|
"Jersey Shores" Domestic Violence Scene
December 13, 2009
A Snooki getting punched video has become a viral internet success. The incident happened when Snooki was punched by Brad Ferro, a high school teacher from New York while taping MTV's new reality TV show, "Jersey Shores." The MTV reality TV show has already experienced used in a promotional video for the show. People were upset because of domestic violence issues, and so MTV is going to take the negative situation and make it positive by using the clip to build domestic violence awareness. Such awareness has been very high profile, especially after the incident where Chris Brown hit Rihanna.
Domestic violence was also discussed during the pending Tiger Woods scandal. It was rumored that Elin Woods caused the injuries on Tiger Woods that allegedly came from his November 27th car accident. The domestic violence dialogue was re-opened, although Tiger Woods denied claims that his wife caused any injuries.
Saturday Night Live had a Tiger Woods SNL Skit that was rather controversial. In the video, domestic violence was made to look like a joke. Considering the fact that Rihanna was present as the musical performer on that episode, the skit was seen by many as insensitive and inappropriate given the circumstances.
The Snooki getting punched incident caused a lot of trouble for Ferro, who is a teacher. He was arrested for the incident and after the school district he works for found out about his arrest, he was reassigned to a "rubber room" at his school. It is uncertain what will happen to Ferro's career, although it just goes to show you that acting out aggressively doesn't pay off.
FloridaTeam Reviews Domestic Violence Fatalities
Dec 9, 2009
Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has put together a team of people from across the state that will focus on a plan to help domestic violence victims before it's too late. Experts say domestic violence is surging...and they want to put a stop to it.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement says in 56 percent of domestic violence homicides in the state, the spouse or live-in partner was the victim.
Tallahassee resident Julie Owens is out on the street and jobless, after falling victim to domestic violence.
Owens said, "I had two children. My husband would come home and I could see immediately that he had a bad day. He'd start cursing and throwing things around and we all would hide. We shouldn't have to live that way, no one should have to live that way."
And no one should die that way.
Just this Monday, 36-year-old Terrell Robinson of Tallahassee was sentenced to life in prison after admitting to strangling his pregnant girlfriend Elisabeth Killam to death.
Last week Wakulla County deputies say 29-year-old Steven Stubbs shot his girlfriend Leslie Drew before turning the gun on himself.
Florida's Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team held its first meeting Wednesday to try to keep situations like these from happening again.
President and CEO of Florida's Coalition Against Domestic Violence Tiffany Carr said, "Florida's domestic violence centers have never been more overcapacity. The need has never been greater, the funding and resources, donations have never been less. So, it's all hand-in-hand with the increase in domestic violence homicides and it's absolutely devastating."
Officials say in 2007, 16 percent of homicides in Florida were domestic violence related.
The team is comprised victim advocates, law enforcement, medical professionals, members of the faith-based community and other consultants and officials.
Partners will review domestic violence homicides and near homicide cases to figure out how to better serve potential victims and stop tragedies before they happen.
Team members say signs of domestic violence include bruises, broken bones, hospitalizations, and partners who are very controlling. They say they've also found that damage to property can be indicative to domestic violence.
The team will meet four times next year, where partners will review cases, train and come up with a plan
Cuts demanded in Keira Knightley's anti-domestic violence advert
Censors are refusing to allow an advertising campaign against domestic violence featuring Keira Knightley to be shown in full on television
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/5226459/Cuts-demanded-in-Keira-Knightleys-anti-domestic-violence-advert.html
Clearcast, the company which censors adverts on behalf of Ofcom, has reportedly ruled that scenes showing the star of Atonement and Pirates of the Caribbean being thrown to the ground and kicked must be removed before it can be broadcast.
The advert, made by the charity Women's Aid, has been shown in cinemas and viewed more than a million times on the internet.
Called The Cut, it shows Knightley returning home from shooting a new film to be confronted by her boyfriend, who accuses her of having an affair. He then attacks her and she is last seen being kicked repeatedly while lying on the floor. It is this last scene that has been deemed too shocking for a television audience.
Women's Aid said it felt the film was justified as it portrayed the reality of domestic violence.
"We were very careful to reflect what we had heard from anecdotal evidence. We have put this forward to Clearcast, with statistics from the Home Office, and other material," said Lucy Brown, of the charity.
Sandra Horely, the chief executive of Refuge, which gives women and children escaping from domestic violence a place to stay, condemned the decision.
"It seems pathetic. It is really important to raise awareness about domestic violence, and TV gets into people's homes," she said.
"Many women who are victims of domestic violence are isolated by their partner, and in these situations TV is very helpful. It is also a great way to reach the public and raise awareness of the issue."
The advert was due to be shown on television this month.
Chris Hirst, managing director of Grey London Advertising Agency, said: "The reason we are still in conversation with Clearcast about it is because they believe it is too violent.
"Part of the point of the campaign is to raise awareness about domestic violence and spark debate, which the advert has done, even if it doesn't make it on to TV."
