People You Should Know: History of the Anti Rape Movement

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

History of the Anti Rape Movement  - People You Should Know

Here's a brief history lesson in the movers and shakers within the Anti-Rape Movement.  We all need to be grateful to people like Susan B. Anthonly, Laura X, and the other individuals listed below.

The following used to be posted on The Awareness Center's web page.  I'm slowly moving this information to my blog.  Please be patient for all the links to be working.

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People

1. Susan B. Anthony
2. Feige Aufscher
3. Ellen Bass
4. Lucy Berliner
5. E. Sue Blume
6. Michael Brecher
7. Neil Brick
8. Susan Brownmiller
9. Ann Wolbert Burgess
10. Sandra Butler
11. Diana Carson
12. Irene Deschenes
13. Andrea Dworkin
14. Toni Cavanagh Johnson
15. Sophia Chamys
16. Laurieann Chutis
17. Marcia Cohn-Spiegel
18. Letty Cottin Pogrebin
19. Christine A. Courtois
20. Laura Davis
21. Peter Dimock 
22. Tom Economus
23. Barbara Engel
24. Beverly Engel
25. Dale English
26. Anne Marie Erikkson
27. Erik H. Erikson, PhD
28. Erik Erikkson
29. Hank Estrada
30. David Finkelhor
31. Frank L. Fitzpatrick
32. Yvonne Fedderson
33. Ken Followell
34. Howard Fradkin
35. Renée Fredrickson, PhD
36. Rebecca Freedman
37. William N. Friedrich
38. Sandi Gallant
39. James Garbarino
40. Eliana Gil
41. Chezi Goldberg (Scott Goldberg)
42. Jean Goodwin
43. Judith Herman
44. Jan Hindman
45. Beverly Holman
46. Lynda Lytle Holmstrom
47. Jim Hopper
48. Mic Hunter
49. Marc Klaas
50. Alicia Kozakiewicz
51. Laura X
52. Murray Levin
53. Mike Lew
54. Rachel Liberman
55. Sharon L. Lowenstein
56. Wendy Maltz
57. Leah Marinelli
58. Nancy Mayer
59. Helen McGonigle
60. Ava Miedzinski
61. Alice Miller
62. Ellen Mugmon
63. Toby Myers
64. Sara O'Meara
65. Debra Nussbaum Cohen
66. Peter Parker (AKA: Spider-Man)
67. Vicki Polin
68. Eugene Porter
69. Polly Poskin
70. Sally Jesse Raphael
71. Florence Rush
72. Diana Russell
73. Margaret Sanger
74. Judge Charles B. Schudson
75. Bob Schwiderski 
76. Kathy Shaw
77. Ken Singer
78. Rick Springer
79. Rachel Steamer
80. Gloria Steinham
81. Lucy Stone
82. Jim Struve
83. Roland C. Summit
84. Marlo Thomas
85. Debby Tucker 
86. Tim Walsh
87. Lynn Wasnak
88. Charles Whitfield
89. Susan Weidman Schneider
90. Jan Wohlberg

Historic Organizations You Should Know

1. National Clearinghouse on Marital and Date Rape
2. S4OS - Speaking for Our Selves
3. VOICES In Action (Victims Of Incest Can Emerge Survivors)

Jewish Women Pioneering The Anti-Rape Movement

Being an educated consumer: Jewish Survivors of Sexual Abuse/Assault

© (2012) By Vicki Polin
Originally published in The Examiner on September 13 2012

The history of the Anti-Rape Movement within Jewish communities worldwide really got started over fifty years ago when Marcia Cohn Spiegel realized her husband had been an alcoholic for many years. Marty did what many women did back in the 1950s ad 60s, and went to her rabbi and then a Jewish psychotherapist for help. Like in many problematic marital situations back then (and sadly what still goes on today) -- women were told that the it must be something they was doing wrong that would cause her spouse to drink. Marty was devastated and could never figure out what it was that she was doing wrong. It would take another ten years from the time she originally spoke with her rabbi that Ms. Cohn-Spiegel joined a feminist consciousness raising group. It was at that point she realized that she was NOT alone nor to blame for her husband’s behavior.

During the 1970s other Jewish women who were living with alcoholic husbands and or with domestic violence situations (which included cases incest and marital rape) began to communicate with each other. It was at that time that Marty realized that she had to take on a more active role and something to change the Jewish worlds view, attitudes and behaviors regarding these issues.

Marcia Cohn Spiegel had already received her undergraduate degree in psychology back in 1949, and had been an active volunteer in various non-profit groups, when she went back to get her graduate degree in 1976. She basically went back to school so that she could learn how better to help Jewish survivors.

Having the right education, training and supervised experience is critical to being able to really learn the best ways to help and advocate for others. Unfortunately, over the past few years the anti-rape movement within the Jewish community has been hijacked by a small group of people who feel they know what they are doing, even though very few of them have any specialized training in advocating for others, let alone in how to help guide survivors in the healing process.

