Success? Or the Economy? A CAEPV Member Weighs In

"NOTHING SUCCEEDS LIKE SUCCESS."

We are all familiar with this saying, and CAEPV is incredibly fortunate to work with companies on the forefront of dealing with domestic violence as a workplace issue.  Recently I had a conversation with one of our CAEPV members about an interesting phenomenon they had noted – a decrease in reporting of domestic violence at their company. 

While one might consider this “success,”  they had another take on the issue.  They   were concerned that in this economy, victims of domestic violence may not report because they thought if any position was “on the bubble” a victim of domestic violence may be more likely to be laid off.  Here are their thoughts:

 Since the U.S. economy has taken a significant downturn in early 2008, the self reporting of intimate partner violence by employees in our organization has decreased by an average of 40 %.  As an organization that has led the way in workplace violence initiatives such as creating and implementing a standalone policy for paid time off well before state laws were enacted, our team found this concerning.  While we certainly could pat ourselves on the back about our efforts in education and awareness, our instincts told us differently.

     The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently published a report, Intimate Partner Violence: 1993-2005, using the National Crime Victim Survey statistics in which they state that intimate partner violence has decreased 64% since 1993, including 50% decline in non fatal incidents.  (It will be interesting to see the next report since this is 7 years old and does not include the years of the economic recession.) The NCVS is a random and anonymous telephone survey of 40,000 US households which asks several questions about crime victimization not just intimate partner violence. While the NCVS is a self reporting survey, the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports collects actual arrest information from 13,000 law enforcement agencies. The UCR has also reported that overall violent and property crime has decreased in the last 10 years.  It is important to note that the UCR does not separate intimate partner violence as a category for arrest records and there is no uniformity in the definition of violence.

     Another self report survey of 16,000 adults was conducted for the first time in 2010 by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention titled: The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey. This specifically addresses sexual and intimate partner violence and stalking. According to the Executive Summary, more than 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetimes.   In my opinion, a more revealing study as far as to the impact of intimate partner violence in their lives.

   While we are thankful that are communities are safer and the crime is decreasing.  It then makes logical sense that, in parallel, intimate partner violence would also be declining in our communities and therefore in our workplaces. 

    So should we look at this as a victory of the victim advocate organizations? Yes, certainly we can credit wider legal and social agency accessibility, VAWA, and continuing economic mobility of victims.  But to merely rest on our laurels would be a serious error. 

     Victims of IPV may still be stigmatized by family, friends and co-workers and even employers.  This may impact their willingness to come forward specifically in the workplace.  With layoffs and downsizing still the norm, employees may hide their situations out of fear of losing their job.  In addition, companies like ours, have downsized in the service areas that normally are the safety net for reporting such incidents. For example, HR, EAP and Security Services are the first to cut back on personnel in a recession.

     We therefore must redouble our efforts as employers to be observant and vigilant when it comes to the warning signs of IPV.  Some of the less obvious signs, such as deteriorating performance, absenteeism and lateness are often attributed to a poor work ethic.  This leads to terminating employees after traditional progressive discipline efforts have failed. While private employers have the absolute right to terminate for these reasons often in the early stages there can be contributing factors related to intimate partner violence that may sometimes be ignored. 

    In addition, we must continue to encourage government agencies to count IPV incidents including non-fatal crimes such as harassment and stalking and to implement stronger data collection so we can evaluate current trends.

     January is Stalking Awareness Month and it is important to note that cyber stalking is yet another arena of harassment for the victim. With the velocity of advancements in social media combined with technologies such as global positioning systems (GPS) or tracking, many victims may not even know they are being watched electronically.  It is important to let employees know tips and techniques outside of the workplace such as keeping a log of activities, never meet an online acquaintance alone even in a public place, contact your ISP provider if an unknown person has contacted you through your personal email, and privatize your social media settings on Facebook and Twitter.

We thank this CAEPV member for their perspective and for their passion to consider that the work is “not done” just because something may appear on its face to be a success.  We also appreciate their notation of the importance of addressing stalking as a workplace issue.

For information on how we can assist you with your workplace program, visit our website at www.caepv.org or email us at caepv@caepv.org. For more on National Stalking Awareness Month, visit www.stalkingawarenessmonth.org.

