TresSugar

What We Can Learn From High-Profile Domestic Violence

Annie Scudder — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 10:30:25 PDT

News of relationship violence among high-profile couples makes for dramatic and depressing headlines. Chris Brown's violence against Rihanna shocked many, and the allegations against Mel Gibson troubled most. But not every American had the same reaction. According to Esta Soler, the founder and president of the Family Violence Prevention Fund, data shows that young people are having a different conversation. They're more likely to accept physical violence as "something that happens in a relationship."

During my conversation with Esta, she explained that since Bill Clinton signed the Violence Against Women Act in 1994, "there's been a significant change around the way adults view the issues." Before domestic violence awareness became a priority 20 years ago, adults used to make excuses for it, but now the conversation has changed. Unfortunately, it's been more of a challenge to engage young people, according to Esta. She explains that "when the Chris Brown and Rihanna situation happened, what was really interesting, and what's really true in America, is that people over 25 to 30 thought one way, while people under that age group saw it another way."

Esta says that "we need young people to turn that corner and know that whether you like Rihanna or not, Chris Brown needs to be held accuntable for that because he crossed the line and the line was physical violence and that is not acceptable." We need everyone to know that it's not about liking a person, but about who's responsible according to the law - and that's the abuser.

Show Respect For Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Annie Scudder — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 11:00:43 PDT

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a time to remind communities that marital, dating, and sexual violence threatens the sense of well-being everyone needs to thrive. While women are the most obvious victims, violence in the home can also impact a child's entire life.

The Family Violence Prevention Fund's Respect Wall lets you declare that you're ready to take a stand against relationship violence. Megan Darko in Four Oaks, NC promises to treat "others as emotional beings, kindly, and politely, no matter what." Jérémie Leroy in Paris, France pledges "to behave as a human among human people." Alex Goldston in Houston, TX says: "Respect requires taking into consideration not just the intent of your actions, but the actual outcome as well."

FVPF believes it can prevent domestic and dating violence by spreading a positive message of everyday respect. What does respect mean to you?

Family Violence: Not Just a Women's Issue

TresSugar — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 08:00:40 PST

Women might be the most obvious victims of domestic violence, but last week at the groundbreaking of the Family Violence Prevention Fund's international center in San Francisco, I was reminded that violence in the home can influence the lives of men and women alike.

The event featured impressive guests like Speaker Nancy Pelosi and UN Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman, but the words of accomplished baseball manager Joe Torre unexpectedly had the most impact on me. Sharing his personal experience with domestic violence - his father abused his mother - Joe opened up about his motivation for starting his own foundation against family violence called Safe at Home. Noting that the issue of family violence is sometimes dismissed as a "women's issue," Joe said: "When men talk about it people's ears perk up."

Joe, who kept his experience to himself most of his life, now operates safe places in schools for young students to go and talk to each other or to trained professionals about problems at home. They're called "Margaret's Place" after his mother Margaret. Joe said that besides baseball, his mission to help children - boys and girls - work through negative experiences at home has defined his life. Do you think society would pay more attention to family violence if more men spoke up?

Do Tell: What Did Your Mother Teach You About Respect?

TresSugar — Thu, 07 May 2009 07:00:00 PDT

"Respect" isn't just an awesome song by Aretha Franklin. It's a seemingly simple word loaded with meaning, from showing respect for our elders to seeking respect at work to demanding respect in relationships. In the Respect Campaign of the Family Violence Prevention Fund, it means respecting yourself and your loved ones in order to avoid resorting to violence or emotional abuse.

So in honor of Mother's Day and the Respect mission, tell me: what lessons did you learn from your mother about respecting yourself and others?

Source

Wear Your R-E-S-P-E-C-T

FabSugar — Fri, 01 May 2009 02:50:22 PDT

This Mother's Day, consider giving your mom the gift of respect. The Family Violence Prevention Fund brings you this philanthropic The RESPECT! Bracelet ($5). Half of the proceeds from the sale of each bracelet will benefit FVPF's RESPECT! campaign, dedicated to preventing dating abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. I'm in, are you?

You Can Fight for the International Violence Against Women Act!

CitizenSugar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 05:45:30 PDT

At least one out of every three women globally will be beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime, according to estimates from the United Nations Development Fund for Women.

October is Domestic Violence Prevention Month, and we are proud to be partnering with the Family Violence Prevention Fund to raise awareness about sexual assault and take a stand against child abuse.

