O

Throughout FIFA World Cup 2022, Join Avon and NO MORE to Say #IAMASUPPORTER of Ending Domestic Abuse

Throughout FIFA World Cup 2022, Join Avon and NO MORE to Say #IAMASUPPORTER of Ending Domestic Abuse

What does the World Cup mean to you? Excitement and pride – or fear of your partner?

This year, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence coincides with the FIFA World Cup 2022. For many, such sporting events are a time of great camaraderie, community, and national pride. But for those in an abusive relationship, it can also be a dangerous and fearful time. Regardless of winning or losing, domestic violence cases can increase by 26%.

Make no mistake. Football doesn’t cause domestic abuse, and it is never an excuse. But just like COVID lockdowns or the holiday season or alcohol consumption, the tournament can aggravate or exacerbate pre-existing abusive behaviours. 

1 in 3 women globally experiences abuse in their lifetime – statistically, we all know someone who has experienced or is currently experiencing abuse, so all of us can make an impact in tackling gender-based violence.

That’s why Avon and NO MORE have joined forces to encourage fans around the world to say #IAMASUPPORTER of ending domestic abuse. We’ve developed resources with information on the signs of abuse and how to support friends or loved ones who may be experiencing it, during the World Cup and beyond.

Our social media campaign, running throughout the World Cup, highlights matches each day and directs people in those countries to a toolkit that they can safely and easily download. The toolkit not only helps to increase understanding of domestic violence, but it also offers information on what to say to someone you know who is experiencing abuse and what you can do to help them. 

It can be challenging to know what to say, what to do, and how to ensure their safety. By downloading the #IAMASUPPORTER toolkit, we can all be more prepared. We can listen without judgment and offer practical support, from a safe space to store important documents to a professional helpline. 

Understanding more about domestic violence, and raising awareness is crucial to helping to end it.  Join us during the World Cup and beyond, to say #IAMASUPPORTER of ending domestic abuse.  Every conversation, every share on social media, and every download of the toolkit is a winning goal against gender-based violence. 

Click to download the #IAMASUPPORTER Toolkit

References:
UK National Centre for Domestic Violence (NCDV) data The research was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the dataset included 1678 respondents (1312 female and 366 male) reporting domestic violent crime. Lancaster University, 2013. https://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/dp1781.pdf
Global, regional and national estimates for intimate partner violence against women and global and regional estimates for non-partner sexual violence against women was developed by WHO and the UNDP-UNFPA-UNICEF-WHO-World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP) for the United Nations Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence Against Women Estimation and data: 2018 https://www.who.int/news/item/09-03-2021-devastatingly-pervasive-1-in-3-women-globally-experience-violence

 

Get News Updates and Alerts From NO MORE

Speak Your Truth Today – An Inclusive & Empowering Space where Survivors Can Find Their Voice

Hannah Hollander is the founder and executive director of Speak Your Truth Today, a Facebook group of over 18,000 survivors breaking the silence around domestic violence.

 

I remember going into the notes app on my phone and writing out everything I wanted to say about myself, my abusive marriage, and what I believed those in my hometown needed to hear. I didn’t know if I would ever share it publicly, but it was therapeutic to write down and get it off my chest.

 

I grew up in a religious small town in Northwest Washington where difficult topics are often never discussed, family is highly valued, and getting married young is very normalized. I knew there were countless people like me…living silent, violent lives because their society didn’t allow them to open up and be honest. 

 

I had recently learned that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men will experience some sort of physical abuse by an intimate partner in their lifetime. I had also recently discovered that four women in my immediate family had divorced their husbands over domestic violence. Simultaneously shocked and angry, all I could think was:  “Why wasn’t I told their stories growing up? Why weren’t people speaking up about this? If the statistics are so high, what are we doing to protect our children?”

 

I kept my thoughts in my notes for over four months. Finally, on February 10th, 2019—my 24th birthday—I decided I would share my story and take my maiden name back on Facebook. I believed that if I could just reach one person like me who thought what they were going through was normal, it would all be worth it. I honestly could have never predicted what would happen next.

