Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Program
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 Spring 2000, Table of Contents Rape and Domestic Violence: A Case History By Tracy Juliao, SAVI Advocate A Revolutionary Treatment for Post Traumatic Stress: EMDR By Tracy Robin, SAVI Counselor Another Woman: A poem by Carol Geneya Kaplan Lesley Stahl to talk at SAVI Benefit 2000 Domestic Violence Legislative Day 2000 By Francis Santana, SAVI Outreach Coordinator Sexual Assault Legislative Day 2000 By Alice Robinson, SAVI Outreach Coordinator Counseling, Referrals and Support for Men, Teens and Boys Rape and Domestic Violence: A Case History That Saturday in November was unusually warm and sunny. I had to force myself to stay home and study for my upcoming Graduate Record Exam (GRE). Since I was on call, though, I checked in with the hospitals before I hit the books. My first call to Lenox Hill put an end to any academic pursuit for the day. The ER nurse told me that an ambulance had just arrived with a rape survivor. I left for the hospital immediately. Once I arrived at the hospital, the on-call gynecologist filled me in on the details. The survivor, a young Hispanic woman in her early twenties, had been beaten and raped by her boyfriend. A neighbor had heard the screams and called the police. The perpetrator was taken to the police station for booking and the survivor sent to the hospital for treatment. I went into the survivor's room, introduced myself and explained my role. I also asked if there was anything I could do to help her. She asked me to find out when she would be released and to get her a cup of tea. The officer posted at her door said she wanted to go to her mother's because she was the only person the young woman would talk to. Unfortunately, they had not located the mother. When I returned with the tea, I told her the police had been to her mother's apartment, but no one answered the door and none of the residents knew where she was. I reminded the survivor of my role and told her that I was willing to talk and listen. She opened up immediately. She said that her boyfriend had repeatedly abused her both emotionally and physically. He had kept her prisoner in the apartment, cut her off from her family and friends and threatened to kill her if she tried to leave him. She also told me how she had feared for her toddler son. In fact, she had been so afraid for him that she had given his father temporary custody. Several weeks ago she managed to leave her boyfriend and went to stay with a friend in the suburbs. While she was there, she attempted to find a shelter, but the attempt was halfhearted. A shelter administrator she phoned asked the survivor to call back later in the day, but she failed to follow through. When she felt she had overstayed her welcome with her friend, she returned to her boyfriend's, believing she had no other place to go. She rejected her mother's apartment because she feared her boyfriend would find her and hurt not only her but her mother as well. She also confided that her mother disapproved of the relationship. Throughout the discussion the survivor repeatedly blamed herself for what had happened, saying she had made poor choices. So we spoke at length about choices and decisions and what she was and was not responsible for. I particularly emphasized the idea that her previous choices did not cause the rape. At the same time she was putting herself down, she said that she was now determined to get out of the abusive environment, get her son back and make changes in her life that would make this a reality. Utilizing the SAVI resource packet provided in the ER, the survivor and I reviewed the options available to her. Since she was interested in locating a shelter as a means to help her get her life back on track, we discussed the need for her to be persistent in her search-for instance, if asked to call back, to do so. On another positive note, she said that she wanted to talk further with someone in SAVI and said she would call the following Monday. Finally, she was ready to be released. Her mother had been located and the police would take the survivor to her, after she stopped at the police station to fill out the paperwork necessary for filing charges against her boyfriend. She thanked me for my advocacy in the ER and my support in helping her think through her feelings. Later, as I walked outside into the beautiful November day and headed home, I realized that I now had a different perspective on life than I had had earlier in the morning. My personal life stresses became miniscule in the scheme of things. I took the time to reflect on the blessings in my life and to be thankful that I was able to be helpful to someone in need that day. Ironically, being called into the hospital reminded me of the true importance of my sitting for the GRE and gaining admission to a counseling program-the importance of being able to make a positive difference in the lives of those who most need it, even if the difference is only a slight one. A Revolutionary Treatment for Post Traumatic Stress: EMDR Can moving your eyes cure trauma? Can tapping your foot make you feel better? Can a relatively simple physical motion speed recovery? According to the latest thinking, the answer may be a resounding yes, at least for some people. On the weekend of February 4-6, 2000, six SAVI Counselors attended a Level 1 EMDR training workshop in Iselin, New Jersey. EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is an exciting therapy modality developed by Francine Shapiro, PH.D., to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Although it does not replace other therapies, it can be an effective treatment for neutralizing distressing memories. An EMDR treatment involves such traditional procedures as asking the client to focus on the traumatic incident, rape, for example, and