Thursday, August 31, 2006

IT'S TIME TO TALK DAY SEPTEMBER 21

IT'S TIME TO TALK DAY is September 21 -- less than a month away!

What exactly is that? It is a day to do something pretty simple -- take a moment to talk about domestic violence. Or -- talk to your child about healthy relationships, check in with your partner and see how your relationship is doing, talk with a friend if you are concerned about them, educate yourself about the warning signs of unhealthy relationships, encourage your workplace to develop a program to address the impact of domestic violence on employees.

Look for IT'S TIME TO TALK DAY in the October issue of Redbook - coming to newsstands in mid-September. And don’t forget to visit the Liz Claiborne "Love Is Not Abuse" site -- you can get there by going to http://www.loveisnotabuse.com/itstimetotalk/index.html. You will find an event toolkit, ideas, and information about what happened during its IT'S TIME TO TALK DAY last year to inspire you! Stay tuned for more information about how you can get involved in IT'S TIME TO TALK DAY 2006!

For CAEPV’s 2006 IT'S TIME TO TALK DAY page, visit http://www.caepv.org/about/program_l.asp.

Friday, August 11, 2006

CAEPV ANNOUNCES FIRST-EVER INVENTORY OF WORKPLACE PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE

The Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence (CAEPV) is pleased to announce the release of a report to inventory the various ways private companies are utilizing workplace programs to prevent intimate partner violence. Part of a seven month-long study, CAEPV has been working with RTI International to identify and detail workplace programs throughout the United States through a contract funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We are honored to have been able to assist RTI in this CDC-funded project to develop an inventory of workplace programs to address intimate partner violence, and we congratulate the many CAEPV companies that participated in the inventory.

This project was developed with the intention of subsequent information initiating continued evaluation of the impact of programs and their level of cost-effectiveness for companies. It is anticipated that the compiled statistics will benefit not only employees and their safety, but will provide guidance on the most effective use of time and money by the employers as well. RTI International researchers anticipate that this will be a helpful and important tool for both understanding and addressing intimate partner violence (IPV) and its impact on the workplace.

While many companies have instituted policies, procedures, and activities to address intimate partner violence issues in the workplace, these efforts have never before been systematically documented. Although the inventory is not intended to be exhaustive in current workplace efforts to address IPV, it is a first step to collecting more information about the current status of Workplace Intimate Partner Violence interventions and will be a valuable resource for employers and organizations committed to IPV prevention.

Intimate partner violence is a significant public health problem in the United States and has detrimental effects to individuals, families, and society. The release of this inventory is truly an encouraging and constructive development for IPV prevention nationwide.

To view the inventory on the CAEPV website (the only place it is currently available), visit http://www.caepv.org/membercenter/library/docDetail.asp?doc_id=457&cat_id=1.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

National Sexual Assault Hotline Helps One-Millionth Person

RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization, announced on July 18 that the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE) has helped its one-millionth caller.

This milestone represents an important shift in the national perception of sexual violence and treatment of victims. RAINN participated in the July 18 NASDAQ Closing Bell ceremony, dedicated specifically to this important milestone in the fight against sexual assault. “The world was a different place when RAINN created the National Sexual Assault Hotline 12 years ago,” said Scott Berkowitz, president and founder of RAINN. “Sexual violence was not part of the public discussion, and many victims were not getting the help they needed.”

In response, RAINN created, and continues to run, the National Sexual Assault Hotline, the country’s only national hotline for sexual assault victims. The hotline, which provides free, confidential live help, 24/7, is a partnership with 1,102 local rape crisis centers in 50 states and DC. Tens of thousands of volunteers and staff from these local partners help callers every hour of every day, playing a direct and positive role in the recovery process.

Calls to the National Sexual Assault Hotline have quadrupled to more than 11,000 a month, from 2,800 a month in its first year (1994). In 2005, the hotline helped a record 137,039 people. Fortunately, the increase in calls does not reflect an increase in sexual violence. In fact, sexual assault has decreased by 58 percent since the hotline started, according to the latest data from the U.S Department of Justice. Meanwhile, the percentage of victims who report their attack to police, a necessary first step towards getting repeat rapists off our streets, has increased by about one third.

Despite this progress, much work remains to be done. Every 2.5 minutes, another American is sexually assaulted. To honor the first one million callers to the National Sexual Assault Hotline and continue raising awareness, RAINN is launching a special version of its website, which premiered on July 18. RAINN will soon launch the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline, the web’s first secure hotline offering live help.

To learn more, visit www.rainn.org.