Today, we celebrate the birth of our nation. Happy Independence Day! We also take this opportunity to express our hope for another type of freedom: freedom from violence. Across our community, far too many women, children and men live with the present reality or the aftermath of violence. Their lives are impacted on a daily basis by domestic abuse, sexual violence, stalking, sexual harassment, bullying, and other forms of violence and abuse. Each year, Blackburn Center serv

Almost without fail, if an article about rape is posted on the internet, there will be at least one comment listing what steps potential victims (usually women) should take to stay safe. These strategies range from not consuming alcohol or drugs to dressing conservatively to having a buddy system so you are not out alone. This line of thinking was perpetuated by a German mayor, who — in response to mass sexual assaults in her town on New Year’s Eve — suggested that women sh

If you follow our website or social media, you have probably seen the phrase “primary prevention.” We use it quite often to talk about our work, particularly with regards to how we hope to end domestic and sexual violence. This is different from past strategies, which focused more on raising awareness and providing services. So what exactly does primary prevention mean? An analogy may help to illustrate this concept. Picture an old house with equally old, likely dangerous

Last month, Rolling Stone printed an explosive story of a gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity, which quickly became the focus of national outrage. This weekend, Rolling Stone retracted their story, citing discrepancies between the victim’s story and facts later unearthed by other news organizations. The retraction set off a wave of commentary, with many questioning whether the woman featured in the story, “Jackie,” had even been raped. Without a doubt, the fail

Campus sexual assault has been a hot topic in the news over the past year, between student protests, high profile cases and the formation of a White House special commission to address the issue. Across the country, colleges and universities are revamping their sexual assault policies, holding forums on sexual assault, and encouraging bystander intervention programs. But for all of the publicity surrounding this subject, it appears that many young adults’ attitudes about se

Campus sexual assault is a hot issue right now, with a Presidential task force dedicated to the problem and stories of college students taking extreme measures to bring attention to their schools’ failure to take action against their rapists. Much of the focus has been devoted to how colleges and universities handle allegations of sexual assault — or how young female college students should bear the burden of not being raped. But what about preventing sexual assaults in the