Dating Abuse in the News: VP Biden unveils new PSA against dating abuse, sexual assault.

06/29/2012

Headlines

Vice President Joe Biden unveils new PSA advocating against dating violence. Vice President Biden's "1 is 2 Many" campaign to end to dating violence and sexual assault among young women, launched a new  PSA featuring the Vice President with President Obama and some of the nation's top athletes such as David Beckham, Jeremy Lin and Eli Manning.. The PSA will air this summer on the ESPN Networks, Fox Sports Networks, MLB Network and NFL Network. Read our blog post about the campaign.

Michigan teen wins nationwide pop singing contest to raise awareness of domestic violence.  Fifteen year old Dymond Harding beat 6 other finalists with her song "Selfish Love" to win the PAVE (Preventing Abuse and Violence Through Education) the Way Project sponsored by Verizon Wireless.  Harding will have the opportunity to perform in a recording of a new song written by Salvador Santana, collaborating alongside his father, 10-time Grammy Award winner Carlos Santana.

Texas police chief honored for helping curb domestic violence.  San Antonio Police Chief William McManus was honored by the Texas Advocacy Project, which provides free legal services to victims of sexual and domestic abuse in the state.  Chief McManus has advocated for a change in policies dealing with domestic violence issues and expanded the department's resources in dealing with such issues.

Smartphone dating application suspends access to minors after allegations of three men raping minors surfaced.  Location-based dating application Skout suspended access to users 17 and under after reports surfaced that three men, posing as teenagers, raped minors. Despite bolstering security for their teenage users, the app was unable to weed out online predators.

Advocacy group accuses London Olympics organizers of ignoring link between sports and increased sexual violence. The group End Violence Against Women has accused the organizers of London 2012 of reneging on a promise to raise awareness of the issue during the Olympics. Locog, the organizing committee of the Olympic Games, decided last-minute to remove helpline numbers from promotional material handed out to athletes, despite promises being made in writing at the end of last year that they would appear.

Legal Matters

Virginia conference to discuss laws about protective orders for victims of domestic, sexual and intimate partner violence.   The three day meeting will feature national speakers as well as experts from around the state, and will include information about human trafficking, sexual assault and violence pertaining to minors, immigrants and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population. Expected attendees include law enforcement officers, judges, attorneys and victim advocates.

Montana city looks to create position exclusively focused on addressing dating and sexual violence especially around local campus. The City of Missoula aims to create a new position to help deal with dating and sexual violence issues in response to the federal investigations into the sexual assaults that have happened either near, or on, the University of Montana campus.

Research

Study shows increase in number of homicides against women at work by intimate partners.  Reported in the Annals of Epidemiology, the study also stated that those at highest risk were in the healthcare, production, and office/administration professions and that more than half of the homicides occurred in public spaces. 

Opinions

Advocate says community response to murder of teen lesbian couple is crucial. "Matthew Shepard was attacked and left for dead in 1998. Mollie and Mary were attacked and left for dead last Friday, June 22, 2012. So much has changed in the United States between 1998 and 2012, and yet the similarities between the tragedies are undeniable. What is different between 1998 and 2012 -- what has to be believed to be different -- is how we collectively respond to such a tragedy."

Events

New York county police department supports campaign to combat violence against women. Members of the Oswego Police Department and the Oswego County Sheriff's Department are backing the Oswego County Opportunities' White Ribbon campaign to combat domestic violence against women. The campaign asks men of Oswego County to raise awareness of domestic violence by wearing a White Ribbon bracelet or pin and by signing the White Ribbon Pledge promising to be part of the solution to stopping male violence against women.

Categories: News