 

The stories started pouring in. Hundreds of people started commenting, opening up about the dark secrets they had lived or were living. I was getting messages from strangers, asking me for relationship advice or sending photos of their battered faces with the words “me too.”

 

My post went on to be shared over 123,000 times.

 

Four days after I had shared my story, I called my mom and told her I was incredibly overwhelmed.

 

I realized these people needed a safe space where they could support each other through their shared experiences and encourage one another to take the difficult steps towards freedom.

 

So, somewhat on a whim, I decided to found Speak Your Truth Today (SYTT) – a gender-inclusive, Facebook support group, where survivors could start their healing journeys. 

 

Little did I know, this single decision would change my life forever.

 

In two weeks, we had over 12,000 members. It was clear we were meeting an immense need. Fast forward three and a half years, SYTT now has a large and deeply dedicated volunteer team who supports over 18,000 members worldwide. We gained 501(c)3 nonprofit status in May of 2021, and have since hired staff, won awards, and been recognized by Meta for the work we’re doing. 

 

I’m proud to say we have helped about three people leave abusive relationships every single week since we began in 2019. 

We recognize the reality that anyone can be a survivor or perpetrator of abuse, and this is why it is critical to encourage those who are even more silenced within domestic violence discussions to speak up.

Speak Your Truth Today has become this incredibly empowering space where survivors no longer feel alone in the struggles they face. We have the capability to help keep this group safe and supportive, while also committing to the inclusivity of ALL survivors – regardless of race, gender, ability, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation. We recognize the reality that anyone can be a survivor or perpetrator of abuse, and this is why it is critical to encourage those who are even more silenced within domestic violence discussions to speak up. And we hope SYTT gives people the power to do just that.  

 

Our mission is to amplify the voices of victims and survivors of domestic violence through offering abuse education, networking resources, providing emotional support, and celebrating freedom. SYTT is able to walk side-by-side with survivors throughout their entire journey out of abuse, and we have witnessed incredible stories of victory despite horrifying odds. 

 

Encouraging these survivors to take back their power and speak the truth of their experience within a community that truly understands what they are going through has been incredibly humbling. So often, newcomers join our group scared, unsure, contemplative and fearful – and we get the privilege of empathizing, educating and watching as they become empowered, confident, and decisive. 

 

I could have never dreamed for all this to happen from one Facebook post. The community I formed in the middle of my divorce ended up being the perfect space for me to learn and heal alongside thousands of survivors who were going through the exact same thing. I was no longer alone, and neither were they.

 

Listen, learn, and help lead the fight against domestic violence. The only way we stop this is by doing our part to educate ourselves and encouraging survivors to find their voice & speak their truth.

 

Speak Your Truth Today is in the middle of a worldwide running campaign called RUN the Globe! Alongside two other worldwide Facebook communities, SYTT is launching a totally new type of running challenge – one that invites participants to collectively circumference the entire globe in miles run/walked throughout the whole month of October. Their goal is to reach 40,075kms while empowering survivor voices and raising $40,000 for their organization. Sign Up or Donate today to help them achieve their goals, or follow along on Facebook & Instagram to keep up to date with their nonprofit happenings.

Get News Updates and Alerts From NO MORE

Gender-Based Violence Researchers and Activists: Lessons From a Global Family

Working as activists in domestic and sexual violence spaces can sometimes feel like you are on a never-ending wheel. Until, you arrive at forums like SVRI (Sexual Violence Research Initiative) and see hundreds of colleagues from over 90 countries who are just like you. They have the same inspiration, strength and faith we all need to end domestic and sexual violence.

 

“Prevention efforts will transform people from bystanders to activists and create a world where young people recognize gender-based violence and are willing to say NO to it.”

 

At the SVRI Forum, we were reassured that to continue this fight, we need overarching global services that provide victims with the immediate support they need. We also need strong legal systems that ensure that domestic and sexual violence are treated as crimes, but most importantly, we need to focus on the future. Prevention efforts will transform people from bystanders to activists and create a world where young people recognize gender-based violence and are willing to say NO to it.

