Monday, April 22, 2013

Update - Twitter Hashtag Announcement and TeamStrick Online Awareness Day

Just a quick update and small change to our #hashtag posted here. 

#RISEandShine (Mondays) are now #MusicMondays. RISEandShine will continue, but not on a specific day anymore. So the new schedule is as follows:

#MusicMondays. 
#InnerChildTuesday
#SurvivorWednesday
#TherapyThursday
#FreedomFriday
#SharingSaturday
#HealingSunday

 Also April 20th was the online campaign with TeamStrick & a bunch of other groups to spread awareness. We had some really great entries. #RISEawareness

Our friends at RAINN - (Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network)


Kylie - Founder of R.I.S.E.




"I love the idea of the phoenix "rising" from the ashes. And underneath, to be true to it's Greek Mythology, is "RISE" in Greek." -Shona (Official Member) 


My graphic for a shirt. Rape affects both men and women, why not involve them both.



Check out more about R.I.S.E. at any of the following:
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Friday, April 12, 2013

Canadian Rape Bullying and Awareness Day

"A female in Canada who was raped and humiliated killed herself last week because she couldn't handle it anymore. She was bullied, insulted, and struggled alone thinking she was making it up and she was in the wrong because everyone in her school turned against her -- even her own friends. I am truly devastated to hear this and sickened that she was pushed to that limit and no one was there to be her foundation, to act as the Secondary she desperately needed. Raise your voices, my fellow RISE members! Let this atrocity not go unheard! Regardless of whether you believe a person was actually assaulted or not, don't discount their story. NEVER tell them it wasn't real. NEVER tell them it was their fault. This just... I have no words. For a Survivor who has been to the depths of that darkness and feared there was no way out yet managed to find freedom, I feel so deeply for the Family that lost this beautiful young woman to something so horrible.
NEVER GIVE UP! No matter who turns on you, no matter how alone you get -- YOU. AREN'T. ALONE. WE, those who have RISEN from the darkness, who have become SURVIVORS can and SHALL BE your foundation when no one else will! I'm in tears right now typing this because I am so grateful for the people that were in my life when I came home after leaving my abuser. So grateful for those who willingly stepped up to the plate not knowing what they were getting into and not giving a shit because it was the RIGHT THING TO DO, not because it was the easy one.
So, Rehtaeh Parsons, I pray that you find the peace you did not find on Earth within the boundless expanse of the Summerlands. And may the knowledge that you are eased of your suffering bring some measure of relief to your Family -- even if the loss of you is too great a thing to put into words.
Before I end this, I have a request. On the 20th, for Awareness day, since this case made national headlines for so damn long, let's get together and come up with some way to be the voice this poor girl never had. Even if it's too late to help her heal through it, it's never too late to show others that we're ALWAYS listening."
-Bailey (Official RISE Member)
"It really is heartbreaking that we've lost another rape victim to suicide. What's it gonna take for people to see that victim blaming kills?!?"
-Kylie (RISE Founder)
R.I.P. Rehtaeh Parsons. 
Check out more about R.I.S.E. at any of the following:

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Sunday, March 24, 2013

Steubenville, Ohio and Rape Culutre


As many of you might have heard two boys have been charged in a date rape case in Steubenville, Ohio. This particular case has sparked a national outrage against the community of Steubenville for covering up and actually sympathizing with the rapist these heinous acts.
“On the night of August 11, 2012, when a heavily inebriated high school girl was publicly and repeatedly sexually violated by her peers, several of whom documented the acts in social media. The victim was transported to various parties, undressed, photographed, sexually assaulted, and orally penetrated. She was also penetrated vaginally by other students' fingers, an act defined as rape under Ohio law. The jocular attitude of the assailants was documented on Facebook, Twitter, text messages, and cell phone recordings of the acts. The incident and ensuing legal proceedings generated considerable controversy and galvanized a national conversation about rape and rape culture. Two students, Ma'lik Richmond and Trent Mays, both 16 at the time of the crime, have been convicted in juvenile court for the rape of a minor.”
For those that are confused, rape culture is consider to be “a concept used to describe a culture in which rape and sexual violence are common and in which prevalent attitudes, norms, practices, and media normalize, excuse, tolerate, or even condone rape.”