 

January is National Stalking Awareness Month

Do you think that only celebrities are stalked?  In actuality, “regular” people are much more likely to be stalked.  January is National Stalking Awareness Month.  Stalking is a serious issue – and especially once a person is being stalked at the workplace. Below is the Presidential Proclamation of National Stalking Awareness Month 2013:

Each year, millions of Americans face the fear, isolation, and danger of being victims of stalking. At some point in their lives, 1 in 6 women and 1 in 19 men will be stalked, and many of these crimes will go unreported and unprosecuted. During National Stalking Awareness Month, we rededicate ourselves to supporting victims of stalking and sharpen our resolve to bring perpetrators to justice.

Stalking is a pattern of unwanted contact that causes victims to fear for their safety or the safety of family members. It can include implied or explicit threats; harassment; or nonconsensual communication through phone calls, text messages, or emails. The perpetrator is usually someone the victim knows. Stalking behaviors may appear innocuous to outside observers, but victims often endure intense physical and emotional distress that affects every aspect of their lives. Many feel forced to move, or change jobs. Tragically, stalking tends to escalate over time, and it is sometimes followed by sexual assault or homicide.

My Administration remains committed to building a robust criminal justice response to stalking -- one that holds offenders accountable, offers protection and support to all victims of violence, and empowers them to break the cycle of abuse. In January 2012, we held the first-ever White House stalking roundtable with survivors, law enforcement officers, victim advocates, and researchers. We have built partnerships with communities across the Nation to implement anti-stalking efforts. And we continue to support nonprofit organizations and local, State, and tribal governments as they develop more effective responses to violence against women -- including direct services, crisis intervention, transitional housing, legal assistance to victims, court improvement, and training for law enforcement and courts.

We are also working to address the threat of cyberstalking. While advances in technology are making this crime more prevalent, they can also pose unique opportunities to address it. Communities are developing new tools that help connect victims to local services, and State governments are updating statutes to further protect people from cyberstalking. Through our Apps Against Abuse challenge, my Administration recognized mobile applications that are empowering people to defend themselves against dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

Thanks to the dedicated work of law enforcement officials, community leaders, advocates, organizations, and survivors, our country has made great strides in combating stalking. During National Stalking Awareness Month, we resolve to keep building on this momentum until no American lives in fear of this crime.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 2013 as National Stalking Awareness Month. I call upon all Americans to recognize the signs of stalking, acknowledge stalking as a serious crime, and urge those impacted not to be afraid to speak out or ask for help. Let us also resolve to support victims and survivors, and to create communities that are secure and supportive for all Americans.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.

BARACK OBAMA

For workplace resources, please visit the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence (CAEPV) website at http://www.caepv.org.

For general resources, please visit the Stalking Resource Center at the National Center for Victims of Crime at http://www.victimsofcrime.org/our-programs/stalking-resource-center

January Is National Stalking Awareness Month - Would You Know Stalking If You Saw It?

“Joe seemed like a nice guy. I met him through one of those online dating sites.  I made a mistake and finally gave him my personal email.  Then the emails came fast and furious. It was ‘too much too soon’ so I backed away.   

Now he won’t leave me alone.  I asked for no further contact – but he sent me flowers to my workplace – and I never told him where I work.  I am getting concerned.  My co-workers think I am being silly…but I am not so sure.  What do I do?”

Would you know stalking if you saw it? Would you know it if it was happening to you?

January is National Stalking Awareness Month. Did you know:

·         One in 6 women (16.2%) and 1  in 19 men (5.2%) in the United States have experienced stalking victimization at some point during their lifetime in which they felt very fearful or believed that they or someone close to them would be harmed or killed.

·         Two-thirds (66.2%) of female victims of stalking were stalked by a current or former intimate partner; men were primarily stalked by an intimate partner or an acquaintance, 41.4% and 40.0%, respectively.

·         Repeatedly receiving unwanted telephone calls, voice, or text messages was the most commonly experienced stalking tactic for both female and male victims of stalking (78.8% for women and 75.9% for men).

