NO MORE "Warnings"

After I read the 137 page manifesto on Saturday night (May 24), I had the most horrible and most realistic nightmare I've ever had. I couldn't stop shaking. I was so thankful when I finally realized that what I had was just a dream. But it isn't just a dream for victims, their families, and those who love them. It was real.

 Absolutely #NOMORE. No more "warnings," no more excuses, no more by standing, no more silence, no more violence. No more.

 

 

 

Say NO MORE to Sexual Assault in April

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM)!  This year's campaign focuses on healthy sexuality and young people. Join us in spreading the word about #SAAM by participating in the National Sexual Violence Resource Center's 30 Days of SAAM Contest!  Here's how: Each day in April, post a photo that reflects the day’s theme for your chance to win a SAAM prize pack. Make sure to use the hashtag #30DAYSOFSAAM and tag @NSVRC in your post.   SAY IT. SHARE IT. SHOW IT.

GROUNDBREAKING EFFORT LAUNCHES TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR SUPPORT TO END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT

As part of NO MORE week, on March 18, 2014 I was privileged to attend a first of it's kind meeting at the White House: a roundtable of business leaders and advocates called upon to discuss building public-private partnerships aimed at helping end domestic violence and sexual assault in the United States. The meeting served as an opportunity to share strategies and concrete steps companies can take to address violence in their workplaces and communities. 

During the gathering, we heard from several companies that are working to improve the status quo, including Avon, Macy’s, Allstate, Viacom, and Kaiser Permanente.

 

 

The outcome?  Major corporations joined forces to pledge millions of dollars in new commitments to help end domestic violence and sexual assault as part of a groundbreaking effort to increase private sector support of these urgent issues. For several of the corporations this is their first, significant and public endeavor to support domestic violence and sexual assault awareness, two issues that many corporations have historically shied away from tackling.

 

The corporate commitments announced this week to address domestic violence and sexual assault include:

 

• Allstate Foundation: Announced a 50 percent increase in funding for financial empowerment services benefitting domestic violence survivors.
• Avon Foundation for Women: Announced three grants to create and disseminate three targeted prevention and intervention training tools to help bystanders – families, friends and strangers – recognize, respond and make appropriate referrals in situations when partner violence, dating abuse or sexual assault are suspected or observed.
• Finn Partners: Committed to provide pro bono communications and public relations counsel for the NO MORE symbol and movement.
• GUESS?, Inc. / GUESS Foundation: Announced an investment to support the roll-out of Peace Over Violence’s annual sexual violence awareness campaign, Denim Day. The commitment includes a donation of $100,000, the participation of more than 400 stores under the GUESS? Inc. umbrella including messaging in storefront windows, online and mobile marketing, and print PSA’s in Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, Teen Vogue and Lucky magazines.
• Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Announced a donation to the NO MORE public awareness effort to end domestic violence and sexual assault.
• Mary Kay: Committed $1 million to the loveisrespect text for help service that provides young people with resources and support to have healthy dating relationships, as well as $100,000 to support Break the Cycle’s, “NO MORE Silence: It’s Time To Talk Day,” a nationwide parent-child engagement campaign to prevent teen dating violence on Feb. 4, 2014.
• USA Network: Committed to airing a 16-hour “NO MORE Silence” marathon of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU) on April 27, 2014 to commemorate National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. Throughout the marathon, which will be hosted by SVU cast members, USA Network will air NO MORE PSAs, direct viewers to contact national help resources and highlight NO MORE on social media.
• Valeant Pharmaceuticals: Pledged to donate a goal of $1 million from sales of its aesthetic injectable, Obagi, and dermatology products to support the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence in serving survivors of domestic violence and educating communities about this issue. To date Valeant’s support has reached 19,000 women and enabled NCADV to expand many of its initiatives. 
• Verizon Wireless: Committed $75,000 to support Break the Cycle’s “It’s Time To Talk Day,” which included the creation of a teen dating violence prevention PSA. Additionally, the spot will air across Verizon’s FiOS platform throughout May 2014.
• Viacom: Announced an investment to produce and disseminate new, NO MORE PSAs, co-directed by Founder & President of the Joyful Heart Foundation, Actress Mariska Hargitay and Executive Vice President of Viacom Velocity Creative Content Solutions, Viacom Music and Entertainment, Niels Schuurmans. The PSAs will air across a variety of Viacom's networks.

