#NoMore Update (2.7.15)
So what can I do to help?
Silence and lack of knowledge about these issues play a large part in why they persist. Help us change that.
First, learn about these issues so you can recognize the signs of abuse and feel comfortable discussing domestic violence and sexual assault with your friends and family.
Second, learn how to better respond to help a child, teen, or adult who may be experiencing domestic violence, dating abuse, or sexual assault.
Of course if you see, hear, or suspect that someone is in immediate danger, call 911 immediately.
Then, see what you can do in your life to help end the violence.
1. KNOW MORE & TALK ABOUT THESE ISSUES OPENLY
WHAT IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?
A pattern of abusive and threatening actions used to exert power and control over an intimate dating partner or spouse. Domestic violence includes the use of physical and sexual violence, threats and intimidation, stalking, emotional and psychological abuse, and financial control.
It may also include:
* Physical abuse or the threat of abuse of the victim, children, or pets
* Rigidly controlling finances/withholding money
* Sabotaging a partner's job by making them miss work, calling them constantly at work, etc.
* Verbal insults that humiliate a partner
* Threatening to out the partner's sexual orientation
* Telling partner who he/she can or can't hang out with, text or be Facebook friends with
* Stealing or insisting on having passwords
* Isolating victim from family and friends
WHAT IS SEXUAL ASSAULT?
Any unwanted sexual activity without consent, including rape, incest, sexual harassment, and molestation. Consent is the presence of a clear yes (not the absence of a no). Sexual assault perpetrators are motivated by the need to control, humiliate, and harm their victims.
Sexual assault may also involve:
* Exposing/flashing in person or sending unsolicited explicit pictures
* Forcing a person to pose for sexual pictures
* Not allowing sexual partner to use birth control or be protected from STD's
* Engaging in non-consensual sexual activity, ranging from taking explicit pictures, unwanted sexual touching above or under clothing to engaging in intercourse, with someone drugged, drunk, unconscious, sleeping, etc.
* Coerced sexual acts by a boss, higher-ranking officer, teacher, or other authority figure
Learn more about these issues here.
2. KNOW WHERE TO GO FOR HELP
If you or someone you know needs help or has questions, please contact the appropriate resources below:
- The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or visit domesticshelters.org.
- The National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 (HOPE) or by secure, online private chat here. Adult male survivors, family members, friends and partners of men who may have had abusive sexual experiences can also use the 1in6 Online SupportLine to get help.
- For teens and youth, call 1-866-331-9474, text "loveis" to 22522, or live chat at www.loveisrespect.org.
3. LEARN HOW TO PREVENT VIOLENCE
Everyone can play an active role in stopping domestic violence and sexual assault before it occurs by helping to establish an environment where healthy and positive relationships are based on respect, safety, and equality. Taking steps to stop harassment or violence can make a significant difference in someone's life, and send a powerful message to society that violence is not acceptable.
4. MAKE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS & PREVENTION A PRIORITY YEAR-ROUND
NO MORE's birthday is coming up! Help us engage every individual, organization, and corporation in the national effort to make domestic violence and sexual assault awareness and prevention a priority year-round during NO MORE Week, March 8 -- March 14. Learn how you can get involved here.
Stay tuned for more information -- but for now, thank you so much for joining the movement to end domestic violence and sexual assault.
Talk soon,
The NO MORE Team
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What is NO MORE?
NO MORE is a public awareness and engagement campaign focused on ending domestic violence and sexual assault. Using its signature blue symbol to increase visibility and foster greater dialogue, NO MORE seeks to break social stigma, normalize the conversation around domestic violence and sexual assault, and increase resources to address these urgent issues. NO MORE is aligned with hundreds of organizations working at the local, state and national levels on prevention, advocacy, and services for survivors.
What is NO MORE’s history?
The idea for NO MORE was sparked in 2009, in recognition that despite the significant progress made in the visibility of domestic violence and sexual assault, these problems affecting millions remain hidden and on the margins of public concern. Hundreds of representatives from the domestic violence and sexual assault prevention field came together around the idea that an overarching symbol, uniting all people working to end these problems, could have a dramatic impact on the public’s awareness.
According to the Avon Foundation for Women’s 2013 NO MORE Study, 60% of Americans know a victim of either domestic violence or sexual assault, or both, yet two out of three Americans have not discussed this problem with their friends, and three out of four parents have never discussed it with their children. NO MORE aims to change that, and our data tells us that increased conversation is the key to change: in the NO MORE Study, two-thirds of Americans say that if we talk more about domestic violence and sexual assault, it would make it easier for them to help the victims.
