This presentation will include detailed information of what the sexual assault nurse examiner is able to do for victims of sexual assault. An explanation of the extensive training the nurse must complete to be considered SANE-trained will be discussed as well as how the patient benefits from a sexual assault exam completed by a trained SANE nurse. The team approach and what is included in a forensic exam will be explained. This presentation will conclude with a few case studies of patients that were seen and treated by SANE-trained nurses.
Read MorePersistence of human trafficking in Tanzania is reported to be exacerbated by many factors including patriarchal systems, poverty, peer influences, job opportunities and availability of social services to mention a few. Lack of knowledge and skills, has been thought to catalyze the situation more as compared to others. In a research study conducted in Arusha Municipality involving girls who are victims of human trafficking and other stakeholders; it was found that destitution of rural families, forced marriages, peer influences, broken families and gender based violence were among the root causes which led these young girls to become prey to traffickers. The study also revealed that these young girls faced a lot of challenges including being overworked and being unpaid, being tortured physically and emotionally. Some of these girls experienced other challenges such as sexual abuse and in some cases even contracted sexual diseases. In combating the situation, the study recommends more drastic measures from the Government and other stakeholders including increasing awareness on Human Trafficking for the general public and encouraging victims to report human trafficking cases. The study also recommends that children who are most vulnerable and at high risk of being trafficked be checked regularly and if possible be supplied with their basic needs.
Read MorePenal labor within the prison system is common, and has been subject to much controversy, especially in the last five years. While the debate is heated and complex, one commonly ignored aspect is the use of penal labor by private prisons. Private prisons make up 16% of federal prisons. Similar to federally-run prisons, private prisons use penal labor to perform “institutional maintenance” and to pay for “room and board”. Private prisons receive a static amount of federal funding to hire employees to do this work. This begs the question: How and to what extent can and do private prisons use penal labor to cut costs and increase their bottom line? This study seeks to answer this question by examining the use of penal labor in Federal Private Prisons and explores the connection between labor in these prisons and labor exploitation, forced labor, and human trafficking.
Presentation Objectives:
· Outline the debate surrounding the use of penal labor and the laws around the use of penal labor in U.S. federal prisons;
· Examine how private prisons make a profit and how that is connected to the use of penal labor;
· Explore the use of penal labor in private prisons and the connection with forced labor and human trafficking;
Outline action goals and tools to address this issue of forced labor and human trafficking in federal private prisons.
Read MoreMost victims of sexual violence experience some level of Post-Traumatic Stress. A majority are diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which can include extreme levels of anxiety. The goal of the presentation is to determine if individuals with anxiety disorder diagnoses are more vulnerable to sexual trauma and also to examine the number of survivors that are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder after having been victimized. Presenters will discuss whether anxiety disorder diagnoses as a result of sexual trauma are appropriate, given that a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder involves symptoms of anxiety.
Both presenters come from a background of victim-centered care and will examine the aforementioned issues from both an advocacy and clinical standpoint. Issues will also be examined and discussed from a personal standpoint, as one of the presenters is a sexual trauma survivor that also suffers from a diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The presentation will begin with this survivor’s story and explanation of how her story can be applied to the stories of many survivors. The program will conclude with recommendations for clinicians and victim advocates for trauma-informed care with anxiety disorders as a priority.
Presentation Objectives:
· To examine the prevalence of anxiety disorders amongst sexual trauma survivors.
· To create dialogue about the overlap between anxiety and victimization; before and after the incident(s) of sexual violence.
To be a cautionary tale about making diagnoses and recommendations too hastily; without fully examining the part that trauma may play in an individual’s symptom of anxiety.
Read MoreProstitution is often experienced and regarded as a form of oppression and abuse. In the last decade, it defined by a growing number of professionals, academics and politicians in Israel as a social problem requiring societal response. While many people in prostitution are seen as victims who deserve adequate social and therapeutic services, prostitution-centered intervention is rarely provided by social workers in public services in Israel.
The objective of this presentation is to share the findings of several studies conducted in Israel, using both quantitative and qualitative methods, aiming to learn about the response to and perceptions of prostitution by several groups of social workers.
Dr. Peled will first present the findings of a study of 215 social workers in the Administration of Social Services in the city of Tel Aviv.
The main research questions were:
(1) Do social workers in municipal public services serve people in prostitution?
(2) How do social workers explain occasions when clients’ involvement in prostitution is known, but there is no discussion of our intervention in that matter?
(3) What factors are related to social workers’ willingness to intervene with people in prostitution?
Secondly, Dr. Peled will present the main findings from a series of 4 qualitative studies aimed at understanding the perceptions of social workers regarding prostitution and people in prostitution. She argues that social workers' willingness, choice and ability to intervene with people in prostitution is influenced by their perceptions of people in prostitution as normative/deviant, as victims/ agents, and as subjects/objects.
Art is very helpful in learning to sense another’s experience. Creative writing or a painting, for examples, can encourage the social worker to feel, taste, smell and see the realities of marginalized lives. Because empathy and connection are often created at the level of the senses, art is uniquely suited as a way to learn. Empathy is not only important on a micro-level, is important to raising awareness about cultural disparities and injustices. This paper will look at the use of art as self-reflection, a way to encourage empathy between professionals and clients, and as a way to inspire social action.
Read MoreAny person whose identity, status, labor, or serostatus should have a range of remedies available to them to fight and to right the wrongs they face under systems of criminalization. Unfortunately, this is too often not the case. The remedies available to people profiled, arrested, and convicted due to their age, race, socio-economic class, gender identity, serostatus, and/or actual or perceived work in street economies or erotic trades, are composed of a web of esoteric rules and regulations, oftentimes lacking adequate publication or resources for those eligible to take advantage. This session will outline common problems faced by these communities, along with typical remedial models including: immunity, affirmative defenses, diversion, sealing, expungement, vacatur, and pardon, along with the drawbacks and benefits of each. The session will conclude with a group brainstorm and participatory discussion of how our communities and organizations can work to improve existing remedies and what other remedies we should fight to establish.
Read More