her/his feelings about it. What sets it apart from other therapy modalities is the therapist's finger movements. These trigger eye movements similar to those that occur in dream sleep. The idea is that when a traumatic event happens, it can get locked in to the nervous system and be experienced as a distorted set of images, beliefs, emotions and self-perceptions. In a number of cases, EMDR has been able to unlock the nervous system and allow the distressing memories and emotions to be tolerated, processed and neutralized much faster than without the eye movement procedure. Some SAVI Counselors may go on to take the Level 2 training. All returned from the weekend interested to learn more about integrating this interesting method of treatment into their work. Another Woman* Today another woman died She dies without CNN covering her war. The target was her precious flesh The target was this life A life like yours or mine Another woman died today Just there, a few steps away She was the same girl The same baby her parents And someone has confused his rage *Reprinted with permission from Carol Geneya Kaplan and the Oakland County coordinating Council Against Domestic Violence (Michigan) Lesley Stahl to talk at SAVI Benefit 2000 SAVI's Benefit 2000 on May 16th at the Sky Club will feature a talk by noted CBS TV News correspondent, Lesley Stahl who co-edits the award winning news program 60 Minutes. This is her ninth broadcast season with the acclaimed news program. Prior to joining 60 Minutes, Ms. Stahl served as CBS News White House correspondent during the Carter, Reagan and Bush administrations. She also served as moderator of Face the Nation with Lesley Stahl, interviewing such newsmakers as Margaret Thatcher, Boris Yeltsin and Yasir Arafat as well as top US officials. Her book, Reporting Live, was published by Simon & Schuster in 1999. SAVI will honor Linda Fairstein, the Manhattan Assistant District Attorney and Chief of the Sex Crimes Unit. Ms. Fairstein has been a prosecutor in New York County since 1972. In addition to her high profile work at the DA's Office, Ms. Fairstein lectures frequently to law enforcement organizations, colleges and universities, corporations and civic groups. Her nonfiction book, Sexual Violence: Our War against Rape, published in 1993, was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and remains a standard text in the field. Her crime novels are all international bestsellers. Her latest book, Cold Hit, was published in 1999. SAVI will also honor Steven C. Parrish, Senior Vice President for Corporate Affairs of Philip Morris Companies, Inc. Under Mr. Parrish's direction, Philip Morris has become a recognized leader in producing national public service advertising campaigns about domestic violence. The Company has also sponsored 20 conferences around the country to help corporations understand the serious impact of domestic violence on the workplace. Cheryl R. Berman, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Leo Burnett USA will be SAVI's dinner chair and Audrey Goldsmith Kubie will Chair the Benefit Committee. Domestic Violence Legislative Day 2000 On Tuesday, February 1, 2000 a busload of dedicated men and women - some of them survivors of domestic violence - and one new-born baby traveled to Albany to meet with the Legislators. The purpose of the trip was to enlist support for three bills that would promote a climate of zero tolerance of violence against women and children. This was the first year in recent memory that The New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NYSCADV) coordinated a Legislative Day specifically geared toward Domestic Violence issues. In years past they coordinated the day in conjunction with The New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NYSCASA) and talked about bills pertinent to both survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. The day was kicked off by a warm welcome from Sherry Frohman, Director of NYSCADV, and a heart-wrenching account by a courageous woman whose 14-year marriage was a never-ending round of violence and abuse. Next came the keynote speaker Victor Rivers, an actor and national spokesperson for The National Network to End Domestic Violence. He told a story about a little boy who walked into a police precinct many years ago, undressed himself to reveal the cuts, bruises, welts and burns that covered his frail body, and demanded that the officers arrest his father saying that the bodies of his mom and siblings looked exactly like his. The officers explained that an arrest could only be made if someone was killed so the child returned home to face more trauma. After many more years of physical and psychological abuse, the boy finally escaped from his family and filed for an order of protection against his father. The boy went on to become an athlete and to attend a prestigious university in Miami. Today that boy, now the grown up Victor Rivers, volunteers his time to publicize the effects of abuse on children. In the afternoon we divided up into groups of four, each with a leader. My group, led by the very articulate John Albert from Victim Services, met first with an assistant of Assemblyman Joseph Lentol from Brooklyn and later with the assistants of Assemblywoman Aurelia Greene of the Bronx. All seemed to understand the issues surrounding the bills and were open to our requests. These were the three bills presented to the Legislators: Mandated DV Training for Child Protection Workers (bill #'s not yet available): Such training promotes a coordinated community response. For example, battered mothers are frequently reluctant to seek help for fear the Administration of Child Services (ACS) might be contacted. ACS caseworkers often charge mothers with child neglect, hold them responsible for the actions of the abuser and take the children from them. So, the mothers continue to