VAWnet News Blog

“I do this work so that my daughter, granddaughter and millions of adults and children know that they deserve to thrive in a world that is filled with love and support rather than violence and abuse.” —Damien Frierson, Division of Family Violence Prevention Services

As the world prepares to mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15th, the UN independent human rights expert mandated with defending the rights of older persons, Rosa Kornfeld-Matte, has stressed that they are often victims of sexual abuse and rape, although it remains rarely detected, reported or exposed.

This year the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence celebrates 25 years of strengthening the capacity of programs responding to domestic violence survivors and their families by promoting effective programs, policies, research, and engagement in prevention.

In addition to Alabama, only Minnesota has no law terminating parental rights in rape cases. Many states adopted such statutes after Congress passed the Rape Survivor Child Custody Act in 2015, granting additional funding to help sexual assault victims in states that allow courts to end parental rights when there is “clear and convincing evidence” that a child was conceived by rape.

The steps to end the violence, the report states, "must be no less monumental than the combination of systems and actions that has worked to maintain colonial violence for generations."

Our favorite childhood stories tend to stick with us. In our June TA Question of the Month, Casey Keene discusses the power of children's books in creating social change.