There’s a really great article about rape culture and this particular case by Lauren Nelson on her blog, http://rantagainsttherandom.wordpress.com.
“Rape culture is when you’re tired of hearing about “rape culture” because it makes you uncomfortable, as your attempt to silence discourse on the subject means we never raise enough awareness to combat it – and that’s part of why it sticks around.” 
Rape culture is why even though the evidence is there and the victim was willing to testify both rapists received the minimum sentence they could. Despite possibly evidence that the girl was drugged, they still are getting off almost scott-free. Even though evidence is still coming out that the coaches knew what happened and covered it up to save their “promising football careers.”
“On March 17, 2013, Judge Thomas Lipps tried Mays and Richmond as juveniles and found them guilty of rape. Each defendant received the minimum sentence for their convicted crimes, with the possibility of remaining in juvenile detention until age 21. The judge set the minimum sentence of one year for Richmond, who was found guilty of using his fingers to penetrate the girl while she was unconscious. Mays, who was found guilty of penetrating the girl while she was unconscious and disseminating pornographic pictures of her, was given the minimum sentence of two years. Because the girl was a minor, Mays was charged with and convicted of the dissemination of child pornography, which is the reason for his additional year in juvenile detention. Whether or not Mays and Richmond will be added to the sexual-offenders registry depends on a future hearing to evaluate their behavior once they have turned 21.”
To add insult to injury major news networks shared the name of the victim on national television, allowing the 16-year-old to be blasted with hate mail and death threats. Despite of this her family has pulled together and is trying to find the good in everything.
“My family and I are hopeful that we can put this whole ordeal behind us. We need and deserve to focus on our daughters future. We hope that from this something good can arise. I feel I have an opportunity to bring an awareness to others, possibly change the mentality of a youth or help a parent to have more of an awareness to where their children are and what they are doing.”

“This does not define who my daughter is. She will persevere, grow & move on."  
-Mother of Steubenville rape victim. 
And small signs of progress as being made as seen by the Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine when he said the following the arrest of the two girls who threatened the Steubenville victim via Twitter after the guilty verdicts were announced: 
“Threatening a teenage rape victim will not be tolerated. If anyone makes a threat verbally or via the Internet, we will take it seriously, we will find you, and we will arrest you.”
Those words were also a statement against a culture that minimizes or even glorifies violence against women and holds athletes to a different standard by which even criminal behavior is deemed acceptable.
I pray she will persevere, grow and move on. I pray that we all can, but we must never forget that people are still willing to protect themselves where rape is involved. We will stand behind you 16-year-old beautiful girl. We will support you and stand with you as you face those horrible tough and trying time each day. We are proud of you for facing your attackers in prison and saying “I may have drank, but that didn’t mean it was ok for you to rape me.” R.I.S.E. is here for you and whatever you may need. 

Thank you for being so strong. 

Thank you for standing up. 

Thank you for speaking out where no one else would.

More info about the articles:
http://healthland.time.com/2013/03/20/what-about-the-victim-the-steubenville-rape-victims-recovery/#ixzz2OUJqyG1u
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_culture
http://rantagainsttherandom.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/so-youre-tired-of-hearing-about-rape-culture/
http://www.thenation.com/blog/173324/steubenville-and-challenging-rape-culture-sports
Check out more about R.I.S.E. at any of the following:



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Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Twitter Hashtag Announcement!


Please join us on Twitter @VoiceForHeather & participate in sharing the healing! If you have a Twitter, please follow us to see our regular posts as well as extra stuff only available on Twitter!
Our new Twitter Hashtags will make viewing pictures & posts on certain topics much easier. You probably know our schedule by now, & we now have hashtags for each day, so you can simply click on a hashtag & see all related posts!
Also, you are always free to suggest pictures & quotes for us to use on Facebook, but now you can also tweet us your suggestions using the hashtags, & if we like it we will retweet you, & maybe even share your suggestion on Facebook! It can be pictures, quotes, links, or just your own original thoughts.
Here is a list of the new RISE hashtags, based on our schedule:
#RISEandShine (Mondays)
#InnerChildTuesday
#SurvivorWednesday
#TherapyThursday
#FreedomFriday
#SharingSaturday
#HealingSunday

Also, we are working on a campaign with TeamStrick & a bunch of other groups to spread awareness. For anything related to TeamStrick Awareness Day (April 20th) or to awareness in general, we now have the hashtag #RISEawareness so keep that in mind!
We need you guys to help us get RISE out there, especially on Twitter. So please participate, spread the healing, & Keep Rising!
-The RISE Team
(NOTE: Since we are using so many hashtags, some of them may also have other groups using them, so keep that in mind! & remember these hashtags will also work for Instagram or any other program that uses hashtags. Thanks in advance for your participation!)

