivals, this terminology is used for collections of blog posts with different carnivals focusing on different topics. You can learn more by reading the <a href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/faq.html">Carnival FAQ</a>.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-80237546235227394222010-05-25T19:24:00.000-05:002010-05-25T19:26:21.686-05:00Raping A Friend Of Your Wife Is Not Equal To Wife CheatingA man from King City, California is being sentenced to <a href="http://www.ksbw.com/news/23662409/detail.html">only 3 years</a> after pleading no contest to the rape of a friend of his wife. According to prosecutors, Jose Ruis decided to get revenge against his wife who had an affair by cheating on her, but his "cheating" was in no way equal to the actions his wife took.<br /><blockquote>On Feb. 13, the victim was invited to attend a dinner being held at the Ruiz's home. When [Jose] Ruiz picked the woman up at her house, he found that she was alone and raped her, prosecutors said.</blockquote>The story doesn't include any reference to whether Ruis will be placed on the sex offender registry. Someone who can so easily decide to commit rape needs to be viewed as a persistent danger to the public. It wasn't the wife's cheating which caused this rape it was this man's underlying willingness to rape.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24263388.post-41935431563000174282010-05-24T09:44:00.002-05:002010-05-24T09:44:00.075-05:00Light Blogging ScheduleBecause of a pending move to a new home I don't know how much time I'll have for blogging until sometime in mid-June.Marcella Chesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131036408163541788noreply@blogger.com1