Men in the Movement: Risks, Rewards, and Complexities Webinar
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| Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/528792849 |
According to the announcement for this upcoming event, the webinar will feature Patrick Lemmon and Ben Atherton Zeman. They “will discuss some of the risks, rewards, and complexities of getting men involved in the movement to respond to and end gendered violence.
Patrick J. Lemmon has twenty years of experience in helping organize communities, and particularly men in communities, to speak out for ending men’s violence against women. He recently moved to Portland from Washington, DC, where he was co-founder and Executive Director of Men Can Stop Rape and a member of the Board of Directors for the DC Rape Crisis Center. Honors include the Ms. Foundation for Women’s Gloria Award and American University’s Capital Area Peacemaker Award. He thrives on helping committed groups of people find the path to creating the communities they want to live in.
Ben Atherton Zeman has performed “Voices of Men” and given presentations in 44 states, Canada, China and the Czech Republic. For the past seventeen years, Ben has worked as a prevention educator for rape crisis centers, domestic violence programs, and state coalitions. The right-wing, so-called “Father’s Rights” group Fathers for Life accuses Ben of “spouting all the absurdities of radical feminist propaganda,” which he freely admits, and accuses him of being “backed by powerful antifamily business and political profiteers…lawyers and politicians’ bank accounts…” which he wishes were true.
Together they offer a range and depth of experiences working to engage men in the movement to end gendered violence and we look forward to offering them the opportunity to shares those experiences and their expertise with you.”
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End Violence Against Women International Conference
End Violence Against Women International Conference will be held in Chicago April 11-13, 2011 at the Intercontinental Chicago O’Hare, which is located at 5300 North River Road, in Rosemont, IL 60018.
Traditionally, participants at this event include but are not limited to: law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, victim advocates, judges, parole and probation officers, rape crisis workers, medical personnel, faith community members, educators and others. This conference will highlight promising practices and emerging issues in sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking.
For further information, visit http://www.evawintl.org/conferencedetail.aspx?confid=9
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Nichelle Mitchem Shares Information on Crimes Against Women Conference
The 6th Annual Conference on Crimes Against Women will be held March 28-30, 2011 at the Sheraton, Downtown Dallas. This upcoming conference on crimes against women promises to be the national clearinghouse of best practices for law enforcement, prosecuting attorneys, advocates, medical personnel and others who work in the area of crimes against women.
The Conference on Crimes Against Women was established with the overarching goal of serving as the national clearinghouse for training on best practices regarding the investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women.
According to the conference materials, “…national experts will present the most relevant training and cutting edge techniques in addressing these crimes. This is the only national conference that addresses the entire range of crimes committed against women.” For further information, click here to visit the Conference Web Site.
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Nichelle Mitchem Teaches You How to Create a Safety Plan Against Domestic Violence
Everyone has a right to be safe. Toward that goal, it is important to create a safety plan. There are many helpful safety planning websites for adult and teenage victims of domestic as well as elder abuse victims. Because October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we will focus on the importance of creating a safety plan for victims of domestic violence in this post. If you are in an abusive relationship, it is particularly important to create a personal safety plan and to share it with others.
Research indicates that if you have been battered in your present relationship, you should understand that you are never safe. Perhaps, you may feel that the abuse has ceased and the relationship is improving because the batterer promised to change. You may even convince yourself that the abuse will end if you are the “perfect” partner. Persons who abuse their partners do not just “stop” the battering behavior. In fact, research indicates that often abusive behavior increases over time. The abusive incidents tend to occur more frequently and the level of violence escalates. As a result, it is critical to create a safety plan.
For further information on the creation of a personal safety plan for victims of domestic violence here is a list of a few very helpful websites: www.safehorizon.org; www.domesticviolence.org; www.thesafespace.org; and www.acadv.org; and www.thorpe.ou.edu.
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Nichelle Mitchem Discusses Advocacy, Resources, and Training for Battered Women & Their Legal Counsel
The National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women serves a resource for battered women and their advocates. For more than two decades, the National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women has served as a resource and advocacy center for battered women charged with crimes related to their battering. Through the National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women’s work, the organization aims to increase justice for — and prevent further victimization of — arrested, convicted, or incarcerated battered women.
The National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women works with battered women who have been arrested and are facing trial, as well as those who are serving prison sentences. Traditionally, these cases involve women who have defended themselves against life-threatening violence at the hands of their abuser, and have been charged with assault or homicide. The National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women also assists in cases where women have been coerced into crime by their abuser, are charged with “failing to protect” their children from their abuser’s violence, or are charged with “parental kidnapping” after fleeing to protect themselves or their children from their abuser.
The National Clearinghouse’s staff provides customized technical assistance to battered women charged with crimes and to members of their defense teams (defense attorneys, advocates, expert witnesses and others). The National Clearinghouse does not provide direct representation to battered women charged with crimes. Rather, the National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women’s staff provides information and resources to defense teams at any stage of the legal process (pre-trial, when the case is on appeal, and in limited circumstances, during post-conviction proceedings) in an effort to increase the likelihood of a better – and more just – outcomes. The women that the National Clearinghouse for Battered Women assists might be facing trial or considering a plea, going through a trial, waiting to be sentenced, or their case might be on appeal.
The National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women is the first and only national organization that focuses exclusively on battered women charged with crimes. Over the years, the National Clearinghouse has been instrumental in increasing public awareness about the many complex issues facing battered women who end up charged with crimes and in building alliances among national, state-wide, and local organizations and countless individuals to work to stem the tide of injustices facing battered women defendants and incarcerated battered women.