 

There is still a substantial north-south divide; however, innovation is starting to come from all parts of the world. Lessons learned, partnerships, research and even program failures are emerging from all corners and whilst there is still a long way to walk, we see more research being funded and carried out locally.

 

Today, the NO MORE family wants to assure our chapters, allied organizations, activists, and followers that we are not alone. The passion, commitment, and resilience we were able to experience from a global family of activists convening at the SVRI Forum give us faith that we are on the right path to finding solutions. Indeed, it may not always be the smoothest of roads, but one that is gathering the vital knowledge it needs to create meaningful change.

 

Our mantra has been proven at SVRI – only together can we end domestic and sexual violence. 

Get News Updates and Alerts From NO MORE

Join The Chorus: Unifying Global Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention

At the NO MORE Foundation, we are dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence through increasing awareness, inspiring action, and fueling culture change. We know that we cannot do this alone and that we need to work together to achieve this. 

Everyday, people we know share with us their experiences of domestic and sexual violence, reminding us that it is our duty to speak out and take action about these issues.

 

Our goal at NO MORE is simple! We are a unifier. 

 

Connecting advocacy agencies, activists and enabling collaborations, sharing information and providing tools to actively support them all – from the national NGO, to the individual who wants to make a difference. 

We do this by generating innovative campaigns, tools and technology that can be shared and scaled, gaining the attention of media, organizations and individuals to drive meaningful action.

 

Our Global Directory is an online, open-source directory of specialist domestic and sexual violence helplines and support services from over 200 countries and territories. 

 

At NO MORE, we know that the smallest of actions can go a long way to creating a society that does not tolerate domestic and sexual violence. 

For change to have a long-lasting impact, we need to ensure that all parts of society take action! Together, we must deliver a Whole System  Approach (WSA) to tackle the epidemic of domestic and sexual violence. 

 

Governments need to take an active role – from providing legislative support and sustainable funding, to delivering prevention campaigns. 

 

A great example of this is The Commonwealth Says NO MORE  #JoinTheChorus campaign featuring celebrities from across the Commonwealth such as FKA twigs, Rose Byrne, Joselyn Dumas, Mahira Khan and Thandiwe Newton. #JoinTheChorus calls for collective action to raise awareness of and stop domestic and sexual violence. 

 

It is vital that businesses, both large and small, stand up and take action too! Each one offers unique opportunities to be part of the solution. Corporate partners’ reach, resources and responsibility to their employees and customers are essential in the movement to eliminate violence.

 

NO MORE worked with Uber to delivered the ‘Don’t Stand By’ campaign – calling on young people to take an active role in preventing sexual violence. Crucially they have utilized the expertise of specialist services to train their customer response teams and develop tools and training for their drivers around sexual violence. 

 

Let’s work together with multinational companies, national corporations and local businesses to encourage them to amplify our work around awareness-raising and prevention.

Let’s call on them to consider their responsibility to their employees. Let’s enable them to reflect on their products and provide opportunities for them to adapt to prevent harm. Most importantly, let’s demand that they are part of our movement to create change. 

 

The advocacy work of NGOs, support agencies and activists needs to be supported, underpinned with sustainable funding and their work to be shared widely as good practice. They are enabling community members, universities, schools and parents to start the vital and important conversations around domestic and sexual violence. 

 

One thing that is universally true is that small but significant steps contribute to real change. We need to do it together! Our NO MORE chapters around the world are doing just this: 

 

Ecuador Dice NO MÁS – through their campaigning changed legislation around sexual violence, encourage survivors to come forward to access support. Their amazing SUPVivors work has recently been nominated for the UN SDG Action Awards. 

The team at Cyprus Says NO MORE, led by The Body Shop Cyprus, draftied legislation that criminalized sexist behavior and discrimination against women. 

UK SAYS NO MORE, in response to COVID-19, partnered with pharmacies and banks across the UK to activate the Safe Spaces initiative – training their staff to recognise and respond to domestic abuse disclosures and enabling their consultation rooms to become safe spaces to access confidential specialist support. Their Online Safe Spaces initiative is also featured on over 100 companies’ websites and has been accessed over a million times. 