·         More than half of female victims and more than one-third of male victims of stalking indicated that they were stalked before the age of 25; about 1 in 5 female victims and 1 in 14 male victims experienced stalking between the ages of 11 and 17.

(CDC NISVS Survey, released December 2011)

The National Stalking Awareness Month website has been updated with 2012 materials - including posters, public service announcements, buttons, website banners, and more.

There are also examples of how you can raise awareness about stalking, sample status updates for a variety of social networking sites, and a quiz to check your knowledge on stalking. (I even missed some of the quiz questions!)

Go to www.stalkingawarenessmonth.org to learn more.

For the Presidential Proclamation of National Stalking Awareness Month, click here.

What to do if you are the victim of a stalker

·         If you feel you are in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.

·         Trust your instincts. If you sense you are in danger, you probably are.

·         Tell the stalker "no" only once. Repeatedly saying "no" reinforces the stalking by keeping the stalker engaged. Do not confront or try to bargain with a stalker.

·         Get an answering machine and leave it on your old phone line. Get another unlisted number for your family and friends. Have a friend monitor the answering machine if it is difficult for you. If you close off an avenue to a stalker they will find another which may be worse.

·         Develop a safety plan. Safety plans can includes such things as changing your routes to work, arranging for others to accompany you in public, temporarily staying with friends, planning what you can say if you run into the stalker, keeping an emergency phone nearby.

·         Try to secure your accounts so your stalker cannot access information about you. Change your passwords frequently. Contact the utility companies and set up a password for your account. Block your address at Department of Motor Vehicles. Check with the Secretary of State's office to see if you are eligible for a confidential address.

·         Document everything even if you don't go to the police. Photograph injuries and damages. Ask witnesses to write down what they saw. Keep a log of dates, times, places, and witnesses.

·         Tell others that you are being stalked so that neighbors and co-workers will be alerted not to divulge information and will inform you when he/she is around.

Seek help. Document everything. Take it seriously.

CDC Releases NISVS Findings

  

"On average, 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States. Over the course of a year, that equals more than 12 million women and men. Those numbers only tell part of the story – more than 1 million women reported being raped, and over 6 million women and men were a victim of stalking."

On December 14, the Division for Violence Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention presented the initial findings from the National Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS). 

NISVS is an on­going, nationally representative survey that assesses experiences of sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence among adult women and men in the United States. It measures lifetime victimization for these types of violence as well as victimization in the 12 months prior to the survey.

The survey goes beyond counting acts of sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence by assessing the range of violence experienced by victims and the impact of that victimization. The report also includes the first ever simultaneous national and state-level prevalence estimates of these forms of violence for all states.  

The findings show that, on average, 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States.  Over the course of a year, that equals more than 12 million women and men. Those numbers only tell part of the story – more than 1 million women reported being raped, and over 6 million women and men were a victim of stalking.

These findings emphasize that sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence are widespread and a major public health problem in the United States. The report underscores the heavy toll of this violence, particularly on women; the immediate impacts of victimization; and the lifelong health consequences of these forms of violence.  For example:

·         Nearly 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men have been raped in their lifetime.

·         Approximately 80% of female victims were raped before the age of 25, and almost half before the age of 18. About 35% of women who were raped as minors were also raped as adults compared to 14% of women without an early rape history.

·         1 in 4 women have been the victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner while 1 in 7 men experienced severe violence by an intimate partner.

·         81% of women who experienced  rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner reported significant short and long term impacts related to the IPV experienced such as fear, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and injury, while 35% of men reported such impacts from the IPV experienced.

·         Women who experienced rape or stalking by any perpetrator or physical violence by an intimate partner were more likely than women who did not experience these forms of violence to report asthma, diabetes, and irritable bowel syndrome, as well as other health consequences. 

The full report and more resources are available here.

January is National Stalking Awareness Month -"Know It. Name It. Stop It."

This month (January 2010) marks the 7th observance of National Stalking Awareness Month (NSAM) in the United States.

Did you know that each year, more than one million women and nearly 400,000 men in the United States are victims of stalking?

This year the theme is “Stalking: Know It. Name It. Stop It.” It challenges communities (including workplaces) to combat this dangerous crime by learning more about it and taking action.

