Developing Advocacy Tools: Survivors of Intimate Partner Sexual Violence

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Developing Advocacy Tools Survivors of
Intimate Partner Sexual Violence
Kathleen Arledge, MSW
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If you cant rape your wife, who can you rape?

• California State Senator Bob Wilson,
• addressing a group of women lobbyists

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Objectives

• Brief Definition of IPSV
• WA State Sexual Assault Laws and IPSV
• How is the Survivor talking (or not talking)
  about IPSV?
• How is the Advocate talking about IPSV?
• So she/he has disclosed - now what?

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Intimate Partner Sexual Violence is
Definitions

• Any sexual contact or activity with your intimate
  partner that makes you feel uncomfortable, with
  the purpose of controlling you through fear,
  threats, coercion, manipulation or violence.
• With or without the presence of physical violence
  at the time of the act or within the relationship.

Sexual IPSV Domestic
Violence Violence
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Intimate Partners are
Definitions

• Current or Former
• spouses (legal or common law)
• non-marital partners
• Boyfriends or girlfriends
• Same-sex partners
• Divorced, former, or separated spouses (legal or
  common law)

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Type and frequency of IPSVData taken from a
random sample of 2,000 women in California
Definitions
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Frequency of Rape
Types of Rape
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(1) Russel, D. (1990) Rape in Marriage. Page 110.
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Sexual Assault in the Context of Domestic
Violence
Definitions

• At least 60 of battered women are raped at least
  once by their batterers.
• Co-occurrence is correlated to higher rates of
  severe injury and fatality.
• Estimated that 25 to 30 of all rapes are
  committed by husbands or intimate partners.

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(1 2) Howard, A, et al. Counseling Services for
Battered Women A comparison of outcomes for
physical and sexual assault survivors (2)
Browne, A (1987). When battered women kill.
MacMillan Free Press
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Rape Laws
WA State Law

• Origins of the word rape are found in ancient
  Latin
• Rapere to steal, seize, or abduct
• 8th Century laws decreed that husbands could
  legally rape their wives.
• US Courts and sexual entitlement in the 1970s
• Impact of the womens anti-rape movement

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WA State Rape Laws
WA State Law

• RAPE 1
• Forcible Compulsion
• RAPE 2
• Aggressive force, coercion and pressure
• Status of perpetrator / victim relationship

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RCW 9A.44.060Rape in the third degree
WA State Law

• (1) A person is guilty of rape in the third
  degree when, under circumstances not
  constituting rape in the first or second degrees,
  such person engages in sexual intercourse with
  another person, not married to the perpetrator
•      (a) Where the victim did not consent as
  defined in RCW 9A.44.010(7), to sexual
  intercourse with the perpetrator and such lack
  of consent was clearly expressed by the victim's
  words or conduct, or
•    (b) Where there is threat of substantial
  unlawful harm to property rights of the victim.
• (2) Rape in the third degree is a class C
  felony.
• 1999 c 143 34 1979 ex.s. c 244 3 1975 1st
  ex.s. c 14 6. Formerly RCW 9.79.190.

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Behavior of abused women while being sexually
attacked by the batterer
WA State Law
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• Remain immobile 58.3
• Defend herself 33.3
• Try to escape 25
• Try to reason with him 25
• Counterattack 8.3

• Garcia Linares, et al. Assessing physical,
  sexual, and psychological violence perpetrated by
  intimate male partners toward women
• A Spanish cross-sectional study.

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Rape Shield RCW 9A.4.020
WA State Law

• The survivors past sexual behavior is
  inadmissible in regards to credibility and
  consent
• Unless the defendant and victim has a past sexual
  relationship and that relationship is essential
  to proving the issue of consent.

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How is the survivor talking (or not talking)
about IPSV?

• Why are they uncomfortable identifying and
  talking about the abuse?
• Reported forms of IPSV
• What are the immediate and long term effects?

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Experience of the Survivor

• Its not easy to admit that the man you once
  loved and trusted could do that to you. Its the
  worst sort of violence but the bruises dont
  show.
• Mrs. Christi, survivor of IPSV
• Quoted from Rape in Marriage, by Diane E.H.
  Russell

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How are survivors talking (or not talking) about
IPSV?
Experience of the Survivor

• It cant really be wrong its not rape
• Is it safe to get help?
• Should I go to a rape crisis center or a domestic
  violence shelter?
• How can I tell someone that Ive been living like
  this for the past 10 years?
• I dont know how many times Ive been rapedIts
  been too many
• This is just a part of being married.
• I need to try harder to please him its my
  fault Im not in the mood.
• But sometimes I enjoy our sexual relationship.
• He didnt really force me
• Will anyone believe me?