Web-Savvy Law Student Helps Win Release of Battered Woman Jailed 29 Yrs
Updated: The sixth try was the charm for a California woman imprisoned for 29 years for sitting in a car while her husband and his cousin robbed a liquor store and killed the store's owner. Connie Keel's successful parole petition is being credited, in part, to the work of second-year law student Adam Reich of the University of Southern California. He argued .... More
Teen Dating Violence – Teachers Can Make a Difference- March 25, 2009
Innovative New Resource Helps English Teachers Use Existing Texts to Encourage Teens to Say ‘No’ to Violence
SAN FRANCISCO – One of the nation’s violence prevention leaders and a national educational organization that promotes student achievement today unveiled an innovative new resource designed to help teachers incorporate violence prevention lessons into existing curricula. The Family Violence Prevention Fund .... More
New Developments in the Rihanna/Chris Brown Case-March 6, 2009
“Sadly, the alleged violent assault of Rihanna by Chris Brown is not unique -- women and girls in every community experience violence every day," said Family Violence Prevention Fund President Esta Soler. "While there are many unanswered ....... More
August 31, 2008
Political Parties Address Violence Prevention
Issues relating to domestic and sexual violence took center stage at the Democratic National Convention in late August, highlighted by the selection of United States Senator Joseph Biden (DE) as his party’s vice presidential candidate. A longtime champion of measures to prevent violence against women, Senator Biden is an author of the bi-partisan Violence Against Women Act and a co-sponsor of the bi-partisan International Violence Against Women Act.
Senator Biden was nominated as the Democratic candidate for vice president on Wednesday, August 27, by Quincy Lucas, whose sister, Witney, was murdered by an ex-boyfriend. "Violence against women often happens in the shadows, out of public view," Lucas said. "I’ve devoted my life to bringing it into the light. But I can only speak so much. I realize that sometimes to change lives, you have to change the law."
"Joe Biden heard my story," she continued. "In 1994, he wrote the Violence Against Women Act, so every woman would have a place to turn for support. He's constantly making sure it has the funding it needs. And today, countless women get a second chance at life because of Joe Biden. So it is in memory of my sister and in the name of women all across this country, that I'm proud to place into nomination the name of Joe Biden to be our next vice president."
Then Senator Biden's son, Beau, who is Delaware's Attorney General, introduced his father, "When domestic violence was often a dark secret, Dad wrote the Violence Against Women Act, which gave countless women support, protection and a new chance at life," he said.
In the video distributed to supporters immediately after his selection, Senator Biden discussed his record in Congress and accomplishments, saying, "Most proudly, I wrote the Violence Against Women Act."
Party Platform
The Democratic Party Platform promises more funds for domestic violence and sexual assault programs, and to create a special advisor to the president on violence against women. It says, in part: "Ending violence against women must be a top priority. We will create a special advisor to the president regarding violence against women. We will increase funding to domestic violence and sexual assault prevention programs. We will strengthen sexual assault and domestic violence laws, support the Violence Against Women Act, and provide job security to survivors. Our foreign policy will be sensitive to issues of aggression against women around the world."
It also includes a vow to expand the Family and Medical Leave Act to "enable workers to take leave to care for an elderly parent, address domestic violence and sexual assault, or attend a parent-teacher conference."
Its reproductive health care plank includes a commitment to "end health insurance discrimination against contraception and provide compassionate care to rape victims."
Obama Pledges to Stop Gender Violence Abroad
Senator Obama's campaign website addresses violence against women in the international context: "The genocide in Darfur has had particularly devastating consequences for women. Tens of thousands of women have been killed, raped, and displaced since the conflict began in 2003. Barack Obama has been a leading voice in Washington urging the end of genocide in Sudan. He worked with Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) on the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, a version of which was signed into law. Obama has traveled to the United Nations to meet with Sudanese officials and visited refugee camps on the Chad-Sudan border to raise international awareness of the ongoing humanitarian disaster there. He also worked with Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) to secure $20 million for the African Union peacekeeping mission."
Republican Platform Takes Strong Anti-Trafficking Stance
The 2008 Republican Platform supports stronger measures to end human trafficking. "Generations after the end of slavery in America, new forms of bondage have emerged to exploit men, women and children," it says. "We salute those across the political spectrum who have come together to end the commerce in our fellow human beings. We advocate the establishment of an Inter-Agency Task Force on Human Trafficking, reporting directly to the President, and call for increased diplomatic efforts with foreign governments that have been negligent toward this evil."
"The principle underlying our Megan’s Law, publicizing the identities of known offenders, should be extended to international travel in order to protect innocent children everywhere," it continues.
The Republican Platform also claims that faith-based organizations "tend to have a greater degree of success than others in dealing with problems such as substance abuse and domestic violence." It supports mandatory sentencing provisions for crimes including violent or sexual offenses against children and rape, urging that gang rape, child rape, and rape committed in the course of another felony "deserve, at the least, mandatory life imprisonment."
Read more about Quincy Lucas' work here.
|