The Family Violence Prevention Fund helped create a campaign for the International Violence Against Women Act, which would authorize $200 million annually in foreign assistance for international programs that prevent violence, support health programs and survivor services. The act encourages legal accountability, a change in public attitudes, the promotion of access to economic opportunity projects and education, and addresses violence against women in humanitarian situations.

You can get involved by researching the effort and, assuming you agree with it, urging your member of Congress to co-sponsor it.

You can also take the part in the RESPECT! campaign by sending your respect in a text or support the cause by buying the RESPECT! bracelet.

Source

Send Your Respect in a Text!

GeekSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:45:20 PDT

Today is National Respect Day and the Sugar Network is partnering with the Family Violence Prevention Fund for the first annual RESPECT! Campaign to raise awareness about sexual assault and take a stand against child abuse.

You can lend your support by texting the keyword “RESPECT” to 41010 – for a goal of 10 million acts of respect for the 10 million children who witness violence in their homes each year. Your mobile effort will be mapped out on GiveRespect.org, which will be populated by the minute with respect acts across the country.

You can also choose to donate $5 from your mobile phone to support the FVPF, one of the nation’s leading organizations working to prevent and end violence against women and children, and you can invite a friend to join the movement. (The $5 donation will be added to your phone bill after you opt in.)

DearSugar will be sharing educational posts throughout the month of October with statistics on family violence and how you can help prevent it. You can show your support by purchasing and showing off the official RESPECT! bracelet. R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

Wear Your RESPECT! on Your Wrist

FabSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:45:00 PDT

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me. If it means supporting a cause like Give Respect, it means a lot to all of us at Sugar. The Sugar Network and the Family Violence Prevention Fund would like to let you know that it is National Respect Day.

Dear can tell you all about the partnership, but I'm here to encourage you to support the cause by buying the RESPECT! bracelet. It's only $5 and half the proceeds benefit the RESPECT! campaign. In case you were wondering, it's faux leather, so you fashionable vegans can support the cause, too.

All We're Asking Is For a Little Respect

DearSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:45:00 PDT

We talk a lot about respect on DearSugar, so today's National Respect Day caught my eye. The RESPECT! Campaign is adding more meaning to this important word by educating people about domestic violence. So I'm excited to announce that the Sugar Network is partnering with the Family Violence Prevention Fund to raise awareness about sexual assault and take a stand against child abuse.

Do you know that one in three women will experience some form of abuse in her lifetime? It's a pretty scary statistic, and the RESPECT! Campaign wants to be part of the solution. The multiyear campaign kicks off today, Sept. 19 - the first-annual National Respect Day - and since DearSugar is an official partner, I'll be bringing you all sorts of educational posts throughout the month of October, with statistics on family violence and how you can help prevent it.

Prominent men like Tyson Beckford are lending their voices to the effort, and anyone can get involved by purchasing the official RESPECT! bracelet or making a donation by texting the word "RESPECT" from your cell phone. Meanwhile, you can join the RESPECT! group on TeamSugar, and be sure to add GiveRespect as a friend.

Birth Control Is Now Covered: Why You Could Save Up to $18,000

LearnVest — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:15:14 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

As we learned from our article on the fate of Planned Parenthood, women’s health issues spark intensely opinionated debates.

While the government’s stance on Planned Parenthood funding is still up in the air, a definitive decision has been made regarding birth control: The Obama administration released new standards last week requiring health insurance plans to cover all FDA-approved forms of contraception, with no co-pay required.

The idea is to take a preventive approach to health problems rather than dealing with them after the fact. In addition to birth control, these other preventive services will now be provided by insurance companies free of charge: well-woman visits, HPV testing for women 30 and older, STI counseling, screening for gestational diabetes, breastfeeding support and supplies, and domestic violence screening and counseling.

Why Is This Even Necessary?

As it turns out, getting all of the recommended preventive health measures for women can be pretty pricey - even if you have health insurance that shares the cost. According to the website Good, the average American woman spends 30 years trying to prevent pregnancy. Assuming an average co-pay between $15 and $50, a woman should expect to pay between $5,400 and $18,000 for birth control in her lifetime - and that’s with health insurance.

It’s easy to say that using oral contraception or getting an IUD (also expensive) is a personal decision that women make, and they should live with the ramifications. But in reality, contraception - or the lack thereof - is a national matter because of the cost of unplanned pregnancies.

Read on for more about free birth control.