In addition to providing individualized technical assistance, National Clearinghouse staff conducts seminars for members of the criminal justice and advocacy communities, and for the general public, regarding the unique experiences of battered women defendants. Additionally, it maintains a resource library that contains a comprehensive collection of articles, case law, litigation materials, and legislation relevant to battered women who find themselves in conflict with the law.
The staff of the National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women will work with you to assess the situation and determine which of its resources might be most helpful. For further information, you can call the National Clearing House of Battered women at 800/903-0111.
For general information on domestic violence, visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline website www.thehotline.org or call 800-787-3224.
Source: National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women
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Nichelle Mitchem Teaches You How to Identify an Abusive Person
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Many of the posts made on this blog will address issues related to breaking the cycles of violence and exposing myths about this phenomenon.
How do I identify an abusive person? Abusers are not easy to spot. There is no ‘typical’ abusive partner. In public, the abusive partner may appear friendly and loving to their partner. Often, abusers engage in abusive conduct behind closed doors. They also try to hide the injuries sustained by the victim by striking in areas which can and often are covered by clothing. Additionally, abusers often seek to cause injuries which will result in significant pain but do not require medical attention.
Is abusive behavior an accident or caused by external factors? Abuse is an intentional act that one person uses in a relationship to control the other. It does not occur because the abusive partner was stressed, drinking, or using drugs. Abusers have learned to engage in abusive conduct in order control the conduct of the victim. The abusive behavior may take one or several forms: physical, sexual, emotional, financial and psychological.
Research indicates that abusers often have low self-esteem. They fail to take responsibility for their actions. Often, abusers blame the victim for causing the abusive conduct. In most cases, men abuse female victims. It is important to note that women can also be abusers and men can be victims. Further, abusive conduct is not confined to heterosexual relationships. Abuse can and does happen in same sex relationships. For further information on domestic violence you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline or visit their website. Other relevant websites include but are not limited to: www.ncdsv.org, www.ncadv.org, www.pcadv.org.
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Nichelle Mitchem: An Advocate for Women and Children
For nearly a decade, Nichelle Mitchem has served as the executive director of nonprofit organizations providing comprehensive and holistic programs and services for families in need. Most recently, Nichelle Mitchem served as the Executive Director of My Sister’s Place, Inc., a nonprofit domestic violence agency based in Washington, D.C. for more than four years.
Spending the majority of her professional career involved with nonprofit organizations, Nichelle Mitchem possesses knowledge of best practices in the area of service provision to vulnerable persons. From building external partnerships with community stakeholders to implementing measures to better assess and meet the needs of clients, Nichelle Mitchem remains singularly adept at setting and achieving organizational goals and objectives.
Nichelle Mitchem has spoken at national and regional events on numerous topics concerning family welfare. Nichelle Mitchem’s presentations include but are not limited to “The Hidden Victims: Ramifications of Domestic Violence on Children”, “An Innovative and Comprehensive Service Delivery Model: Intergenerational Kinship Care Families,” “Best Practices in Service Provision for Intergenerational Kinship Care Families”, “Legal Service Needs for Intergenerational Families: Grandparents Raising Grandchildren”, “Providing Comprehensive Services to Intergenerational Families: Grandparents Raising Grandchildren’, “An Innovative Comprehensive and Holistic Service Delivery Model for Children Resident in Grandparent-Headed Families,” “Protocols for Health Care Providers in Domestic Violence Intervention & Prevention,” “Violence Against Women–The Legal Aspects,” and “Effective Strategies for Handling Crisis in a Crisis Laden Environment”.
A published author, Nichelle Mitchem has contributed research to several leading periodicals. Nichelle Mitchem’s articles include “Legal Needs Assessment for the Aged,” which appeared in BIFOCAL from the American Bar Association’s Commission on Law and Aging, as well as “Elderly Legal Needs Assessment,” which appeared in AGING Magazine, published by the Administration on Aging within the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
Dedicated to serving disenfranchised persons, Nichelle Mitchem has held several leadership positions for a number of local, statewide, and national nonprofit organizations. Nichelle Mitchem has served on the Board of Directors for the Kiwanis Club in Atlanta, the Morris County Mental Health Association, where she also served as Vice President, The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, The Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, as well as the National Advisory Committee for A Better Philadelphia.
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Nichelle Mitchem Acquires Pro Bono Counsel for Domestic Violence Agency in “Washington Lawyer”
Nichelle Mitchem obtains pro bono counsel for a local domestic violence non-profit organization in Kathryn Alfisi’s article, “Pro Bono Partnerships Community Economic Development Project: Serving the Community Through Transactional Pro Bono” in Washington Lawyer.
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Nichelle Mitchem Discusses the Importance of Making Sound Social Investments
Nichelle Mitchem, executive director, My Sister’s Place, interviewed by the Washingtonian for the magazine’s December 2008 issue entitled, “64 Ways to Do Good” written by Denise Kersten Wills. Wills discusses why to give and where to give in the Washington DC Metro Area.
Source: http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/coverarchive/10109.html .
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Nichelle Mitchem Speaks on Panel at Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus
The Executive Director of My Sister’s Place, Nichelle Mitchem speaks as a specialist on a panel at the Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus “to discuss the current legislation in place to aid victims of domestic violence, the services and programs available to victims, and what still needs to be done for victims of domestic violence.”
Quote: The Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus
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