 

We can do more, reach more people and have far more impact if we work together! At NO MORE we truly believe in collaboration, so I leave you with a task…promise yourself that you actively seek to work in partnership with someone you have met this week.  

And join us in saying NO MORE to domestic and sexual violence! 

Get News Updates and Alerts From NO MORE

The Power of Partnerships to Prevent Domestic and Sexual Violence

The success of partnerships in creating change in the domestic and sexual violence space is well documented. At the local level, we have seen the lasting impact of outstanding initiatives like Coordinated Community Response—started in Duluth, Minnesota and then implemented worldwide—as well as the Family Justice Centers and other one-stop-shops for survivors. These partnership models have created lasting impacts, significantly improving survivors’ access to support. At the local level, there is still much more work to do, and service providers must continuously expand their partnerships with other organisations in the domestic and sexual violence space to affect long-lasting change.

Only by working together, we will break down the stigma surrounding domestic and sexual violence, call out myths around sexuality and relationships, and achieve a future without violence. 

NO MORE was built on the idea that no one organisation alone can drive the culture change needed to prevent violence. In fact, the goal from the start was to break out of the existing, siloed ways of working, and instead integrate a global community of NGOs, leaders, changemakers, and more to learn from each other and affect change in their local communities. These examples of collaboration and partnership would then trickle down to our teachers, parents, coaches, and ultimately to the whole of society. We know that only by working together will we break down the stigma surrounding domestic and sexual violence, call out myths around sexuality and relationships, and achieve a future without violence. 

More than ever before, we can reach people in every aspect of their lives through technology—in schools, when dating, at work, and beyond. If, in all of these moments, we could remind people about the harm and scale of domestic and sexual violence, we could educate many on recognising and preventing abuse.

But we can only do this if governments believe in and join transformative prevention efforts. We urgently need governments to value prevention work as highly as it does legislative reforms and the provision of services. National strategy plans must be comprehensive and invest in a long-term solution for preventing violence against women and girls. Progress has been made over the past 40 years, and if we want it to continue, we need political vision and leadership to ensure that our next generations experience gender equity and the know-how to recognise healthy and unhealthy relationships.

This battle is ours to win; but we need commitment, leadership, and acknowledgment of the existing progress to remind all delegates attending #CHOGM22 and partners around the world that we have the collective power to make a difference. We need to take a stand against violence against women and girls—an epidemic that affects 1 in 3 women worldwide—including our friends, families, and colleagues. Together, we can end domestic and sexual violence.

 

#JoinTheChorus and let’s create transformational change.

Get News Updates and Alerts From NO MORE

Victory Over Violence — Addressing Violence Against Women and Girls In and Through Sports

Globally, an estimated 736 million women—almost one in three—have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life. Sports can be a way to put women and girls in the best, most positive light as strong, capable leaders and winners. However, too often violence against women and girls (VAWG) exists in sports and is perpetuated in the culture around sports.

Please join UN Women, Grace Farms Foundation, and The NO MORE Foundation for an important one-day forum on both the challenges and opportunities to address violence against women and girls in the world of sports.

Register Now

Sessions will include:

  • Addressing toxic cultural gender norms and biases and the importance of male involvement as part of the solution to GBV.
  • Lessons, experiences and best practices for a survivor-centered response to violence against women and girls in sports.
  • Improving access to justice for victims and survivors of VAWG in sports.
  • The role of professional and youth sports in preventing violence against women and girls and promoting women’s and girls’ agency and leadership.

See the full agenda here:

Get News Updates and Alerts From NO MORE

Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War: Women’s Hidden Battle During Conflict

Warning: The following post contains descriptions of sexual violence.

With the horrifying mounting body of evidence emerging about Ukrainian women being raped during the conflict with Russia, we are once again reminded of the brutality of war. As one example, according to one news report, around 25 girls and women aged 14-24 were systematically raped in the basement of one house in Bucha.1 As warfare rages on and the violence escalates, women’s bodies have become part of the battlefield.