 

NO MORE, a unifying symbol for domestic violence and sexual assault, works to generate support and resources to help domestic violence and sexual assault prevention organizations. These organizations are partners of NO MORE:

• 1in6, Inc.
• Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence
• National Sexual Violence Resource Center
• National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
• Safe Horizon
• National Domestic Violence Hotline
• National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
• Sisters of Color Ending Sexual Assault
• A CALL TO MEN
• U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women
• California Coalition Against Sexual Assault
• National Network to End Domestic Violence
• National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project
• Futures Without Violence
• Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation
• Joyful Heart Foundation
• Casa de Esperanza
• Break the Cycle
• Men Can Stop Rape
• National Alliance to End Sexual Violence
• Peace Over Violence
• YWCA USA

To learn more about NO MORE visit www.nomore.org.  To learn more about the work of the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence (CAEPV) and how we help workplaces address domestic violence, visit us at www.caepv.org or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CorporateAlliancetoEndPartnerViolence.

 

NO MORE Week: March 17 - 21, 2014

Join us for NO MORE Week - March 17 - 21, 2014 as we celebrate the one year anniversary of the launch of NO MORE! 

It's almost been one year since the launch of NO MORE! It's time to celebrate our one year anniversary, March 17th-21st, and more importantly, all of our supporters, partners, and allies who have come together to end domestic violence and sexual assault. 

Here are some ways you can take part:  http://goo.gl/m1k8oP - we'd love to hear from you how you are saying NO MORE during NO MORE week!

Save The Date: It's Time to Talk Day 2014

More information to come!  In the meantime, visit www.itstimetotalkday.org. And get ready to "take a moment to talk" about dating abuse.

WHY?

WHY?

In the midst of this picture of hope, already people are asking the question of the survivors of the horrors of Cleveland that they ask of victims/survivors of domestic violence:

"Why didn't they just leave?"

I cannot and will not speak for them.  I am not them and have not been through what they have been through. Instead: I say NO MORE.

And here is what  I ask of you: I  ask you to KNOW MORE, say NO MORE, share NO MORE, and ensure NO MORE. Visit www.nomore.org to learn MORE.

Cosmopolitan Magazine Says NO MORE to Domestic Violence

 

 

 

"Domestic violence doesn’t only happen at home. It spills

into the places we take for granted as safe—schools, stores, salons, or any workplace. Cosmopolitan investigates how relationship violence puts us all at risk…"

 

This is the introduction of an article appearing in the May 2013 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine (on shelves April 9, 2013).  Are you surprised "Cosmo" is taking on this issue?  To be honest...I was.

 

But then I was hopeful.  Hopeful because they have a huge reading audience of young women...young women who are not going to hear these stories anywhere else...young women who are not going to get this information another way.  Because "Cosmo" wrote about it, they will read it.

 

I'm excited that Cosmopolitan magazine is joining us in saying NO MORE.  The stories of domestic violence they share are heartbreakingly difficult to read, but they must be read.

 

And I am hopeful that the tips we give to workplaces, co-workers and friends will be helpful and will perhaps change - or save - lives.

 

As we say in the article:

 

 

 

What you can be is an advocate: If your company doesn’t

have a policy, ask for one. Don’t wait for something bad to

happen in order to get a work-safety policy in place. Walk in to your manager armed with this article.

 

 

To read the article:  http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/relationship-advice/intimate-terrorism or the PDF version: http://bit.ly/ZjkKQv 

To text to donate $5 to CAEPV: Text COSMO to 41010

 

To get resources and information from the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence (CAEPV): www.caepv.org

 

To learn more about NO MORE:  www.nomore.org