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Some forms of IPSV reported by survivors
Experience of the Survivor
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• Rape vaginal, anal, oral
• Sex after giving birth, surgery, illness
• Sex with objects
• Sex in front of other people / in front of
  children
• Forced prostitution
• Physical abuse during sex
• Sex acts that have been refused in the past
• Sexual threats
• Name calling of a sexual nature
• Constant pressure

(1) Jane Doe Inc. Private Nightmares, Public
Secrets IPSV Training Module
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Experience of the Survivor
Immediate effects

• Sense of betrayal, confusion, self-blame, shame,
  embarrassment
• Less likely to report
• Physical and gynecological complications
• Likely to have problems talking about the abuse

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Long term effects(when compared to women who
have experienced only 1 form of violence)
Experience of the Survivor
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• Suicidal ideation
• Depression
• Sexual dysfunction
• Phobias

• Altered body image
• Aversion to intimacy
• Withdrawal
• Anxiety

Higher rates of
(1) Howard, A, et al. Counseling Services for
Battered Women A comparison of outcomes for
physical and sexual assault survivors
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How is the Advocate talking about IPSV?
1. Check in with yourself! 2. How do we ask the
question?
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How is the advocate talking about IPSV?
Advocacy

• What if I trigger the survivor?
• There are no resources to refer them to in my
  community.
• Am I trained to handle what I may hear?
• What if there is a cultural barrier?
• What if they are not yet ready to disclose?

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Asking the questions
Advocacy

• Check in with yourself are you prepared for the
  answer?
• Your demeanor sets the tone
• Take your cues from the victim
• Be strategic about the questions you ask! Start
  with general easy questions before you tackle the
  emotionally charged questions

Fribley, C. Trujillo, O. Sexual Violence Within
the Context of DV. Praxis International Audio
Conference Call, September 2006.
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Asking the questions
Advocacy

• Prepare the victim for the questions you are
  about to ask
• Acknowledge that it is difficult to talk about it
• Explain why you are asking the question
• Let the victim know that they are not alone!

Fribley, C. Trujillo, O. Sexual Violence Within
the Context of DV. Praxis International Audio
Conference Call, September 2006.
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Screening / Assessment questions
Advocacy
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She/he has disclosed So now what?

• What services actually work?
• Goals of Advocacy
• Assessment and treatment
• Other Social systems

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What services work?
Advocacy

• May require more counseling sessions.
• Advocacy and counseling must provide a safe and
  supportive environment
• Must contend with the impact of multiple traumas
  and psychological distress
• Benefit from psycho-educational support group
  counseling with other survivors of IPSV that
  focuses on the intersection of SA and DV
• Supportive services must extend to other systems

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Formulate an action Plan!
Advocacy

• Create an advocacy action plan for survivors that
  provides parameters around
• Advocacy
• Working with other systems
• Utilizing and assessing community resources

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Action Advocacy
Advocacy

• The goal of advocate is to help the survivor
• Decrease self-blame
• Increase ability to talk about the abuse
• Increase ability to build and access social
  support systems
• Increase sense of control and enhance
  problem-solving skills, self-esteem, and
  self-efficacy
• Identify coping skills and increase use of
  healthy coping mechanisms

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Action Working with other systems
Advocacy

• The goal of the advocate is to work with other
  systems to encourage arrest of perpetrators and
  promote services and treatment for survivors.
• Law enforcement
• Mental health practitioners
• Nurses and Doctors
• Religious leaders
• Educate systems about IPSV
• Teach systems how to sensitively ask the survivor
  about the SA.
• Systems should utilize resource and referral
  lists
• Hold systems accountable for non-responsiveness
• Develop policies for response to survivors of
  IPSV

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Action Community Resources
Advocacy

• The Goal of the Advocate is to connect the
  survivor with community resources
• Assess current resources available
• Assess resources needed

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Resources

• Browne, A (1987). When battered women kill.
  MacMillan Free Press
• Fribley, C. Trujillo, O. Sexual Violence Within
  the Context of DV. Praxis International Audio
  Conference Call, September 2006.
• Garcia Linares, et al. Assessing physical,
  sexual, and psychological violence perpetrated by
  intimate male partners toward women A Spanish
  cross-sectional study.
• Howard, A, et al. Counseling Services for
  Battered Women A comparison of outcomes for
  physical and sexual assault survivors
• Jane Doe Inc. Private Nightmares, Public Secrets
  IPSV Training Module
• Russel, D. (1990) Rape in Marriage. Page 110

For additional information on IPSV, contact
Kathleen Arledge, kathleen_at_wcsap.org