Systematic rape must no longer be dismissed as an inevitable by-product of war, but instead as a defining and deliberate tactic of modern conflicts that must be stopped. That’s why NO MORE and Avon have teamed up to increase awareness and engage with leaders and organisations to support survivors and prevent violence. 

Here’s what you need to know for starters:

1) The Magnitude of the Problem is Hard to Fully Know: We know it’s bad, but reliable global statistics on the magnitude of sexual violence during conflict do not exist. One reliable cross-national study found that wartime rape was significant in 62% of all major civil wars between 1980-2009.2 Due to shame, fear and other obstacles, the UN estimates that in conflict zones, for every rape that is reported, between 10 and 20 rapes are not.3

2) Yet, Understanding is Increasing: The issue has been progressively better understood over the last two decades. The atrocities during the conflict in the former Yugoslavia and the Rwandan genocide in particular have helped to shed some light. An estimated 60,000 women were raped in the three-year Bosnian conflict4 and up to 250,000 in the hundred-day Rwandan genocide.5 In recent years, reports of sexual violence have been documented in conflicts in Bangladesh6, Myanmar7, Colombia8, Ethiopia9, South Sudan10, and many more.

3) It’s Not Only Rape: Conflict-related sexual violence has become almost synonymous with rape, however sexual violence takes a number of different forms in conflict and post-conflict settings. Other common forms of violence include sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, sexual slavery, and forced marriage including of minors.11 In addition to the scourge of conflict-related sexual violence, research has also found that domestic violence against women increases when conflict breaks out.12,13,14,15  

4) No One is Immune from Becoming a Victim: Sexual violence can be perpetrated against all groups of people, in all parts of the world, no matter race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, and gender – including women and men, boys and girls. Though conflict-related sexual violence against men and boys is widespread, men and boys are even less likely to report it due to enormous taboo around the topic.16

5) The Impact is Vast and Long-Lasting – The effects of sexual violence are devastating to individuals and damaging to whole communities. Physical consequences include unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections that “leave women scarred, disabled, unable to conceive and deemed unsuitable for marriage”.17 The resulting psychological trauma can include distress, shame, isolation and guilt, sleeping and eating disorders, depression, and a number of other behavioural disorders. It is not only the victims that are affected – partners, children and other family members also experience the trauma of guilt or shame.18 The physical and emotional consequences are often compounded by the loss of socio-economic stability and opportunity.19

You can find out more here. We can be active bystanders and raise our voices to speak out against sexual violence in conflict. Simply by sharing this with your friends and family you can be part of a movement to raise awareness and help to signpost vital support services for people who need them. Join us and raise your voice.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual violence, go to the NO MORE Global Directory and find support services in more than 205 countries, including Ukraine. 

We hope you will join us in speaking out and supporting ongoing efforts to stop conflict-related sexual violence, during Sexual Assault Awareness Month and beyond.

 

References:

  1. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61071243
  2. Dara Kay Cohen, “Explaining Rape during Civil War: Cross-National Evidence (1980–2009)”, American Political Science Review, Vol. 107, No. 3, 2013, pp. 461–477
  3. https://www.warchild.org.uk/news/hidden-victims-sexual-violence-war
  4. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1359249/FULLTEXT01.pdf
  5. https://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/rwanda/supporting-survivors.shtml
  6. https://brill.com/view/book/9789004389380/BP000007.xml
  7. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-022-13038-7
  8. https://www.ecchr.eu/en/case/sexual-violence-in-the-colombian-conflict/
  9. https://www.amnestyusa.org/reports/tigrayan-forces-attacks-on-civilians-in-amhara-towns/
  10. https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/A_HRC_49_CRP_4.pdf
  11. https://www.svri.org/sites/default/files/attachments/2016-01-14/A%20research%20agenda%20for%20sexual%20violence%20in%20humanitarian%2C%20conflict%20and%20post-conflict%20settings..pdf
  12. World Bank, Global Monitoring Report: Promoting Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, (Washington, DC, 2007)
  13. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/4/2/e003644
  14. Jose V Gallegos and Italo A Gutierrez, “The Effect of Civil Conflict on Domestic Violence: The Case of Peru,” working paper, August 3, 2011, available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=1904417
  15. Lori Heise and Claudia Garcia-Moreno (2002), “Violence by Intimate Partners,” in Etienne G. Krug et al, eds., World Report on Violence and Health (Geneva: WHO, 2002), p. 100;  
  16. https://www.msf.org/sexual-violence
  17. PLoS Medicine Editors. Rape in war is common, devastating, and too often ignored. PLoS Med. 2009;6(1):e21. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000021  
  18. https://international-review.icrc.org/sites/default/files/irrc-894-sexual-violence-in-armed-conflict.pdf
  19. https://international-review.icrc.org/sites/default/files/irrc-894-sexual-violence-in-armed-conflict.pdf

