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When Abusers Keep Their Guns

Jennifer Gollan

October 09, 2021 |

Reveal |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Starting in 1968, Congress has passed a series of laws, as have some states, stripping gun possession rights from people convicted of felonies or of domestic violence, or who are the subjects of restraining orders. But neither federal nor most state authorities do much to enforce the laws, relying instead on an honor system that often fails. Some places, like Washington's King County (Seattle), have done more to track who has guns they are barred from having. Thorough follow-up enables them to confiscate such guns in a process that can be less potentially violent than assumed.

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‘I Don't Want to Hit My Children. I Don't Want to Hit Anybody.'

Rachel Louise Snyder

October 01, 2021 |

The New York Times |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: England

The Respect Phoneline started in the UK in 2004 to give anonymous callers, usually men, a way to seek help for their violent impulses. Rather than putting the burden for resolving domestic violence on survivors and on the punitive tools of the criminal justice system, the hotline approach recognizes that people prone to abusing others are frustrated and unhappy and want to change but need help to figure out how. While the aftermath of anonymous phone counseling can't be tracked, the author observed the process helping many men change their thinking. Similar hotlines have started in multiple places.

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Sexual Violence Is Endemic In Sokoto But A Law Firm Is Changing The Narrative

Abiodun Jamiu

September 23, 2021 |

HumAngle |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Sokoto

Rashida Muhammad and Co. is a small law firm in Nigeria's northwest states that gives free representation to women and girls who have been victims of sexual and gender-based violence. Despite harsh laws on the books, the people who commit such crimes benefit from an inefficient and slow system of justice. The Rashida firm has successfully prosecuted five cases, with more in progress. When victims do not see a likely way to seek justice, crimes go unreported, people committing harm remain unaccountable, and victims are discriminated against in education.

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Maybe Cops Shouldn't Handle Domestic Violence Calls

Melissa Jeltsen

September 22, 2021 |

The Cut |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Moab, Utah

The case of Gabby Petito illustrates how decades-old laws meant to make police take domestic violence more seriously can backfire on the people who most need protection. Mandatory-arrest laws require police responding to a domestic-violence complaint to determine who is the primary aggressor, as a prelude to an arrest. In Petito's case, as in many, Moab, Utah, police deemed her the aggressor based on a cursory investigation, and possibly based on ingrained biases against women. This does nothing to get at the root of the problem and get people the help they need.

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He Beat Her Repeatedly. Family Court Tried to Give Him Joint Custody of Their Children.

Megan O'Matz

September 16, 2021 |

ProPublica |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a leader in the movement to treat fathers as equal caregivers and to prioritize shared custody in divorces. But this fathers' rights reform, combined with outmoded ideas about women who allege domestic violence, often forces domestic violence victims to maintain frequent communication with their abusers and to turn over their children to violent former spouses for visits. Although the shared-custody law does exempt cases of serious domestic violence, advocates say the law allows large exceptions, makes proving allegations too hard, and is overseen by courts dismissive of women's allegations.

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‘Every man was drinking': how much do bans on alcohol help women in India?

Preeti Jha

September 14, 2021 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Bihar

The Bihar, India, state government banned drinking and selling alcohol in 2016 after women in the mostly rural state mounted protests blaming men's alcohol abuse for rampant violence against women. Hundreds of thousands of arrests, carrying severe penalties, resulted from the ban. Previous bans in Bihar and other states failed because of unpopularity and loopholes. This one has some evidence to suggest a 15% decline in drinking, but only a 4% decline in violence, while bootlegging and other crimes have increased. The prohibition protests have spread to other states.

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Sexually Abused Women Are Running To This 'Secret Safe House' For Healing

Ekpali Saint

September 04, 2021 |

Prime Progress |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Ibadan, Oyo State

In Nigeria's Oyo state, survivors of sexual abuse and gender-based violence can find emergency shelter and a host of services at Women Safe House. The stigmas attached to these crimes and the government's failure to enforce the relevant laws leave women and girls with emotional challenges that can be addressed through counseling and support groups. The safe house supplements its limited bed space with a network of volunteers willing to house survivors. The safe house's services include low-interest loans to help women achieve independence by starting their own small businesses.

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The Unlikely Story of a Sex Trafficking Survivor and the Instagram Account That Saved Her Life

John H. Tucker

August 04, 2021 |

ELLE Magazine |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Greeley, Colorado

One woman's use of an Instagram account in her personal journey from sex-trafficking victim to sociology researcher enabled new sources of research, teaching, and victim aid. Megan Lundstrom's community of fellow sex workers formed through Instagram became the source for qualitative research into the experiences of sex workers, without being filtered by authorities. That led to the first peer-reviewed journal article of its kind, a new university program in sex trafficking, and the creation of a nonprofit, The Avery Center, aiding victims and collecting data on the industry.

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"I Wouldn't Take No For An Answer"

Sanket Jain

August 03, 2021 |

Unbias The News |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Kolhapur, Maharashtra

Married off to an abusive older man at age 9, Akkatai Teli could not read or write. But she recognized how the rural India justice system neglected women like her in a misogynistic society with high rates of domestic violence, creaky legal machinery, and social pressure to cover up abuse and stay in awful marriages. Teli built a sisterhood movement throughout 50 villages that has helped more than 1,000 women fight for their rights by agitating for attention from police and courts.

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Philly teen starts a motor rally to help end sexual violence

Jeffrey Fishman

July 28, 2021 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Main Line Motor Rally provides events for car enthusiasts, who drive through Philadelphia suburbs and rural areas, as a way to raise money for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, the country’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. The event specifically aims to educate men on issues like consent, as well as the ways that they are impacted by violence against women and girls.

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