Category: Sexual Assault

Myths Surrounding Virginity: A Guide for Service Providers (and a few other resources)

Post author By Jen
Post date February 27, 2018
1 Comment on Myths Surrounding Virginity: A Guide for Service Providers (and a few other resources)

I found this so fascinating: the International Rescue Committee has a new guide for service providers, Myths Surrounding Virginity. I just finished working my way through it; what a great resource for really sifting through the issues related to the subject. I can see using it for educating other disciplines on the realities of what we already know as forensic clinicians (and probably a few folks within healthcare, as well). It’s brief, so I encourage you to download it (PDF) and check it out for yourself.

From the website:

Virginity is a sensitive subject. The concept itself has a complicated history and, while it describes sexual activity for all genders, there is greater value placed on female virginity. For women and girls, virginity is too often tied to moral character, purity, honor, and social, moral and religious values.

In following the endnotes in this document, I was reminded of a piece I had posted a while back. You may want to also revisit it, while you’re focused on the subject matter. See also this free full-text article (PDF) on virginity testing (as well as this one); this expert statement on the issue of testing (abstract only); and ethics statements here and here.

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here.

Articles of Note Child Abuse DV/IPV Elder Abuse/Neglect Sexual Assault

Articles of Note: Valentine’s Day 2018 Edition

Post author By Jen
Post date February 14, 2018

Time once again for Articles of Note, our monthly(ish) romp through the newly published peer-reviewed literature. I have to tell you–this month’s offering is pretty light. There wasn’t *that much* that really captured my attention. Still, there is some good stuff here, so while it’s not pages and pages, it’s still worth perusing. Attribution, please, if you reproduce my work (as always):

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Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here.

Sexual Assault

Adult Human Trafficking Screening Toolkit and Guide

Post author By Jen
Post date February 13, 2018

The US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Trafficking in Persons has a new resource available, Adult Human Trafficking Screening Toolkit and Guide (PDF). From the website:

The Adult Human Trafficking Screening Tool (AHTST) is designed for use across various health care, behavioral health, social services, and public health settings in order to assess adult patients or clients for human trafficking victimization or risk for potential trafficking victimization. It is a survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally appropriate intervention tool.

While it is not yet validated, it draws from evidence-based practices and lessons learned from available screening tools used by practitioners in the fields of human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, and HIV screening. It serves to complement the recently published report by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), and the Urban Institute that focuses on child sex trafficking screening in child welfare and runaway and homeless youth systems.

The eight (8) screening questions that make up the AHTST are designed to be short, minimally invasive, and closed-ended. The overall aim of the AHTST is to obtain only the basic information needed to identify an adult currently or at risk of being trafficked so that practitioners can offer appropriate services, including referrals. There are also additional appendices, including a Literature Review, as supplementals to this resource.

In case you missed it, there is one key phrase in that description of which you should be mindful: “While it is not yet validated…” That’s not to say you shouldn’t use the tool, but just be aware of potential limitations as you employ it. I encourage you to read the report linked in the description, as well.

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here.

Tags human trafficking

Child Abuse DV/IPV Elder Abuse/Neglect Sexual Assault

Building Partnerships

Post author By Jen
Post date February 8, 2018

For those of you interested in engaging in research to help inform practice, whether as clinicians in the field or academic researchers looking for your next project, I encourage you to consider Building Partnerships, an upcoming webinar from the Center for Victim Research. The session will be held February 28th at 1pm ET. From the registration page:

The Center for Victim Research will present “Building Partnerships,” an interactive webinar on victim researcher and practitioner collaborations, on February 28, 2018, from noon to 1 pm EST.

*Are you a researcher looking to do “real world” research that impacts crime victim response?
*Are you a victim service provider looking to partner with a researcher to inform your work?
*Do you want to learn more about partnerships while engaging with colleagues like yourself?

This webinar is for you! Dr. Christine Murray will lead you through the benefits – and challenges – of researcher-practitioner partnerships to set you on the road toward more successful collaboration. During the hour-long webinar, there will be opportunities to share your voice and questions with colleagues and other Center for Victim Research staff.

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here.

Sexual Assault

Linking Community Confinement and Sexual Assault Response Teams

Post author By Jen
Post date February 7, 2018

The National PREA Resource Center has a webinar coming up, Linking Community Confinement and Sexual Assault Response Teams. The session will be held February 15th at 2pm ET. From the registration page:

In this webinar, the presenters will discuss Partnering with Community Sexual Assault Response Teams: A Guide for Community Confinement and Juvenile Detention Facilities, a resource guide funded by the Office for Victims of Crime and developed by The Vera Institute of Justice, following a 3-year partnership with the Johnson County, Kansas Department of Corrections. This webinar will focus on how community confinement facilities can leverage existing community expertise to respond to incidents of sexual abuse, namely by creating partnerships with community sexual assault response teams (SARTs). Vera project lead Allison Hastings and Adult Residential Center Director Antonio Booker (one of two facilities operated by the Johnson County Department of Corrections) will walk participants through key aspects of the planning tool included in the guide, discuss how using this guide will aid compliance with PREA standards, and share lessons learned from the pilot project.