live in silence. Mandatory DV training for ACS caseworkers will enable them to better understand the dynamics of domestic violence. This, in turn, will help them make more appropriate recommendations and referrals for battered mothers. An Expanded Definition of Family (Spano - S. 1258 / Weinstein - A. 3600) The definition of "family" is very specific as defined under the Family Court Act and Criminal Procedure Law. Under the current law, non-married, non-parent, same sex partners, and elderly people who are victims of domestic violence are not covered under the definition and are not protected under the law. They are denied access to an order of protection which, in some cases, can help save a life. Since we are living in a time when the family and household structure is frequently no longer traditional, the definition must be expanded to ensure that all people are covered and equally protected under the law. Increased Funding for Non-residential Domestic Violence Services: Domestic violence centers that offer non-residential services are crucial for women and children living in abusive homes. These centers help large numbers of women and their children to identify the abuse, understand the dynamics and work toward living a violence-free life. Dedicated and qualified service providers are essential. Despite the need, DV workers are often underpaid. While everyone had a fairly positive experience with the Legislators and their staffs, none of them gave us any definite feedback on specific votes. Nevertheless, Domestic Violence Legislative Day is a very worthwhile event because it is crucial to have the Legislators hear our voices and hear them loud. Sexual Assault Legislative Day 2000 Each year, on Sexual Assault Legislative Awareness Day, the members of the Anti-Rape Movement from across New York State gather in Albany to educate our state legislators by describing our experiences as survivors, advocates and counselors dealing with the realities of sexual assault and abuse. Our purpose is to convince our state senators and assembly people to make changes in the New York's legal code that will enable our criminal justice system to more effectively prevent and respond to these crimes. Despite all the progress we have made in the last twenty-five years, New York State lags behind the rest of the nation in this area. Our laws still reflect arcane attitudes toward women, children, gays, and people with mental disabilities. The three bills we were promoting, if passed, could go a long way in turning this around. They are: the Sexual Assault Reform Act (SARA), a Hate Crimes Act, and the Protection in the Workplace Act. With this purpose, seven SAVI staff and volunteers boarded the bus for Albany in the wee hours of the morning on February 29th, along with others from around the city. Upon arrival, we congregated in a lecture hall in the Legislative Building to hear more about the target bills and the issues that surround them from a number of survivors, advocates, allies within the judicial system, and educators. One woman told a disturbing story that sharply illustrated the need for the passage of SARA. She told about her father, who had engaged in a lifetime of sex offenses against a number of children, herself included. In accordance with current New York State law, each time her father was caught abusing a child and brought up on charges, his past offenses were not allowed as evidence in the trial against him. In each instance, he was either let off for lack of evidence, or he received a shamefully light sentence. One of his victims was an eleven-year-old girl. The case was dismissed because it was determined that she had "touched him first." Had she been 10 years old, the age in New York State where a child still receives automatic protection against any sexual contact by an adult, the little girl would not be considered capable of making a sexual overture toward a man who was old enough to be her grandfather. But no, she was 11, she had "touched him first," and therefore no crime had been committed. Four of the components that we feel should be included in SARA might have enabled the criminal justice system to effectively respond to this case. The first would allow the introduction of evidence of previous sex crimes convictions; the second would increase the age of protection of victims of first degree rape to 12 years; the third would call for mandatory probation periods for sex crimes; and the fourth would increase the sentences for second-time child sexual assault felonies. After listening to this and other moving testimonies, we broke up into groups and went around to different representatives. Some legislators said that they would selectively support certain components of SARA, but not others. Some gave no response whatsoever when asked whether they planned to support Hate Crimes legislation which would enhance criminal penalties for crimes proven to be motivated by bias or hatred because of a victim's race, religion, sex/gender, color, national origin, disability, age or sexual orientation. Among other things, a Hate Crimes bill could help to increase penalties against anyone who used rape as a means of terrorizing or targeting certain groups such as the case where a cab driver repeatedly victimized women he picked up outside lesbian bars. Many legislators seemed unaware of the Protection in the Workplace Act. This bill is designed to prevent employers from evading lawsuits brought by employees raped at work. In the past, some employers have claimed that 1) they have a responsibility to try to create a secure environment against rape, and 2) those who are raped should receive Worker's Compensation rather than be allowed to sue their employer. Not only do such claims fail to hold employers responsible for blatant acts of negligence that leave employees vulnerable to rape on the job, but Worker's Compensation