Due to of the lack of training of these “lay advocates”, many survivors of sex crimes who have been reaching out for help are getting hurt. The scary part is that these “lay advocates” due not understand the importance of confidentiality, listening to the needs and wants of each individual survivor and often just follow their own personal agendas. 

Due to lack of training and these “lay advocates” are not certified or connected to a legitimate rape crisis center -- meaning there is no legal protections for those utilizing their services. If a “lay advocate” should breach confidentiality, there is no legal recourse that could be taken. It is as if you shared a confidential secret with friend and the confidential information was shared with others. There would be nothing legally that could be done, unless prior to sharing the information a confidentiality agreement was signed by both parties.
In the state of Illinois, along with several other states -- a certified rape victim advocate is protected from them being subpoenaed in court of law regarding what is shared between a survivor and the activist. Survivors can confide in rape crisis center counselors and advocates, knowing that they run little risk of having those communications disclosed publicly unless they consent to such disclosure.

It’s important for survivors of sex crimes to be educated consumers when they are asking for help. It’s great to have friends and family members who are supportive. For many, it’s a vital part of their own personal healing process. If you’re looking for help after being sexually victimized, one of the best places to start off is with your local rape crisis center. Not only can they offer you legal advocacy by legitimate activists, they also help direct you to both medical and psychological counseling by professionals who have the right training, education and experience. 

Over the years survivors from the Torah observant world have been afraid to go to agencies outside of their communities for fear the organizations would not understand their unique cultural differences and needs. Though each person’s wants and needs are different, it’s important to know that those who work in legitimate rape crisis centers have to have course work in cultural diversity training. Meaning, the majority of counselors, medical and legal professionals will do what they can to understand your unique situation. They are also bound by the confidentiality laws, which should reassure you that what you share with them will remain private. 

If you live in Illinois contact one of the rape crisis counseling centers associated with ICASA (Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault).

If you live in another state click here to find a legitimate rape crisis center in your community.

Do Girls Matter? Sexism and Sexual Abuse

By Vicki Polin

Huffington Post - November 5, 2010

Over the last ten years there's been so much emphasis and media attention on cases of clergy sexual abuse - with the perpetrators being priests, pastors, monks and rabbis - that we seem to be forgetting that forty-six percent of cases of child sexual abuse are perpetrated by family members. We also cannot forget that according to statistics girls get molested two to three times more often then boys -- or that the effects and long-term ramifications are just as horrendous as their male counterparts.

Over the last twenty-six years of my involvement in the Anti-Rape movement I have to admit that I have been amazed at seeing so many male survivors coming forward with their disclosures of child molestation. Even Oprah's on to the male survivor bandwagon, producing two shows on the topic of male survivors of sexual abuse; which will air on November 5th and 12th.

My concern is that girls and adult women who are survivors of child sexual abuse seem to be getting lost in this new shuffle. I have also noticed an altering of history from some survivor groups in which they are forgetting the roots of the Anti-Rape movement. Advocating for survivors of sex crimes did not get it's start in 2002, with the Boston Globe's exposé on the Catholic Church. We cannot forget that if it wasn't for several brave women joining together in consciousness raising groups back in the early 1970's, we would have no idea about how many people were being molested as children, or how many adult men and women were being assaulted. 

Why is it that even in 2010 we want to forget the value of the feminist movement? If it wasn't for the brave heroes of the 1970's getting together and sharing personal details of their lives we would never have been able to offer hope and support to those who had been sexually victimized. We would not have begun to educate the public on the issues and ramifications of rape nor would research that effects more then a quarter of the population of the world have been started. 

How quickly we want to forget that back on January 24, 1971 the New York Radical Feminists sponsored the very first gathering to discuss sexual violence as a social issue. April 12, 1971 was the historic moment in which for the first time in history there was a gathering of survivors -- all women, who created the very first "speak-out" -- where they shared their personal stories publicly; and over 300 people attended. 

I personally got my start in the Anti-Rape Movement back in 1985 working for one of the first incest survivor organizations. During the early years it was mostly only women who came forward sharing stories of child molestation. For the last 12 years of my work has been focusing in Jewish communities on an international basis. I have been amazed to see this same phenomenon happening within the orthodox world. Female survivors of sexual abuse have been taking a back seat to their male counter part. For every 10 males who come forward, there is only one woman willing to share her story, come forward and begin the healing process..

I have also encountered some discrimination at workshops and or with other organizations that have been popping up in the Jewish world; the leaders are all male. I have been told that they believe women are too emotional to be a part of the movement, let alone to speak out publicly. I understand the cultural differences of the Orthodox world in which it is frowned upon for a woman to speak or educate men in public for reasons of modesty, yet why are they not coming out speaking to each other? Will they really loose value as a person if it's known that they were victims of a sex cri

-- Vicki Polin authored this article. Polin is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and the founder and director of The Awareness Center, Inc., which is the international Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse/Assault