Morning Headlines

-> change.org: Global Fund for Women Grants $1.89 Million for Gender Justice.

-> poughkeepsiejournal.com: Change needed in domestic violence laws (editorial).

-> newsblaze.com: Does Eminem's New Video Promote Or Glamorize Domestic Violence? (For another look read the post from broadsheet).

-> whas11.com: Programs that help Ky. domestic violence victims receives federal funding.

-> martlet.ca:Big media continues to deny difference (of women in the public discourse).

-> vancouverite.com: Canadian Imams issue Fatwa against violence, seek gender equality

B.C. set to reveal domestic-violence reforms today.

From the Globe and Mail:

The British Columbia government is expected to unveil measures designed to reduce domestic violence Monday, a response to the mass murder of an Oak Bay family more than two years ago.

B.C. Solicitor-General Kash Heed, who has taken responsibility for domestic-violence policy and programs across government, is set to establish a death-review panel under the coroner's office that will review more than 70 “violence in relationship” homicides, The Globe and Mail has learned.

Read the full article here.

Insurance Industry FAIL: Domestic Violence Is Pre-Existing Condition #healthreform

Again from the Huffingting Post, a bewildering article about the "cold logic" of certain companies in the insurance industry: "(i)f you are in a marriage with someone who has beaten you in the past, you're more likely to get beaten again than the average person and are therefore more expensive to insure."

Although much has been done to quash this type of discrimination, as far back as 1993, it would seem that many companies still deny coverage to the abused and several states still allow companies to deny coverage.

Yee's domestic violence bill heads to hearing

From the San Francisco Examiner:

Legislation authored by State Senator Leland Yee to prevent landlords from unfairly evicting domestic violence victims is headed for a hearing Tuesday before the Assembly Judiciary Committee. Senate Bill 782 is modeled after a San Francisco ordinance. “Evicting a survivor of domestic violence not only results in being re-victimized, but unfairly strains a family attempting to recover,” Yee said. The legislation passed in the Senate on June 1.

Youth React To Chris Brown Sentence

Now that Chris Brown has been, controversially, officially sentenced the debate is on once again as to whether or not deserved to be charged at all. The sentence has added a new element to that debate - was the sentence too lenient or too strict?

Whatever your opinion, this post from American New Media has some insight from youth on the issue.

As you can see from the range of opinions, the debate is long from over, or any where near being decided.

Inside The NYPD #8 Domestic Violence Unit

A very interesting series of behind-the-scenes videos of the NYPD. Episode 8 covers their Domestic Violence Unit.

The video showcases the team, the resources, and the difficulties the unit faces trying to deal with 590 (!!!) cases of domestic violence A DAY.

To think that before the mid-90's there was no DV Unit to speak of.

HotRods For A Cause

You don't see the pairing of hot rods and anti-domestic violence awareness everyday. The event was an awareness and fund raiser for the Hawaii Domestic Violence and Action Center. Congrats on a unique effort.

Also in the news:

SC Attorney General Speaks Against Domestic Violence There seems to be a lot of pols speaking out recently. Except in *cough*Canada*cough*

Baldwin County Sees Dramatic Increase In Domestic Violence. That is really really sad.


WV Regional Summits on Domestic Violence and Firearms Held at Four Locations

7th Annual Ginoong Pilipinas USA Pageant supports WRC. Califonria Senator Leland Yee and the Filipino community continue their involvement in and support of White Ribbon Campaign.

Syracuse, Baldwinsville high schools win White Ribbon Campaign Challenge. A congrats is in order for all the students who participated in the challenges to raise awareness and funds for Vera House

Rachel Brown - Learn To Love Me

I wouldn't normally post music that has a domestic violence message since they are almost always, even with the best of intentions, far too saccharine and emotive for my personal taste. Let's face it, I am a music snob.

And it was with this unfortunate bias that I clicked on a link in someone's twitter feed to Rachel Brown's video Learn To Love Me (I could not find it on youtube and failed to figure out how to embed it otherwise, but you can see it here) which is inspired by Brown's feelings that people should "place a higher priority on learning to love and value who you are over the love you give someone else."

I dig the old soul vibe and it immediately reminded me of one of my favorite songs, One Mo' Gin by D'Angelo; a song about longing for a past love but having the strength and courage to live your own life and let them live theirs (and no it's not "One Mo' Gin" by Chris Brown - which is song about being pushy and basically demanding a girl to get with him - stay classy CB!)

Saddle Up 4 Good

I came across this interesting awareness-raising effort by two "urban cowboys" via their twitter feed (via TweetDeck).

Their mission, as stated on their website:

Through shows, demonstrations and fundraising journeys, Saddle Up brings a unique style of role models to teach and bridge gaps in youth principles, family values and individual self esteem.

This journey was completed "on faith" and "goodwill" without the comfort of a trailer following us, sleeping from woods to barns, to raise money for:

Battered Women and Victims of Domestic Violence
At Risk Youth
Aids Awareness
Cancer Research

That is definitely a tall order.

