up, a new avalanche of shame and despair overwhelmed her. There should be something she could do! As she paced around the room then flopped into her chair, a business card fluttered to the ground. It belonged to that woman she heard speak a few months ago about hidden forms of DV (domestic violence). When she called Courageous Fire, LLC, she learned the 2 types of abuse that happened to her were stalking and revenge porn. Courageous told Bree to call the National Domestic Violence Hotline to get help with safety planning so she could find ways to stay safe that would be effective for her specific situation. When Bree talked to thehotline. org, she was shocked to find out that she was not alone. Twothirds, 66.2%, of female stalking victims were stalked by their former partner3 . The advocate also confirmed and defined “revenge porn...nonconsensual pornography. This type of abuse intersects with sexual abuse, as it involves the digital distribution of nude or sexually explicit photos and/or videos of a person without their consent. It’s called “revenge” porn because the images or videos are often used as retaliation or as blackmail material by a current or former partner.”4 should ever need them. 1 in 12 adults report it, 1 in 20 adults are perpetrators, and a study showed 99% people surveyed expressed some level of approval of revenge porn5 . With these numbers, Bree was relieved to learn revenge porn had officially been named a crime in Iowa in 20176 making Lamont’s actions against the law. The advocate explained what help was available if she wanted to pursue legal action. She didn’t want to, but was glad to know she could. Bree now knows that stalking and revenge porn are serious, and she started educating her close friends. Black women often joke about the perpetrators of these types of abuses; however, 76% of women murdered by an intimate partner were stalked first. Bree decided she’s taking a break right now. When she resumes the search for companionship, she’s going to watch out for signs of possessiveness, avoid spending the night or going to sleep anywhere except home, keep her home address private, and be proactively positive on her social media sites. She’s grateful there are resources available if she I’m sharing Bree’s story during this month to give attention to this combination of pervasive and destructive forms of abuse - stalking and revenge porn - in the following ways: 1. Don’t know much about revenge porn? Find out here: TheHotline.org/resources/ revenge-porn 2. Has someone posted/ threatened to post nude/partially nude/compromising photos of you? Is someone insisting on occupying your space? Check out 1 or both of these resources: 1) online only - WithoutMyConsent. org; 2) online or phone - The Hotline.org or call 800-799-7233 3. Survived revenge porn, stalking, or other DV and want to avoid future predators? Sign up for Empowerment through the Arts™; Survivor Support 4. Community member? Learn how to support victim-survivors: Community Training 5.Want to financially support the work? Donate Here Blessings. #Permission By Courageous Fire DV Advocate & Founder of Courageous Fire, LLC Endnotes 1. Bree* is a fictitious, composite character, as well as the other characters in this story. Bree is used to demonstrate the factual material contained within this article. The characters’ attributes/demographics are taken from case studies, surveys, and DV abuse definitions. 2. Stalking definition from National Domestic Violence Hotline:“Stalking generally refers to harassing or threatening behavior that an individual engages in repeatedly, such as following a person, appearing at a person’s home or place of business, making harassing phone calls, leaving written messages or objects, or vandalizing a person’s property. These actions may or may not be accompanied by a credible threat of serious harm, and they may or may not be precursors to an assault or murder.” 3. Taken from National Domestic Violence statistics page at thehotline.org 4. Taken from National Domestic Violence page on revenge porn at thehotline.org 5. FightTheNewDrug.org article: 15 Surprising Facts about How Common Revenge Porn Is 6. CBS2Iowa.com article: Law criminalizes “revenge porn”
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