Get News Updates and Alerts From NO MORE

A Look Back at NO MORE Week 2022

NO MORE Week 2022 has come to a close, and I want to thank you. This year, we asked you to #JoinTheChorus for a week of action to help stop and prevent domestic and sexual violence, and you answered the call. The support we saw last week from individuals, survivors, businesses, organizations, and communities around the world has far exceeded our expectations.

Thousands of people were part of our second annual NO MORE Week Virtual 5k Walk/Run, and we saw supporters from across the globe share their photos and results online. The race not only raised much-needed awareness of the pervasiveness of domestic and sexual violence, but also critical funding to support our year-round prevention work. We’re grateful to all, especially to State Farm and the NFL, for helping to make the race an even bigger success this year.

We convened NO MORE chapters and partner organizations in the U.S., the UK, Ecuador, Africa, and Cyprus for virtual KNOW MORE Global Dialogue sessions. Over the course of the week, hundreds of attendees and viewers learned about critical topics like keeping victims safe during COVID-19, the importance of talking to children about preventing violence, and how we can center survivor voices in our prevention work. Keep your eyes peeled for clips from these powerful sessions on our social media.

We launched an important new prevention resource—our bilingual conversation guide— for parents to talk to children about healthy communication, sexuality, and relationships. “Talking Healthy Relationships” is particularly timely as the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to cause a surge in incidents of domestic and sexual violence and technology has fueled the spread of unhealthy images and communications. Both English and Spanish-speaking parents and caregivers can now get tips and resources for having these tough but necessary conversations with their kids. Download the guides today.

The support and action we saw during NO MORE Week has once again inspired and reenergized us. But our work doesn’t stop now. Sign the #JoinTheChorus pledge and work with us year-round to end domestic & sexual violence.

 

#JoinTheChorus

Get News Updates and Alerts From NO MORE

El Futuro: El rol que juegan los padres y madres en prevenir la violencia doméstica y sexual

Una de las cosas más importantes en la que podemos estar de acuerdo todas las madres y padres es que cuando uno tiene hijos a alguien se le olvidó darnos el manual. Al dar ese paso, una nueva serie de experiencias, responsabilidades y temores nos acechan.

Con los años entendemos que no solo somos cuidadores, pero también formadores. Mucha de las experiencias que ellos tendrán en su vida con nosotros formaran su futuro desde sus gustos en comidas, deportes, pero más crucial como manejen sus emociones y su visión de como será su vida de adultos.

Aunque nos queramos reusar, una de las pocas cosas constantes en la vida es el tiempo. Llega el momento en que ellos no son bebes y empiezan a entender y explorar lo que son relaciones afectivas. Ese es el momento adonde la conversación y consejos deben iniciarse.

El silencio nunca es bueno. Quizás nos hemos criado en una casa adonde se hablaba poco acerca de sexualidad y relaciones emocionales. De seguir, ese camino eso significa que nuestra hija/os tendrán que buscar información y formarse por lo que escuchan de otros o directamente de experiencias, muchas de las cuales pueden ser negativas.

