Kent County Climate Survey on Sexual Violence

The Kent County Climate Survey on Sexual Violence is a completely confidential survey for adults in Kent County, Michigan ages 18 and up. The survey ends September 15, 2021. Those who complete the survey will be given the chance to enter a drawing to win a $25 gift card.

Initial Study Invitation
Dear Kent County Community Member,

You are being asked to take part in a research study carried out by Dr. Tonisha R. Jones, Associate Professor in the School of Criminal Justice, and Dr. Joy Washburn, Associate Professor in the Kirkhof College of Nursing, both at Grand Valley State University.

You have been selected to participate in this study because you are a resident of Kent County, Michigan. You will be asked to answer several questions. Completing this survey should take 10- 15 minutes.

To begin the survey simply click on the survey link in your preferred language below to go directly to the survey.
If the link does not work, copy and paste the above URL into the address bar of your Internet browser.

Your completion and submission of the survey indicates your consent to participate in the research study.
Thank you for participating in this important study!

This research protocol has been approved by the Office of Research Compliance and Integrity Institutional Review Board at Grand Valley State University (Protocol #21-244-H).

Survey in English

Survey in Spanish

Survey in Swahili

Survey in Kinyarwanda

Survey in Vietnamese

Thank you for your time and participation!

#ThatsHarassment – The Doctor

Here is another video from #ThatsHarassment. It comes a few days after Dr. Larry Nassar, a renowned athletic medicine physician who worked with Michigan State University and the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team, was sentenced to 40 to 175 years of prison for seven counts of criminal sexual conduct after more than 210 former patients came forward with allegations of abuse. BLOG POST CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO

After watching this video, you can see just how subtle, but calculated perpetrators of abuse and harassment can be, especially when they are in the position of a doctor. We are supposed to trust doctors; they went to medical school, after all, and are involved in our most intimate details. Like most professionals, the overwhelming majority of doctors are honest and are here to help us. But when they are not, in the case of Larry Nassar, or this guy in the video, it can leave us feeling very vulnerable and confused. Here is a very in-depth article from MLive about how Nassar used his position as a well-respected athletic medicine doctor to abuse his young patients and cover it up for 20 years. 

Some people may have wondered “Did they have to do that procedure?” or “I’m not sure if that was right, the way or place they touched me?” You can sense the woman in this videos’ body language that says she’s questioning this whole situation. She feels vulnerable and violated, but will not likely report the situation, because abusers use their position to make the victim question themselves. Gaslighting 101. After all, sexual abuse and harassment are about power, and the abuser can have power over you if you are left questioning your own judgment.

What are the answers to all of this? We don’t really know at this time. But it does point out to why primary prevention (creating conditions that stop sexual violence before it even starts) is very important.

#MeTooK12

An announcement from (SSAIS) Stop Sexual Assault in Schools:
“#MeTooK12 is a hashtag created by Stop Sexual Assault in Schools to help combat the erasure of K-12 students and youth in the #MeToo movement and the ongoing discussion about Title IX protections for student survivors of sexual harassment and assault. The campaign, in partnership with National Women’s Law Center, officially launched on January 9. We’re inviting folks to start spreading the word with us now, by using the hashtag to share our resolutions for how we plan to make sure students aren’t left out of this important cultural reckoning.”

#MeTooK12 at Washington Post
Read more

It’s TIME

Our last post was about TIME Magazine‘s 2017 Person of the Year. It was not a person, but a group of people. Women, to be exact; the women of the #MeToo movement. Not exactly the feel-good story of the year, but it’s good that they are covering it.

When we look a little deeper, it’s interesting to note that in the whole 80 years that TIME has been honoring the Person of the Year, according to the Washington Post, no American woman has won the award by themselves. Maybe they are turning over a new leaf. Maybe next year?

Read more about it here.

 

The Silence Breakers

TIME Magazine has named the “Silence Breakers” as the 2017 Person of the Year. These are the women who have come forward to face those who they allege sexually harassed or assaulted them. It’s a really long article…

The Silence Breakers

Online Harassment

Here is an episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver discussing online harassment. CAUTION: it contains some foul language, so be conscious of who’s watching it with you.

He really digs into why this is such a huge problem that can have detrimental effects on victim’s lives. Enjoy!

Talking With Boys About Sexual Assault

Here is a good article for parents about teaching their son’s about sexual assault. It comes from a great website called Hey Sigmund. As the name reveals, it’s a psychology website, and it offers lots of different perspectives about sexual assault prevention.

Sexual Assault is About Power

There is a common misunderstanding about sexual assault; that it is about some unencumbered sexual urge or drive. The truth is, sexual assault is a power dynamic. The perpetrator is trying to exert power over another person. This is why some of the most common victims of sexual assault come from our most vulnerable populations: young children; those with intellectual and emotional disabilities; and the elderly. I encourage you to read this article from Psychology Today for a more in-depth look.

House and Senate Are ‘Among the Worst’ for Harassment, Representative Says

Sexual harassment stems from the same social norms that can lead to sexual assault. Valuing or claiming power over others, acceptability of violence, and narrow definitions of manhood and womanhood can create environments where sexual harassment is the norm.  Sexual harassment is never acceptable, especially coming from our leaders. How do we prevent sexual assault when our nation’s leaders are complicit in these norms themselves? It’s time for change.

“The Congress of the United States should be the one work environment where people are treated with respect, where there isn’t a hostile work environment,” said Representative Jackie Speier, Democrat of California, who will testify on Tuesday about her efforts to deal with harassment in the Capitol. “And frankly, it’s just the opposite. It’s probably among the worst.”

In more than 50 interviews, lawyers, lobbyists and former aides told The New York Times that sexual harassment has long been an occupational hazard for those operating in Washington politics, and victims on Capitol Hill are forced to go through far more burdensome avenues to seek redress than their counterparts in the private sector…

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