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here.

DV/IPV Sexual Assault

Safety & Privacy in a Digital World

Post author By Jen
Post date January 30, 2018

VAWnet has a new collection available: Safety and Privacy in a Digital World. If you’re not sure what this has to do with a clinical forensic practice, please remember that many of our patients use digital technology to stay connected to and discover new resources and sources of support; many of our patients are controlled by or exploited with digital technologies; and for some of our patients the digital technology is the form of abuse. The onus is on forensic clinicians to understand the myriad ways technology can both hurt and help our patients, so I encourage you to spend some time with the collection.

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here.

Articles of Note Child Abuse DV/IPV Elder Abuse/Neglect Sexual Assault

Articles of Note: January 2018 Edition

Post author By Jen
Post date January 24, 2018
2 Comments on Articles of Note: January 2018 Edition

Time once again for Articles of Note our monthly(ish) romp through the peer-reviewed literature. Plenty of interesting research in this go-round, so spend some time looking through it. I dare say, a little something for everyone this month.

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Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here.

Sexual Assault

Sexual Harassment in Medicine — #MeToo

Post author By Jen
Post date January 18, 2018

I haven’t spent a lot of time on this site devoted to the reckoning that is the #MeToo movement. In part, that’s because there is just so much of it, it would be impossible to keep up; in part because I don’t think it’s terribly difficult to find the avalanche of think pieces and first-person accounts. However, NEJM just published this essay, and it feels worthy of space here.

BTW, if you are looking for one of the best takes, I encourage you to check out the latest episode of Full Frontal. Be warned, though–it is definitely NSFW (or for anyone who is easily offended by swearing 😉 )

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here.

Sexual Assault

Neurobiology of Trauma Series

Post author By Jen
Post date January 17, 2018

The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative has an archived webinar series from last week on the neurobiology of trauma. Dr. Rebecca Campbell was the presenter, and you can register to listen to all 3 parts:

Part I: In part one of the three-part series, The Neurobiology of Trauma, Dr. Campbell presented on how the brain and body react to major traumas, including sexual assault. This module has emphasized understanding victim behavior during an assault and the immediate aftermath.

Part II: In part two, participants were provided with information regarding how the body and brain & body react to major traumas, including sexual assault, with an emphasis on understanding memory formation and recall during an assault and in the immediate aftermath.

Part III: In the final module of The Neurobiology of Trauma series, Dr. Campbell continued the discussion on the neurobiology of trauma as related to sexual assault and how the brain and body react to major traumas. This module focused on understanding implications for cold case investigations and victim notifications.

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here.

Sexual Assault

Abused and Betrayed

Post author By Jen
Post date January 16, 2018

In case you missed any of it, NPR has been airing a series on adults with intellectual disabilities and sexual violence: Abused and Betrayed. They’ve been a great listen, with the longest being just 12 minutes; too easy to fit into a team meeting with time for robust discussion afterward:

Still to air: How Prosecutors Changed The Odds To Start Winning Some Of The Toughest Rape Cases
(1/16); Morning Edition: Therapists Nora Baladerian and Karyn Harvey talk about the violence in the lives of their clients (1/18); and All Things Considered: Self-advocates speak–thoughtfully–of the effects of sexual violence (1/18).

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here.

DV/IPV Sexual Assault

From Margins to Center: A Video Dialogue & Report

Post author By Jen
Post date January 11, 2018

The Center for Survivor Agency and Justice is hosting a really compelling webinar (that I wish I could attend–hopefully it’ll be archived)–From Margins to Center: A Video Dialogue and Report. The session will be held January 18th at 1pm ET. From the announcement:

CSAJ and Partners on the Racial & Economic Equity for Survivors Project (REEP) are thrilled to announce the release of a report and host a video dialogue with From Margins to Center Listening Sessions on January 18th!

Throughout September, we held seven Listening Sessions in order to create a dialogue across the field to inform survivor-driven systems advocacy and practice recommendations that enhance racial and economic equity for domestic and sexual violence survivors. Calls were held with: advocates of color who also identify as survivors; attorneys sitting at unique intersections of law who are people of color and/or aspiring white allies; and economic justice or policy staff from state and tribal coalitions who are people of color and/or aspiring allies.

We are excited and honored to host a video conversation to lift-up voices from the Listening Sessions and to dialogue-back with the field about racial equity for survivors.

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here.

Sexual Assault

Linking Health and Criminal Justice Violence Data Provides More Complete Understanding of the Problem

Post author By Jen
Post date January 10, 2018

Let’s just keep going with the research article theme for the week: new research published out of the UK that caught my attention. A shared data approach more accurately represents the rates and patterns of violence with injury assaults was recently published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. From the abstract:

[The purpose of this study is] to investigate whether sharing and linking routinely collected violence data across health and criminal justice systems can provide a more comprehensive understanding of violence, establish patterns of under-reporting and better inform the development, implementation, and evaluation of violence prevention initiatives.