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Sunday, February 10, 2013

South African Rape Protests




Following with the trend in New Delhi, South Africa is now joining the countries that are standing up against rape. 
According to Thedailybeast.com, about a week ago 17-year-old “Anene Booysen was brutally gang raped. Her throat was slit; her fingers and legs shattered. The attackers had stuck a broken glass bottle inside her body and left her for dead on a construction site in the small, quiet Southern Cape town of Bredasdorp, about 120 miles from Cape Town. A security guard found her near lifeless body. She identified and named at least one of the alleged rapists, but died soon thereafter.”
To give you some statistics on the country, "Medical Research Council estimates that up to 3,600 rapes happen daily in this nation of close to 52 million people. This places South Africa among the countries with the highest incidences of rape worldwide and, outside of war zones, makes it one of the most violent societies, especially towards women." The radio has even decided to bring extra awareness by playing a beep on  Primedia's four radio stations for 12 hours today, every four minutes to symbolize the number of rapes taking place in South Africa each day."
This horrifying story much like the one in New Delhi has propelled people into action. Reports of radio talk shows, news, and other media outlets have been giving the most voice to this injustice. Encouraging words like these from Eusebius McKaiser give me hope during such dark times: 
“I’ve lost count of the number of stories listeners have shared with me on my daily chat show on Talk Radio 702. One married man is grappling with the memory of a woman who molested him when he was very young. She was his mother’s friend. Another man stopped his car while driving to call in to the show and publicly, for the first time, talk about criminals who had hijacked him years ago but only drove off with his car after gang-raping him.
 Throughout the day on Friday, the media created a space on social media platforms, in the newspapers and on the airwaves for South Africans to share their stories of being victims and survivors of rape. Every group is affected: girls and boys, women and men, old and young, rich and poor, black and white.”
Reports of several officials and even criminals alike are standing up and speaking out too, each with their own interpretation on how we, as a society, can help prevent these attacks and essentially change the world.

“President Jacob Zuma released an unusually emotional statement on Thursday, calling the attack on Booysen “inhumane”.   
“This act is shocking, cruel and most inhumane. It has no place in our country. We must never allow ourselves to get used to these acts of base criminality to our women and children,” the presidency's statement read.   
A senior executive at Soul City, Dr Sue Goldstein, said rape could not be tolerated in the public sphere or media.  
“It’s not about how we sexualise, but how we demean women in the media.”  
While rights and gender activist Lisa Vetten has urged men to stop venting their rage and resentment on women.  
“Because woman, I think, occupy an inferior status still in South Africa; they are an appropriate vehicle in which they (men) can displace their rage, their resentment and their sense of disappointment and dissatisfaction with life.”  
Vetten said women needed to be empowered in society.  
Convicted bank robber and member of the Stander gang, Allan Heyl, has meanwhile said existing laws must be enforced.  
"It’s almost a call to arms. I think enough is enough.”
Despite the horrible circumstances that opened people up to talk I’m glad that real dialogue, real anger, real fighting for a better, safer, future can no begin in these countries because the silence is finally being broken.


More info about the protests:
Check out more about R.I.S.E. at any of the following:

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Sunday, December 30, 2012

Update 12/31/12 – New Delhi Rape Protests

The woman now known as "India's daughter" as of yesterday has died. It has also now come out that she was on the bus with her fiancé when they were both brutally attacked.
"She was courageous in fighting for her life for so long against the odds but the trauma to her body was too severe for her to overcome," Kelvin Loh, chief executive officer of the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore said in a statement announcing her death from multiple organ failure. Media said a rod was used in the rape, causing internal injuries. The fiancé survived.
Reports of up to one thousand people gathered at two locations, demanding justice and the death the rapists. Being the charges have now upgraded to murder, they now will now inevitably will face the death penalty; For now they are just being held awaiting trial.
"For some reason, and I don't really know why, she got through to us," well-known columnist Nilanjana Roy wrote in a blog on Saturday. 
"Our words shriveled in the face of what she'd been subjected to by the six men travelling on that bus, who spent an hour torturing and raping her, savagely beating up her male friend."
Several people have stepped forward to make statements, all saying that her death will not be in vain. Protesters carried posters reading: "She is not with us but her story must awaken us."
Sonia Gandhi, the powerful leader of the ruling Congress party, directly addressed the protesters in a rare broadcast on state television, saying that as a mother and a woman she understood their grievances. 
"Your voice has been heard," Gandhi said. "It deepens our determination to battle the pervasive and the shameful social attitudes that allow men to rape and molest women with such impunity."
I pray not only for India, but for all women who have suffered from such abuse. Please remember that there are people that will stand behind you. These people are placing the first steps towards changes, justice, and help for all of you. Stay Strong.


