The Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence

Monthly Bulletin

May 2022

STAY CONNECTED:

Commissioner’s Message

Cecile Noel

Awareness is the greatest tool we have which is why I am so grateful to all the New Yorkers who participated in this year’s Sexual Violence Awareness Month and Denim Day campaigns. Powerful moments, and healing events across the city left us inspired and energized. We lifted one another up and enjoyed the interpersonal connection that was so desperately needed after the isolation created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has left its mark on us in many ways including a heightened awareness of the role mental health plays in our lives, and in the lives of survivors. This May for Mental Health Awareness Month we recognize that survivors often face additional and unique challenges that can have both short and long-term effects on mental health. Trauma and negative emotions linked to domestic and gender-based violence place survivors at risk for a host of mental and behavioral health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Shame, isolation, and guilt oftentimes keep survivors from seeking help. We are here to support survivors with mental health services through a partnership with the Mayor's Office of Community Mental Health (MOCMH) and NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H). Mental health teams at NYC Family Justice Centers include therapists, psychiatrists, and program administrators that provide direct on-site clinical services to complement our trauma-informed services.

Help is available if you or someone you know needs mental health support. Below you can find information on where to get help. I encourage you to share this with your networks. Together, we can spread awareness and continue to uplift the lives of survivors.

HELP IS AVAILABLE:

NYC Family Justice Centers offer immediate safety planning, shelter assistance, mental health support, and other resources by phone or in person. For in person services, clients can call 311 for their nearest Family Justice Center to make an appointment or walk in if they cannot engage in remote services safely or effectively:

Find resources and support in NYC by searching NYC HOPE Resource Directory online at www.nyc.gov/NYCHOPE

Call 311 to be connected to the nearest NYC Family Justice Center

Call NYC’s 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-621-HOPE (4673) for immediate safety planning, shelter assistance, and other resources, TTY: 866-604-5350

In an emergency, dial 911.

Mental health support for all New Yorkers

Call 1-888-NYC-Well (1-888-692-9355) for mental health and substance misuse support available in New York City or go the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health website at https://mentalhealth.cityofnewyork.us/

Understanding and accessing behavioral healthcare https://mentalhealth.cityofnewyork.us/understanding-and-accessing-behavioral-healthcare

Survivors can also explore Exhale to Inhale’s yoga series: Empowering Survivors: Trauma Informed Yoga Classes https://www.exhaletoinhale.org/

WHAT’S NEW

National Foster Care Month

In May, we commemorate National Foster Care Month and recognize foster parents, family members, child welfare professionals, policymakers, volunteers, mentors, community members and the roles we all play in helping children and youth in foster care find permanent homes and connections.

DID YOU KNOW?

According to a 2018 report for Congress, “children who experience sex trafficking have high rates of child welfare system involvement, frequently estimated between 33 percent and 50 percent.” (SOURCE: Report to Congress: The Child Welfare System Response to Sex Trafficking of Children: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.) The trauma they have experienced and the lack of permanent, stable housing and/or strong emotional relationships and support make them more vulnerable to traffickers.

New York City recognizes the intersections between the foster care system and human trafficking and provides resources and support for survivors of human trafficking and child sexual exploitation. You can learn how to spot signs of possible child trafficking and provide interventions for trafficked youth, and know where New Yorkers can turn to for help: National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, NYC’s 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-621- HOPE (4673), NYC Family Justice Centers, and the NYC HOPE Resource Directory. ENDGBV has a downloadable human trafficking brochure here: ENDGBV’s Understanding Human Trafficking brochure.

Co-Authored OP-ED Article with Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs

A recently co-authored OP-ED featuring ENDGBV Commissioner Noel and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) Commissioner Manuel Castro promoting the available services for all survivors of sexual violence no matter their immigration status can be found in a variety of news outlets in different languages below:

4-30-22 Weekly Bangalee - April 30, 2022 by Weekly Bangalee - Issuu

4-27-22 Haitian Times: Letter to Editor Supporting immigrant survivors of sexual violence in NYC

4-26-22 Queens Latino: Apoyo a inmigrantes sobrevivientes de agresión sexual en NYC

4-20-22 QUEENS CHRONICLE: Supporting immigrant survivors of sexual violence

ICYMI

Governor Hochul Signs Executive Order Requiring Adoption of Gender Based Violence Workplace Policies

On April 28th Governor Kathy Hochul signed an Executive Order 17 directing all New York State agencies and authorities to have a workplace policy on gender-based violence. The Executive Order expands upon and strengthens New York State's protections to include stalking and sexual assault following a newly released Inspector General report detailing a deadly incident of domestic violence involving employees from two state agencies.

On a related note, in October New York City became the first municipality in New York State to adopt a Workplace Policy that includes all forms of domestic and gender-based violence. Executive Order 85 strengthens trauma-informed responses and support across agencies for City employees who are experiencing DV/GBV as part of the City’s commitment to a healthy and safe workplace that prioritizes employee wellbeing.

ENDGBV and A Call to Men Youth Summit 2022

ENDGBV and national youth violence prevention organization, A Call to Men, hosted the 2022 Youth Summit: Youth Rising for Gender Equity, on Friday, April 29th. The summit was ENDGBV’s final Sexual Violence Awareness Month event. School youth from across the city gathered at Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island to participate in workshops, trainings, panel discussions and activities encouraging advocacy for healthy relationships, gender equity and racial justice. NYC Department of Education Chancellor David E. Banks joined the event to provide opening remarks to the young audience.

