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FACTSHEET:
Elder Abuse and the Law

The "graying of America" has given senior citizens a large and powerful political voice. As a result, crimes against the elderly, particularly those involving abuse or neglect, are coming to the attention of the general public and our nation's elected policy makers.

[Read more.]

Newsletter: Fall 2005: The Defining Factor

In Sudan, in Bosnia, and in Rwanda, rape has been part of a government policy of genocide.

In Pakistan, rape victims are prosecuted, maimed, or killed for "infidelity".

In America, millions of women and men, boys and girls are victims of domestic violence, of stranger rape, of acquaintance rape, of prison rape, of sexual harassment, of sexual trafficking, and of other forms of violence.

All of these atrocities come from the same cause. They are a result of underlying power inequities. Ultimately, domestic violence is not about battering, it is about power and control. Sexual violence is not about sex, it is about power and control.

Unfortunately, the structure of public response and funding and priorities of different age, gender, cultural and racial groups, has caused a response to these problems to be fragmented.

The time is ripe for change. Sexual violence is in the news as never before. The perception of violence against women has shifted, and it is now discussed as a human rights crisis. It's time for our splintered responses to become unified. While we must stay the course in our current activities, we must also do more. We must put aside our differences. We must become a movement.

The effects of sexual and domestic violence in our world are great. When one third of the population are dealing with the aftereffects of trauma rather than fulfilling their life’s potential, our communities suffer as a result.

So, what can we do? We should work together, recognize the differing manifestations of sexual and domestic violence, and do everything we can to end it. We must ensure that victims have the resources they need to recover and that communities have the opportunities to address why it is occurring.

Sexual and domestic violence programs should make a special effort to ensure that sexual violence is addressed during Domestic Violence Awareness Month and domestic violence is included in Sexual Assault Awareness Month activities.
Linkages between sexual and domestic violence programs must be strong so that victims who have suffered multiple forms of abuse can have as seamless services as possible.
In legislative and other advocacy, we must lend support to each other’s causes. Even if you can’t make a rally or meeting, you can lend your agency’s name to the list of supporting organizations, for example.

The New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault is taking a small step in the right direction. So have many other agencies. The Lawyers Committee Against Domestic Violence annual conference last year focused on integrating the insights of sexual and domestic violence. Strengthening these relationships is ongoing and the commitment is there on all sides. The Alliance is helping to support this year’s Brides March, facilitated by Latinas Against Domestic Violence. This march brings attention to the death of Gladys Ricart on her wedding day by her former abusive boyfriend and targets the Latina community in upper Manhattan. We feel strongly about lending our support to this initiative.

The Alliance welcomes other opportunities to support all efforts to end violence against women. Contact us and we’ll make sure we contact others.

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