only compensates for physical damages, which in cases of rape are often minor compared to the debilitating effects of the emotional trauma. We did our best to convey the immediacy of these bills. In some respects, our success will be measured by how many of the bills actually get passed. However, we must also remember that whether or not our representatives choose to do what's right, we did what was right. We made a bid to have state laws reflect the same compassion, strength and understanding that rape survivors, co-survivors, counselors, and advocates practice in their everyday lives. The SAVI Takanot Project-Special Services for the Orthodox Jewish Community After more than a year of planning and organizing, the SAVI Orthodox Services project is now prepared to see clients. The project, which is named the SAVI Takanot Project (Takanot means, roughly, "self-help" or personal growth), will provide counseling and support services to survivors of sexual assault, rape, incest and domestic violence in the Orthodox Jewish community. The project grew out of the need to address these issues in the Jewish community in a sensitive, religiously appropriate manner. Takanot counseling will be provided free of charge and with complete confidentiality. The SAVI Takanot Project will be implemented by a group of highly qualified professionals who are prepared to provide client services. Services will be supervised by SAVI with outreach efforts being geared towards Orthodox rabbis, physicians, and agencies who work with the Orthodox Jewish population. In January, the SAVI program conducted a full-day volunteer training specifically designed to educate Orthodox Jewish volunteer psychologists and social workers interested in providing clinical services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and sexual abuse. The counselors were provided with an overview of presenting symptoms, etiology, clinical presentations, and issues relevant to treatment of Orthodox Jewish clients by clinicians and others with experience working with the Orthodox population. Participants were welcomed by SAVI Director Iona Siegel and by Faye Zakheim, Coordinator of the Domestic Violence Outreach Project at the Metropolitan Coordinating Council on Jewish Poverty. Rabbi Isaac Wohlhendler, an Orthodox rabbi who works with the Paine Whitney Psychiatric Clinic, presented an overview of religious history and law relevant to these topics as well and addressed the Orthodox perspective on confronting these issues. Dr. Gila Leiter, an OB/GYN at Mount Sinai Hospital, discussed the types of medical issues and scenarios that might be encountered by physicians working with Orthodox patients. Faye Wilbur, a clinician with the Jewish Board of Family and Children Services, discussed clinical issues. Legal and community resources available to victims were also discussed in presentation by Henna White, the Jewish community liaison to the Brooklyn District Attorney's office. SAVI's Takanot Project counselors will see clients in a variety of settings, as well as at the Mount Sinai SAVI offices. Shuttle buses are regularly scheduled from Williamsburg and other Orthodox communities to Mount Sinai. The number for the SAVI Takanot Project is 212-423-2144, with a recording providing after hours emergency contact information. The SAVI Takanot Project is now a reality and is accepting clients. You can read more about the SAVI Takanot project here. Is Rape About Sex or Power? The authors of A Natural History of Rape have attempted to apply evolutionary principles to one of the most revolting acts of human behavior.The result has been a storm of media hype and debate. The book's central argument is that rape is a genetically developed strategy sustained over generations of human life because it is a kind of sexual selection-a successful reproductive strategy. Their theory runs directly counter to the prevailing notion-that rape is predominately about violent power, and only secondarily about sex. Thornhill and Palmer claim that this idea is a myth fostered by social scientists and feminists such as Susan Brownmiller who, in her 1976 book, Against Our Will, stated: "It is not a crime of lust but of violence and power. . . Rape victims are not only the 'lovely young blondes' of newspaper headlines-rapists strike children, the aged, the homely- all women." Here's an excerpt from Thornhill and Palmer's book which refutes this "myth."
Iona Siegel, Director of SAVI, in an interview broadcast on Fox 5 News Channel, had this to say about the book. "No matter what the basis in science, which I doubt is very substantial, this book sends a larger message to men and boys-that rape is, in some sense, natural. This cannot help but be construed as an excuse-a sort of scientific version of 'boys will be boys'. No matter how adamantly the authors claim that they are not condoning rape, the book promotes the message that rape is excusable-my evolutionary ancestors made me do it. This is a dangerous and bad idea." The SAVI Advocate asks readers to let us know what you think about this book's concept of rape. Mail your response to The SAVI Advocate at the mailing address listed below. Or send via e-mail to anthom01@doc.mssm.edu. Counseling, Referrals and Support for Men, Teens and Boys Survivors of Rape, Sexual Abuse, Incest and Sexual Harassment All Services are Free and Confidential For information or referrals, contact: SAVI Advocate Iona Siegel, Director, SAVI Mount Sinai SAVI The Mount Sinai Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Program (SAVI) is a donor and grant supported program dedicated to assisting sexual assault and domestic violence survivors. SAVI provides emergency room crisis intervention in eight hospitals in Manhattan and Queens, individual and group counseling at four sites, and a variety of public and professional educational and outreach programs. |