Denim Day NYC 2022

Denim Day Video Message from NYC Mayor, Eric Adams on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/i/status/1519407218118045702

“#Denim Day is a chance to stand up for survivors of sexual violence during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We wear denim to show New York City will always be here for you.”

Each year on the last Wednesday of April during Sexual Violence Awareness Month (SVAM), ENDGBV and people across the world acknowledge Denim Day by wearing denim to raise awareness about sexual violence, and to stand up for survivors. Denim Day began as a protest to a 1998 Italian Supreme Court decision where a judge overturned a rape conviction because the victim wore tight jeans, and “must have helped her assailant remove her jeans,” therefore giving consent. People were outraged around the world, and wearing jeans became an international symbol to assert that there is never an excuse for sexual violence.

Since 2010, ENDGBV and the Denim Day NYC Committee, a coalition of survivors, advocates, community organizations, city council members, city agencies and partners have come together to plan citywide educational and outreach events which culminate with the Denim Day March and Rally.

On April 27th, Denim Day NYC 2022 kicked off at Brooklyn Borough Hall with survivors and advocates garbed in denim gathered to hear Borough President Antonio Reynoso give opening remarks. Hundreds of enthusiastic supporters then marched down the steps of Borough Hall and over the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan’s Foley Square for the day’s rally. ENDGBV Executive Director of Outreach Tesa Arozqueta was master of ceremonies for the energized supporters who listened to remarks from ENDGBV’s VOICES Committee members, Commission on Gender Equity (CGE) Executive Director Jacqui Ebanks, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, City Council Members Amanda Farías and Farah Louis, and survivors and advocates.

The following day, ENDGBV and Denim Day Bronx hosted a march starting at the corner of Grand Concourse and Mount Eden Parkway with survivors and advocates, community-based organizations (CBO’s), and students from local colleges. Speakers including New York City Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) Chair & Commissioner Annabel Palma, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark and Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson gave those gathered rousing words of support before the march. On that same day, the Staten Island District Attorney’s office also hosted a rally in partnership with ENDGBV and Safe Horizon at the Staten Island Family Justice Center.

ENDGBV would like to extend its gratitude to the Denim Day NYC Committee, Denim Day Bronx, city agencies, advocates, organizations from all five boroughs that joined together to lift up the voices of survivors throughout April with planned events all month-long including panels, trainings, self-care events, and more. We were honored to have you by our side during Denim Day. We are especially grateful to the survivors who courageously marched and rallied and showed up in a multitude of ways.

Denim Day NYC Highlights

Bronx Denim Day

UPCOMING

CBO/MWBE Exchange Conference, “Empowering Communities, Advancing Businesses”

NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) is sponsoring the virtual event, CBO/MWBE Exchange Conference, “Empowering Communities, Advancing Businesses,” on Tuesday, May 24, 2022.

This dynamic one-day event connects New York City and State-certified Minority/Woman-owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) with contract opportunities with New York City Not-for-Profit Community-Based Organizations (CBO’s). It will feature panel discussions by CBO Leaders; City and State certification workshops, live networking, and opportunities to connect in real time with CBO leaders committed to purchasing M/WBE service and products.

Register at: https://bit.ly/CBOMWBEexchange

Learn more about M/WBE Small Purchases.

STAY TUNED

JUNE IS…

Pride Month: Equality. Love. Pride. Please follow us @nyendgbv on social media for information on trainings, workshops, and citywide Pride events.

Elder Abuse Awareness Month: In honoring older adults, we stand with Seniors to draw attention and raise awareness about elder abuse issues, as well as promote the spread of information to help prevent abuse.

IN THE NEWS

Check out ENDGBV’s recent media coverage by going to this link on our website: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/ocdv/press-resources/in-the-news.page

5-5-2022 NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS: Harlem’s WARM holds domestic violence walk for Brittani Nicole Duffy https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2022/05/05/harlems-warm-holds-domestic-violence-walk-for-brittani-nicole-duffy/

5-5-2022 WFUV: The Depp-Heard case places a spotlight on relationships and intimate partner violence https://wfuv.org/content/depp-heard-case-places-spotlight-relationships-and-intimate-partner-violence

5-2-2022 NY DAILY NEWS: Manhattan DA moves to clear sex trafficking victims’ criminal records https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-sex-trafficking-victims-records-expunged-manhattan-da-initiative-20220502-dvenmnv2xjbepfssssydie52oq-story.html

4-27-2022 U.S. News & World Report (via HEALTH DAY): Kids Who Witness Domestic Violence May Suffer Mentally for Decades https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-04-27/kids-who-witness-domestic-violence-may-suffer-mentally-for-decades

RESOURCES

Help is Available

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic or gender-based violence, help is available:

Find resources and support in NYC by searching NYC HOPE Resource Directory online at www.nyc.gov/NYCHOPE

Call 311 to be connected to the nearest NYC Family Justice Center

Call NYC’s 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-621-HOPE (4673) for immediate safety planning, shelter assistance, and other resources, TTY: 866-604-5350

In an emergency, dial 911.

Disclaimer: We believe in the principles of open dialogue and considering varying perspectives. Viewpoints or opinions expressed in the content of this communication or in articles linked do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, or the City of New York.

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The Office to Combat Domestic Violence (OCDV) is now the Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence. Find out more at www.nyc.gov/ENDGBV

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