If they're ever able to ride their horses north of the border, I'd like to see what they're all about in person.

Make sure to check out their blog as well.

Husband Shoots Wife in Head

I received this news item in my inbox this morning via Google Alerts: Husband Shoots Wife in Head, Survives to Greet Cops With Tea

The fact that she survived is really quite shocking. The fact that she was shot in the head in the first place, by her husband who was on probation for domestic violence and who, according to the article, was being sought by the police so they could present him with a restraining order, is even more so.

I wish the article focused more on why the police were unable to serve the restraining order before he was able to reach his wife and his home. How did he receive probation instead of jail time (this article seems to state that the police had been trying to do so for DAYS - and note that the url includes "news-odd", good grief)?

I am very happy to hear she is going to make, miraculously, a full recovery and I am sadden that the husband took his own life. But even more so, the sad reality and the real news here is a system that failed to protect this woman in the first place.

Take a look at this search result.
IT'S OK THOUGH! SHE MADE TEA! So this is a "good news" story?

The Cost Of DV And A Helpful New Service

First, the 2008 Domestic Violence Point-in-Time Survey, released today in Kansas City, MO, (my pseudo home town!) by the Environmental Health and Safety Group Focus Area work group found that domestic violence costs nearly $58,000 a day in mostly taxpayer funds. This represents $21 million dollars a year.

Hopefully addressing the costs of DV in monetary terms will help some people visualize the seemingly out of control social disaster.

Read the full article here: KC Gardens - Survey details cost of domestic violence.

Some better news (relatively) from Cornerstone in Minnesota who are trying to go national with a software program that connects victims of domestic violence with the appropriate (available) shelter space so they can escape the violence.

Susan Neis, Cornerstone's executive director, said "Day One is much more than a sophisticated web site... It works to build a dialogue, a trust, between the programs that participate."

Read the full article here: MinnPost -Software connects domestic violence victims with open shelter beds

Rihanna Can't Win.

Depressing!

• The New York Times: Teenage Girls Stand By Their Man (love that this is in the Fashion & Style section) and recapped at Gawker.com.

• The Boston Globe: Many Teens Say Rihanna Is At Fault

What is going on here? Is Chris Brown's sex appeal really that blinding? Is his music really that inspiring?

Love Gone Wrong Clips Online

Unfortunately MuchMusic isn't providing an embed for their video clips of Wednesday's MuchTalks episode 'Chris Brown and Rihanna: Love Gone Wrong', but you can watch the episode, in four parts, here.

The show was a bit disappointing. It was hard to take the many of the 'celebrity' 'pundits', few of whom have any professional experience dealing with issues relating to domestic violence, and therefore should not have been presented as authority on the subject, seriously.

Danny Fernandez contradicted himself right off the bat by stating first that it was ok to still love Chris Brown's music because "him as an artist and him as an individual are two different things." But he then agreed that an artist's personal life and the music they create an inextricably linked and "impossible" to separate. So which is it?

Few of the other pundits had anything concrete to say that wasn't mere gossip, although X's comment that all girls should learn self defense was, thankfully, shot down by the professional commentators from YWCA, Kids Help Phone and yes, White Ribbon Campaign and even the hosts themselves.

Aside from one audience member's baffling statement that "Rihanna pushed (Chris Brown) to the point... where he couldn't stop himself" the majority of the youth on hand seemed to agree with WRC's Tuval Dinner that "nobody deserves to be hit no matter what they do to provoke somebody else."

There's an interesting (albeit brief) rundown of the episode on AOL Music Canada. Apparently MTV aired a similar special that was even more exploitative of the issue and images.

Due to the celebrity status of Chris Brown and Rihanna, the underlying issue when people are discussion this particular case of alleged domestic violence is how esteemed gossip editorialists have become. We regard these people as an authority on all things.

But I digress. I should have just said:

Celebrity pundits: boo!
Proffesional pundits: yay!

CB & Rihanna: Love Gone Wrong

WRC's Tuval Dinner is participating in the latest episode of MuchMusic's MuchOriginal series MUCHTALKS which will be airing this Wednesday February 25th at 6pm (check your local listings).

From their press release:

As the alleged abuse case between pop stars Rihanna and Chris Brown becomes increasingly talked-about, the issue of dating abuse is on the top of teens’ minds. Hosted by VJs Sarah Taylor and Devon Soltendieck, MUCHTALKS gives youth a chance to participate in an open discussion on the situation, tell their stories, and have the chance to pose questions to experts and each other.

The panel also includes Lauren Collins, Alana Wyatt, Perez Hilton, Danny Fernandez, X, Ian Drew and Elizabeth Mendez Berry.

On the same subject, Daily Kos posted this video of a CNN anchor stating that Rihanna must now deal with the 'stigma' of being a victim of domestic violence.



With the mainstream media validating this dangerous misconception, no wonder the prevalent attitude towards cases of domestic violence and/or rape is to blame the victim.