More info about the protests:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/12/2012123015432890252.html
http://news.yahoo.com/photos/india-protests-violence-against-women-slideshow/demonstrators-shout-slogans-jump-over-police-barricade-seized-photo-103453675.html
Check out more about R.I.S.E. at any of the following:
Website: avoiceforheather.tripod.com
Myspace: myspace.com/avoiceforheather
Blog: avoiceforheather.blogspot.com
Facebook:www.facebook.com/avoiceforheather
Twitter: www.twitter.com/VoiceforHeather
Email: VoiceforHeather@yahoo.com
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Thursday, December 27, 2012

New Delhi Rape Protests





Something is actually being done about rape? No way! Yes my friends today in New Delhi protest are continuing to rage in wake of a 23 year old raped student. For those who don’t keep up with the news on December 16 a 23 year old student was gang-raped and beaten with an iron rod, before being thrown from a moving bus. The police immediately arrested several suspects, who are now awaiting trial. What does this have to do with protests? In the last couple of weeks protesters have been gathering, demanding a speedy trial with death penalty. The rape victim at this point in time is still in extremely critical condition and as of today has been airlifted to Singapore for a specialist hospital.
According to Dr. Kelvin Loh, chief executive officer of the Singapore hospital had this to say,
"Prior to her arrival, she has already undergone three abdominal surgeries, and experienced a cardiac arrest in India. A multi-disciplinary team of specialists is taking care of her and doing everything possible to stabilize her condition."
To understand the point of the protest you need to know a little background.  Satarupa Bhattacharjya reports that.
 “New Delhi has the highest number of sex attacks among India's major cities, with a rape reported on average every 18 hours, according to the National Crimes Records Bureau.
Most rapes and other sex crimes go unreported and offenders are rarely punished, but the brutality of the assault on the medical student in New Delhi triggered public outrage, demands for both better policing and harsher punishment for rapists.”
 Though I agree those statistics sound pretty harsh, I’m not sure the death penalty is the way to go. I am, however, astonished at the amount of support, hope and healing these protestors are offering for this victim, unfortunately though some of protests have gotten to out of hand. Subhash Chand Tomar, a 47-year-old Delhi police constable, died from injuries received during the protest.

“The outcry and spasm of violent protests over the case caught Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government off guard and set off a blame game between politicians and the police.Singh digressed in a speech on economic planning on Thursday to stress that the safety and security of women was a priority issue for his government, and said there would be a review of the laws and levels of punishment for aggravated sexual assault. 
But within an hour of that meeting, his Congress party was plunged into embarrassment over comments made by one of its lawmakers, Abhijit Mukherjee, son of the country's president.
Mukherjee described the anti-rape demonstrations as a "pink revolution" by women wearing heavy make-up who think it is fashionable to protest.” Reported Bhattacharjya.
Though there will always be people who view rape as “not a big deal” I am extremely encouraged by both the police efforts and response from the people. It gives me hope that rape will no longer be swept under the rug, but face and dealt with openly. I wonder how the victim will feel once she recovers and finds out a whole city supporting her and demanding justice for her? Let us hope that such healing can spread to others parts of the world that continue to suffer from the ignorance of rape.

More info about the protests:
http://www.ibtimes.com/policeman-injured-new-delhi-gang-rape-protest-dies-967560
http://news.yahoo.com/india-rape-protests-fizzle-victim-airlifted-singapore-124855031.html
http://world.time.com/2012/12/26/india-after-new-delhi-gangrape-should-the-culprits-be-executed/
Check out more about R.I.S.E. at any of the following:
Website: avoiceforheather.tripod.com
Myspace: myspace.com/avoiceforheather
Blog: avoiceforheather.blogspot.com
Facebook:www.facebook.com/avoiceforheather
Twitter: www.twitter.com/VoiceforHeather
Email: VoiceforHeather@yahoo.com
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