Gender-Based Violence & Femicide

"Despite greater social awareness and intense media coverage of high-profile sexual assault cases, the vast majority of such crimes still go either unreported or unprosecuted. Why? The answer lies in the patchwork of laws governing such crimes and the often sexist and racist roots that underlie them. This book discusses the history of sexual violence laws, the social and media forces that drive the laws, and the progress American society has made in recognizing and punishing such behavior. The chapters cover a range of subjects including federal regulations such as Title IX and Title VII, sentencing, children and sexual violence, pornography, and evidence, as well as the evolution of legal concepts such as force and consent"--

"In the United States, one in four women will be victims of domestic violence each year. Despite the passage of federal legislation on violence against women beginning in 1994, differences persist across states in how domestic violence is addressed. Inequality Across State Lines illuminates the epidemic of domestic violence in the U.S. through the lens of politics, policy adoption, and policy implementation. Combining narrative case studies, surveys, and data analysis, the book discusses the specific factors that explain why U.S. domestic violence politics and policies have failed to keep women safe at all income levels, and across racial and ethnic lines. The book argues that the issue of domestic violence, and how government responds to it, raises fundamental questions of justice; gender and racial equality; and the limited efficacy of a state-by-state and even town-by-town response. This book goes beyond revealing the vast differences in how states respond to domestic violence, by offering pathways to reform";"Every year, one in four women will be victims of domestic violence in the United States. This book shows how and why U.S. domestic violence politics and policies have failed to keep them safe at all income levels, and across racial and ethnic lines"--

"No comparable volume collects in one place the various rules, doctrines, policies, and ideological positions that prevent our criminal justice system from pursuing and achieving justice"--

Alexis Smith tells audience that her abuser is in crowd and that ‘I, and my community, deserve healthy relationships’

Independent News and Analysis on the U.S. Supreme Court

Gun ownership can be prevented not only for convicted "abusers" but also those found to pose a "credible threat."

Increasingly fraught debates about sex, consent, feminism, justice, law, and gender relations have taken centre stage in academic, journalistic and social media circles in recent years. This has resulted in myriad new theories, debates and mediated movements including #MeToo and #TimesUp. In this book, Tina Sikka explores many of the contradictions and tensions that make up these debates and movements. She looks at those that draw together contemporary understandings of justice, violence, consent, pleasure and desire.

New York's highest court has overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, ordering a new trial in the landmark #MeToo case.

By the age of 13, Allison Byrd '24 realized that she could be an ambassador for change in her pursuit to combat human trafficking.

A ban on nearly all abortions in Arizona doesn’t sit well with Republican former Gov. Doug Ducey. Yet he was the one who appointed the four conservative justices whose ruling cleared the way for it.

The FBI’s “repeated and continued failures, delays and inaction” allowed Jeffrey Epstein to continue his sex trafficking operation for more than 20 years, twelve alleged victims claimed in a lawsuit filed Wednesday.

"Analyzing sex offense laws and false claims, this book shows that laws based on vengeance rather than justice or evidence create new forms of harm while failing to address the real and pervasive problem of sexual violence"--;"In this timely and extensively researched book, sociologist Emily Horowitz shows how current sex offense policies in the United States create new forms of harm and prevent those who have caused harm from the process of constructive repentance or contributing to society after punishment. Horowitz also illustrates the failure of criminal justice responses to social problems. Sharing detailed narratives from the experiences of those on registries and their loved ones, Horowitz reveals the social impact and cycle of violence that results from dehumanizing and banishing those who have already been held accountable.From Rage to Reason offers a new perspective on how and why false claims about sex offenses became so pervasive and how these myths fostered ineffective policies that have little to do with the reality of most sexual abuse. It argues that to truly prevent sexual abuse, we must unearth the sources of these misunderstandings, debunk these claims in a systematic way, and have frank and genuine discussions about the limits of legal responses to complex social problems"--

"Slavery has not been eradicated. The second edition of Human Trafficking updates the legal, moral and political attempts to contain sex and labor trafficking. The authors bring unique perspectives to these topics. Professor Page, an African American woman all too familiar with the vestiges of slavery, has written and lectured internationally on trafficking. Professor Piatt, a Hispanic law professor and former law school dean, brings his international experience as an educator, author and advocate regarding immigration and human rights matters to bear. The book considers efforts at containment, including controversial topics such as whether prostitution should be legalized. It concludes with specific approaches to eliminate trafficking"--

"Fair adjudication of campus sexual assault is one of the most divisive issues facing the United States. Victims contend that schools aren't doing enough to protect them, and accused students complain that they are presumed guilty. Sexual Assault on Campus: Defending Due Process begins by critically assessing the extent of the problem, before explaining why the criminal justice system has been unable to respond adequately. The book discusses the Department of Education's attempts to force schools to take campus assault seriously and uses original data in assessing the fairness of adjudication in the wake of the 2o1 "Dear Colleague Letter." It also includes excerpts from interviews with complainants, accused students, and administrators, which offer readers a first-hand account of these proceedings. Finally, the book provides a critical, in-depth look at the Title IX regulations put in place by the Trump Administration, with detailed recommendations for how they can be improved."

Stalking is a social and public health emergency. The Supreme Court’s ruling in Counterman v. Colorado makes things easier for abusers.

Two Arizona girls are suing to strike down the state’s trans athlete ban, arguing that it unfairly discriminates against them and violates federal equal protection laws.