La guía de como abordar conversaciones acerca de relaciones, y sexualidad saludable, elaborada por Esperanza United y NO MORE aspira a hacer ser esa muleta de ayuda para todos los que empezamos a tener estas conversaciones con nuestros niños/as y adolescentes.

Si un consejo, corre a través de todo está guía es perder el miedo. Seamos honestos hablemos con nuestros hijos/as de nuestras vidas, de las lecciones que hemos y seguimos aprendiendo. Compartir nuestra humanidad es la mejor manera de que estas pláticas caigan en tierra fértil. Y el mejor momento siempre es cuando no hay un motivo para tenerlas, no hay que esperar a descubrir un novio/a o estar en medio de una situación porque corremos el riesgo de que suene a sermón, ya que talvez esa es la primera ves que hablamos del tema.

¿Por qué es importante hablar con nuestros hijos? Enseñarles lo que es una relación saludable les ayudara a reconocer los primeros signos de abuso si ellos están empezando una relación negativa. Lo harán por ellos mismos y en muchas ocasiones podrán tomar más pronto la decisión de dejar una situación que no les conviene.

Hablar de sexualidad saludable les ayudará a entender que ello/as deben buscar formas adonde disfruten compartir la intimidad con alguien y no hacer cosas que no les parecen. En este tema, la ignorancia da pie a muchas malas situaciones que pueden ser evadidas si nuestros hijos/as saben que esperar y como protegerse.

Mantengámonos informados acerca de nuevas tecnologías, talvez sea imposible competir con ellos en esto, pero las ideas básicas de como mantenernos protegidos en línea no son disimilares de las del mundo real.

Uno de los pasos más difíciles es reconocer y aceptar que el momento ha llegado para empezar a hablar de estos temas. Aceptar que nuestros niños/as crecen y que todas pláticas que tengamos los convertirán en mujeres y hombres fuertes, adonde habrá cada día menos espacio para relaciones abusivas o desbalanceadas. En NO MORE y Esperanza United solo podemos aspirar que esta guía sea un granito de arena en ese proceso, y un capítulo del manual que a alguien se le olvidó darnos cuando nos convertimos en madres o padres.

 

Descargue las guías de conversación para hablar con los niños/as sobre sexualidad, comunicación y relaciones saludables.

Get News Updates and Alerts From NO MORE

Domestic Violence is Everyone’s Business

NO MORE Week is the perfect time to remind everyone in our communities about the role they can play in preventing domestic violence and sexual assault.  For the last eight years, Southwest PA Says NO MORE has hosted a breakfast for corporate and community leaders to talk about steps they can take to address domestic violence as it affects their workplace and workforce.

Why corporate leaders?  A 2018 national survey of domestic violence survivors found that more than 80% of victims report that the abuse affected their ability to do their job. Among those who reported work disruptions, 49% had missed one or more days of work and 53% said they lost their job because of the abuse.  Co-workers are often aware that something is wrong; they may try to help or to cover for a colleague who is scared or distracted. And if an abusive partner comes to the workplace to confront their victim, it can quickly become a safety issue for bystanders, including colleagues and customers. For all these reasons and more, if someone is being abused at home, it comes to work with them.  And the prevalence of domestic violence means that all workplaces experience the effects.

Every year during NO MORE Week, Southwest PA Says NO MORE focuses on educating employers to Recognize the signs of domestic violence, be prepared to Respond to employees who are unsafe, and Refer them to community resources for assistance and support.  This breakfast is a joint effort of United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, FISA Foundation, and STANDING FIRM: The Business Case to End Partner Violence.  STANDING FIRM is a national program that empowers employers to address the workforce impacts of domestic violence through training, resources, and policy assistance.

It’s been so gratifying to see our corporate community embrace this issue, by implementing training programs, upgrading policies, sponsoring programs, and speaking out against domestic violence through our annual Father’s Day Pledge. 

 

If you or a loved one has experienced domestic and/or sexual violence and is seeking help, the NO MORE Global Directory offers contact information for services in over 200 countries around the world. Visit NOMOREDirectory.org today.

Get News Updates and Alerts From NO MORE