WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is grateful for its partnership with [Volare] and for the resources they provide to those living similar stories, not on stage, but in their daily lives. We hope the resources and reminders below are helpful and supportive.

Consent is centered on bodily autonomy. Only you are in control of your body and can give consent or retract it at any moment, for any reason. Consent is agreeing to or giving permission for something to happen. Consent should be communicated and is clear and ongoing.

Sexual assault is a form of sexual violence. It refers to any sexual contact or behavior that happens without explicit consent. Sexual assault can cause harm and impact someone’s life.

Teen dating violence (TDV) is especially harmful, particularly because many teens who experience it do not identify as victims/survivors, do not know they have autonomous legal rights as victims/survivors, and do not know where to turn to for help. Teens are also at an impressionable age, their minds are still developing, and in these formative years the abuses they may encounter are likely to instill long term and lasting effects that will shape the way they see themselves and how they get involved in, interact in, and maintain future relationships. Because of this, it is very important for teens to learn, as early and from as many adult sources as possible, what a healthy relationship is, how to model it, and where to get help if they are being abused by someone they have developed a relationship with.

As a result of systemic racism, oppression, misogyny, and classism, many formalized systems, such as the criminal legal system or campus sexual misconduct proceedings, are inaccessible or undesirable avenues of justice for marginalized communities.

Older District residents may be feeling the impacts of this social isolation deeply. Seniors may be fearful of being exposed to the virus and need food, medicines or just a friendly hello. While many of us are connected to the internet through a variety of devices, many older Americans may not have access to the internet via a computer or mobile phone or may be dependent on someone else to access the outside world.

At the core of NVRDC’s approach to supporting survivors is our commitment to survivor defined justice. The person directly impacted by the crime should be defining what justice looks like for them. NVRDC seeks to support clients in both defining what justice looks like for themselves and achieving this vision. However, the criminal legal system is not always an option or even the best option for everyone. For individuals who choose not to engage with this system we hope to offer other ways of achieving healing and justice. 

Each year on September 25, loved ones and victim service agencies gather together in solidarity for the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims. Homicide rates in DC rose 67% from January 1 to March 4, 2018. 1 Despite its increase and prevalence, homicide and the impact on surviving family members continue to be particularly underserved in the areas of crime victims’ rights and services.

Our opinions of ourselves and our interpretation of events are greatly shaped by the words and actions of people we love. So when someone is going through traumatic and life changing events, these initial reactions can be game changing.

A friend of NVRDC opened up publicly in recent weeks about her past experience with abuse and sexual harassment on Capitol Hill. Her experience illustrates a struggle we see in many different forms, between individuals affected by violence and abuse and the institutions reluctant to make waves by standing up for them.