This is a good article for discussion at SART meetings, and for communities considering how they gather (and share) violence statistics. It’s available free, full-text online.

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here.

Sexual Assault

New issue of JFN Available

Post author By Jen
Post date January 9, 2018

Greetings from an airplane somewhere between Houston and Portland, where I’ll be teaching the next few days. As part of my current reading list, I have several articles from the latest edition of the Journal of Forensic Nursing, which I thought I’d bring to your attention. Although I will likely do an Articles of Note post next week, there are a couple items that seemed worthy of highlighting in the new issue of JFN. Of particular interest (to me):

There’s also a fascinating CE article I’m looking forward to reading: Global Voyeurism or Sustainable Ethical Practice?

JFN is, of course, free to IAFN members (which I hope most FHO readers are at this point). To access the content as a member, enter the Journal sight via the IAFN website. Otherwise, the above links will take you to the abstract pages, where you can either purchase online or access via your institution’s library.

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here.

Sexual Assault

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

Post author By Jen
Post date January 4, 2018

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. NCJRS has a special collection now available with a variety of resources for service providers. They include both NIJ-funded research and DOJ publications, so there’s a lot to wade through. Worth the time, though–plenty of good stuff there for your next staff meeting, for instance 😉

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here.

Sexual Assault

Project Connect: Improved Care for Sexual Assault Patients

Post author By Jen
Post date January 3, 2018

The Tribal Forensic Healthcare project has a webinar coming up, Project Connect: Improved Care for Sexual Assault Patients. The session will be held February 5th at 11am ET. As with all offerings from this project, CEUs and CMEs are available. Register here.

From the announcement:

This webinar will discuss how to create partnerships between victims of violence and public health fields to improve health outcomes with safety and patient-centered care. Topics covered will include: Educating providers and public health professionals on assessment and intervention; Building partnerships with regional or tribal DSV programs; Evaluating progress and more!

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Child Abuse DV/IPV Sexual Assault Testimony

New Resource Library from Alliance for Hope (and Signing Off for 2017)

Post author By Jen
Post date December 14, 2017
2 Comments on New Resource Library from Alliance for Hope (and Signing Off for 2017)

You know how I do love a good library. Alliance for Hope just announced their new online library has launched, and it’s worth bookmarking as a source for a multitude of professional materials, including strangulation resources. There is a section specific to medical; the library itself is multidisciplinary. As with many things online, be discerning in your review–not everything contained in the library is peer-reviewed or current, so caveat emptor.

And with that, I am signing off for the year. FHO will return on January 3rd with new content, including a brand new resource for the Store (it may or may not be on bruising–who can tell with these things 😉 ) and the 9th anniversary of our little nerdy site. I am going to take some time off to spend with my family, particularly my wife (whose birthday is today–happy birthday, honey), and kiddo. We’ll be traveling a bit, and throwing an end of year party to celebrate the garbage fire that was 2017 (well, it wasn’t all bad, but a good chunk of it was pretty awful). In addition to Sasha’s birthday, we have just started Hanukkah (Chag Sameach! to all my peeps); Christmas is right around the corner, our 5th wedding anniversary falls a few days after that, and then the New Year. What a whirlwind. Here’s hoping you have some fun and relaxation during the holiday season; that your days are filled with love, laughter and good food; and that for those of you struggling during what is sometimes a difficult time of year, you find peace and the inner fortitude to just keep moving forward. Thanks for spending time with us in 2017. See you in 2018!

Sexual Assault

Building and Empowering Your Staff to Increase Your Agency’s Organizational Capacity

Post author By Jen
Post date December 13, 2017

WCSAP has a great sustainability webinar coming up, for all of you program managers (or aspiring program managers): Building and Empowering Your Staff to Increase Your Agency’s Organizational Capacity. The session will be held January 24th at 1:30pm PT. As you may already know, recruitment and retention are two of the biggest challenges for forensic nursing programs today, so I encourage folks to invest their time and resources in this area. From the announcement:

Description:

This webinar will provide an overview for Executive Directors and management staff on how to empower and motivate your staff to be invested in your agency’s success along with building your overall organizational capacity and sustainability. The webinar will address how to conduct an organizational assessment of your personnel management needs and provide recommendations for supervision, staff orientation, staff development, succession planning, training, workplans, and performance evaluations.

Workshop Objectives:

Participants will learn how to assess their organization’s current personnel management needs.
Participants will learn how to develop staff workplans and succession plans for their organization.
Participants will increase their knowledge on staff supervision, training, and performance reviews.

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here.

Articles of Note Child Abuse DV/IPV Elder Abuse/Neglect Sexual Assault

Articles of Note: December 2017 Edition

Post author By Jen
Post date December 7, 2017

It’s time once again for Articles of Note, the last one of 2017. As always, this is a review of the recent peer-reviewed literature, but is not exhaustive in nature. It’s meant to be used as a way to enhance currency and understanding of practice issues, and is not the final word on any single topic (I had a lawyer ask me about this, so now–here we are with the disclaimer). PDF with active links follows. Use in good health and share widely:

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Sexual Assault