"The relationship between class and intimate violence against women is much misunderstood. While many studies of intimate violence focus on poor and working-class women, few examine the issue comparatively in terms of class privilege and class disadvantage. James Ptacek draws on in-depth interviews with sixty women from wealthy, professional, working-class, and poor communities to investigate how social class shapes both women's experiences of violence and the responses of their communities to this violence. Ptacek's framing of women's victimization as "social entrapment" links private violence to public responses and connects social inequalities to the dilemmas that women face"--

Despite significant accomplishments over the past 35 years, antiviolence activists know that justice for most abused women remains elusive. Most victims do not call the police or seek help from the courts, making it crucial to identify new ways for survivors to find justice. This path-breaking book examines new justice practices for victims that are being used in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. These informal, dialogue-based practices, referred to as "restorative justice," seek to decrease the role of the state in responding to crime, and increase the involvement of communities in meeting the needs of victims and offenders. Restorative justice is most commonly used to address youth crimes and is generally not recommended or disallowed for cases of rape, domestic violence, and child sexual abuse. Nevertheless, restorative practices are beginning to be used to address violent crime. Restorative Justice and Violence Against Women considers both the dangers and potential benefits of using restorative justice in response to these crimes. The contributors include antiviolence activists and scholars from the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Some are strongly in favor of using restorative practices in these cases, some are strongly opposed, and many lie somewhere in between. Their chapters introduce a range of perspectives on alternative justice practices, offering rich descriptions of new programs that combine restorative justice with feminist antiviolence approaches. Controversial and forward-thinking, this volume presents a much-needed analysis of restorative justice practices in cases of violence against women. Advocates, community activists, and scholars will find the theoretical perspectives and vivid case descriptions presented here to be invaluable tools for creating new ways for abused women to find justice.

"This book investigates the widespread and persistent relationship between disasters and gender-based violence, drawing on new research with victim-survivors to show how the two forms of harm constitute 'layered disasters' in particular places, intensifying and reproducing one another. The evidence is now overwhelming that disasters and gender-based violence are closely connected, not just in moments of crisis but in the years that follow as the social, economic and environmental impacts of disasters play out. This book addresses two key gaps in research. First, it examines what causes the relationship between disasters and gender-based violence to be so widespread and so enduring. Second, it highlights victim-survivors' own accounts of gender-based violence and disasters. It does so by presenting findings from original research on cyclones and flooding in Bangladesh and the UK and a review of global evidence on the Covid-19 pandemic. Drawing on feminist theories, it conceptualises the coincidence of gender-based violence, disasters and other aggravating factors in particular places as 'layered disasters.' Taking an intersectional approach that emphasises the connections between culture, place, patriarchy, racism, poverty, settler-colonialism, environmental degradation and climate change, the authors show the significance of gender-based violence in creating vulnerability to future disasters. Forefronting victim-survivors' experiences and understandings, the book explores the important role of trauma, and how those affected go about the process of survival and recovery. Understanding layered disasters casts light on why tackling gender-based violence must be a key priority in disaster planning, management and recovery. The book concludes by exploring critiques of existing formal responses, which often ignore or underplay gender-based violence. The book will be of interest to all those interested in understanding the causes and impacts of disasters, as well as scholars and researchers of gender and gender-based violence"--

"Legal Spectatorship examines the visual culture surrounding domestic violence, or DV, focusing on the ways that photographs are marshaled as a form of spectacular evidence rooted in slavery and antiblackness. Historically, slaves were not able to testify in person in court although they were often silent witnesses to white domestic conflicts. Today, these histories of racism are embedded into domestic violence prosecution as photographs documenting evidence of DV stand in for women's testimony, and an extensive web of surveillance and administrative tactics criminalize female victims. Kelli Moore reads the legislative, juridical, and media structures that have developed around domestic violence as an extension of the logics of slavery that points to a broader form of US "domestic violence" in the form of slavery and racism. The chapters take up slave witnessing and black subjectivity; the psychological theories that developed around DV in the context of the Civil Rights movement; "artivism" around domestic violence imagery and anti-DV campaigns; and Moore's own ethnographic work in the courtroom observing domestic violence cases"--

Leigh Gilmore provides a new account of #MeToo that reveals how storytelling by survivors propelled the call for sexual justice beyond courts and high-profile cases. She reframes #MeToo as a breakthrough moment within a longer history of feminist thought and activism.

Donald Trump sexually abused magazine writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s and then defamed her by branding her a liar, jurors decided on Tuesday and awarded her $5 million in damages.

For New York employers, the standards for sexual harassment may be shifting. The state requires all employers to adopt its model sex harassment policy...

Love, marriage… and a secret history of trauma. Anna Maria Tremonti has been keeping her past a secret for over 40 years. As one of Canada’s most respected journalists, she has a reputation for being fearless and hard-hitting. She’s reported from some of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones. But none were as immediately threatening as life at home. In her early 20s, she fell in love with a man who seemed worldly and charming. Behind closed doors he was incredibly violent. They were only married for a year but the consequences of the abuse have lasted a lifetime. This is the first time Anna Maria has told anyone—including family or close friends—the details of what she endured. Working with her therapist, she reveals the intimate details of a past she’s kept to herself for most of her life. The result is a profoundly intimate portrait of a powerful woman confronting the source of tremendous pain and trauma and, remarkably, freeing herself from a life-long sense of shame. Written and hosted by Anna Maria Tremonti (The Current), produced by Daemon Fairless (Hunting Warhead, Boys Like Me) and mixed by Mira Burt-Wintonick (Wiretap, Love Me, Sorry About The Kid).

April is National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month and CSU has been honoring those affected by sexual assault and violence with programming and resources. Teal is the color of sexual assault awareness.

Meeting with an advocate or counselor is confidential. No one needs to know the meeting took place or what was discussed, unless the student survivor decides they would like to disclose that information to others. Additionally, student survivors are not obligated to take any action they don't want to take. Our services are all survivor-led. The survivor advocates and counselors are here to support you.

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