The Stalking Resource Center and the Office on Violence Against Women has launched the 2010 National Stalking Awareness Month Web site at http://stalkingawarenessmonth.org/. The site offers fact sheets, media tools, brochures, posters and artwork, and much more. Check it out!

People do not always realize what "stalking" entails - your "stalker" is usually someone you know, and very often when a person is stalked at work, that indicates a "ramp up" in potential lethality. Do not "brush off" stalking. Take it seriously. . .whether it is in person or electronic. Keep records. Don't throw things away.

Often when I discuss this with people, they have not considered keeping the emails, or voice mails, or notes from the stalker as a record and they should. Do not feel silly about talking with law enforcement about this. . .and if you feel that police are brushing you off, talk to your state's attorney or district attorney.

Stalking is serious business, and laws have changed considerably across the US to protect victims.And if you are an employer, do not take "workplace stalking" lightly. A person being followed and called at work is a person in potential danger. And so is the rest of your workplace. Seek assistance.

And http://stalkingawarenessmonth.org/ is a great place to start.

Department of Justice Releases First Comprehensive Report on Stalking in US

As I noted is my last blog post, January is National Stalking Awareness Month and and the Office on Violence Against Women, in partnership with the National Center for Victims of Crime, launched the 2009 campaign “Know it. Name It. Stop It.”

On January 13, the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics released a supplemental report to the National Crime Victimization Survey focused on Stalking Victimization in the United States. This report is the most comprehensive study of stalking to date and confirms what experts in the field have long known:

- Stalking is pervasive
- Women are at higher risk of being stalked,
- There is a dangerous intersection between stalking and more violent crimes.

The study found that during a 12-month period, an estimated 3.4 million people (age 18 or older) were victims of stalking. Surpassing previous estimates of stalking, the study noted persons age 18 to 19 and 20 to 24 experienced the highest rates of stalking victimization.

The study further illustrates a dangerous reality that women are at higher risk of stalking victimization. Females experienced 20 stalking victimizations per 1,000 females age 18 or older. The rate of stalking victimization for males was approximately 7 per 1,000 males age 18 or older.

Seven in 10 victims sought help. Approximately 60% do not report victimization to the police. Most enlisted the help of family or friends while only 7% contacted victim services, a shelter, or helpline.

These findings delineate some clear priorities for professionals in the field as well as friends and colleagues – and workplaces. As I indicated in my last post, stalking is a real issue for employees who are victims of domestic violence, and stalking at the workplace is a potential indication of increased danger for that employee – and the rest of the workplace.

Take a look at the resources on the National Stalking Awareness Month website, during Stalking Awareness Month and throughout the year.

In addition, take advantage of the information and resources on the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence website at www.caepv.org .

We need to take stalking seriously – and this new study shows how important it is that we make it “everybody’s business.”

January is National Stalking Awareness Month

This month (January 2009) marks the 6th observance of National Stalking Awareness Month (NSAM) in the United States.

Did you know that each year, more than one million women and nearly 400,000 men in the United States are victims of stalking?

This year the theme is “Stalking: Know It. Name It. Stop It.” It challenges communities (including workplaces) to combat this dangerous crime by learning more about it and taking action.

The Stalking Resource Center and the Office on Violence Against Women has launched the 2009 National Stalking Awareness Month Web site at http://stalkingawarenessmonth.org. The site offers fact sheets, media tools, brochures, posters and artwork, and much more. Check it out!

People do not always realize what "stalking" entails - your "stalker" is usually someone you know, and very often when a person is stalked at work, that indicates a "ramp up" in potential lethality.

Do not "brush off" stalking. Take it seriously. . .whether it is in person or electronic. Keep records. Don't throw things away. Often when I discuss this with people, they have not considered keeping the emails, or voice mails, or notes from the stalker as a record and they should. Do not feel silly about talking with law enforcement about this. . .and if you feel that police are brushing you off, talk to your state's attorney or district attorney. Stalking is serious business, and laws have changed considerably across the US to protect victims.

And if you are an employer, do not take "workplace stalking" lightly. A person being followed and called at work is a person in potential danger. And so is the rest of your workplace. Seek assistance. And http://stalkingawarenessmonth.org is a great place to start.