Hope's Door April 2021 Newsletter

While we highlighted legal clients who are also victims in criminal
prosecutions, we want to emphasize that Hope’s Door Legal Center and
all Hope’s Door programs are available for all victims and survivors in
need.
If you or someone you know is dealing with abuse, call our free,
confidential, bilingual, 24/7 hotline at 888-438-8700.
Stacey
Linda’s life seemed picture perfect. She had an
advanced degree, two teenage daughters and a
husband who provided very well for the family and
worked in the financial district of New York. But
little by little, anger and hostility wore away at the
veneer of success and happiness. Starting with
verbal aggression against one of the daughters, the
husband became emotionally and physically
abusive toward Linda. As the full effect of COVID
isolation took hold, the situation became worse and
worse as the seasons changed from spring to fall.
Survivor Story
Following a hostile attack on Linda in October, the
next day while Linda was out shopping, the husband
assaulted one daughter and terrified the other
daughter, who called 911. By the time Linda returned
with her groceries, the police were at the house filing
a domestic incident report against the husband and
ordering him to leave the premises. Later that week
he was arrested on criminal charges and Linda
secured a criminal order of protection. When she
reached out to Hope’s Door at the suggestion of a
friend, our Legal Center helped her secure a Family
Court order of protection and urged her to meet with
our Community Service counselors to engage in
safety planning and help her sort out her options for
healing and independence. Meanwhile, our Hope’s
Door attorney continued to offer legal counsel
throughout this entire time period. When Linda
determined she needed a divorce, we guided her
through the transition to a divorce attorney. Today
the divorce is in effect, the children seem stable and
Linda is securing her financial independence and
feeling stronger every day.

April is Sexual Assault aWARENESS mONTH
April 2021 marks the official 20th anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We can all play a role in
stopping and preventing sexual harassment by raising awareness of the problem and always speaking out against
it. According to The National Sexual Violence Resource Center, "The driving forces behind sexual violence are hard
to see but are often based on attitudes, norms, and social systems that support the unequal treatment of certain
groups over others."
We believe that our role as individuals is to stand up to problematic behaviors and policies that contribute to an
environment where sexual violence is normalized or not taken seriously.
Hope's Door staff participated in SAAM day of action on April 6, 2021. The goal of the day was to show support to
survivors and spread even more awareness of the issue by wearing the color teal-- the color of sexual violence
prevention. Hope's Door staff pledge to work toward a world where sexual violence is no longer normalized.
If you would like more resources on sexual violence and how to prevent it, visit https://www.nsvrc.org/saam

According to denimdayinfo.org, "The
Denim Day story begins in Italy in 1992,
when an 18-year old girl was raped by
the 45-year old driving instructor who
was taking her to her very first driving
lesson. He took her to an isolated road,
pulled her out of the car, removed her
jeans and forcefully raped her.
The girl reports the rape and the
perpetrator is arrested and prosecuted.
He is then convicted of rape and
sentenced to jail. Years later, he
appealed the conviction claiming that
they had consensual sex. The Italian
Supreme Court overturned the
conviction and the perpetrator was
released. A statement from the Court
argued that because the victim was
wearing very tight jeans, she must have
had to help him remove them, and by
removing the jeans, it established
consensual sex, not rape. This became
known throughout Italy as the “jeans
alibi.”
The following day, the women in the
Italian Parliament came to work
wearing jeans in solidarity with the
victim.
On April 29, Hope's Door staff will
be wearing denim to show
solidarity in the movement against
sexual assault.
In addition to wearing denim, join
Hope's Door in creating messages
of support to survivors on a virtual
pair of jeans!
Follow Hope's Door on Social Media
to participate:
You can print out the Hope's Door
Denim Day Virtual Jeans here or
find the blank template on
Instagram and create your
message with Gifs & stickers!
Make sure to snap a picture of
yourself wearing your denim and
tag @hopesdoorny in both your
personal photo and the virtual
jeans you create, so that we can
share!
Sexual violence
prevention means
addressing the root
causes of sexual
violence, like broad
cultural factors such
as beliefs about
gender equality and
multiple forms of
oppression such as
racism, transphobia,
and ableism, and
social systems that
reinforce power over
others.

Sanctuary
By Nancy Gerber
Gather your courage.
Wrap yourself in it like a cloak.
You will need it on the way.
Hasten through the forest,
shadows nipping at your heels.
In the distance
there’s a cabin, a lantern
in the window. A table,
and a bed. Women
who will nourish
you and your child.
There you will find safety.
There, you will find hope.
There, you will be free.

n M a y 6 a t 7 P M E S T , w e ’ l l g a t h e r o n Z o o m w i t h f a m e d C e r t i f i e d C h e e s e
O
r o f e s s i o n a l G a y l e M a r t i n a n d W i n e I m p o r t e r M i c h a e l R i a h i , c o - o w n e r s o f
P
l u m P l u m s C h e e s e s h o p , a s t h e y g u i d e u s t h r o u g h a t a s t i n g o f t h r e e
P
x c e p t i o n a l c h e e s e s a n d t w o w i n e s .
e
n d w i n e f r o m a r o u n d t h e w o r l d , a n d v i e f o r g r e a t a u c t i o n i t e m s . T h i s w i l l b e
a
n i g h t t o r e m e m b e r !
a
F o r t i c k e t s , t o s p o n s o r , o r t o d o n a t e , v i s i t h t t p : / / b i t . l y / H o p e s D o o r G a l a
A t t h i s u n i q u e e v e n t , y o u c a n Z o o m w i t h a l l o u r g u e s t s , p l a y a g a m e t h a t
i l l u m i n a t e s t h e i m p a c t o f y o u r c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o H o p e ’ s D o o r , i n d u l g e i n c h e e s e
T h a n k y o u t o o u r e v e n t s p o n s o r s :

Survivor Story
When Rebecca, a mother of a two-year old,
first came to Hope’s Door, she met with a
counselor and shared her story of domestic
violence, which included abuse during
pregnancy and, very alarmingly, strangulation.
Her counselor referred her to the Hope’s Door
Legal Center, where Rebecca began by stating
she was seeking a separation from her
husband. She had even drafted her own
Separation Agreement. Her lawyer at Hope’s
Door began to believe that Rebecca really
wanted a divorce – not just a separation – but
honored Rebecca’s decision when she stated
that she “was just not ready yet.” Rebecca’s
lawyer secured a release from her to
coordinate service delivery with her Hope’s
Door counselor, and together they moved
forward in a trauma-informed manner to
assure that Rebecca got the emotional
support and tools she needed to go from
victim to survivor.
Over a three-month period, Rebecca learned
about her legal options, evaluated the impact
on her daughter of any decision she made, and
chose to pursue a divorce. Through our
collaboration with the Moderate Means
Program at the Pace Women’s Justice Center,
we covered the initial retainer fee for one of
their attorneys to handle her divorce. We are
gratified to report Jennifer’s husband has
been served with divorce papers and her
segue to independence and a life free from
domestic violence are now imminently
foreseeable.
Victims' Rights Around the
Country - Join April 22nd!
Join NCVLI and victims’ rights experts from across the country for a FREE training during Crime
Victims’ Rights Week. This event includes 5 sessions on victims’ rights taught by top practitioners.
Session topics include: advocating for survivors beyond the courtroom, appellate review of
victims’ rights, victim standing, restitution, and more! Victims’ rights practitioners will leverage
case studies, share their expertise, and facilitate a national dialogue on the challenges
practitioners face and the promising practices they use as they fight to secure victims' legal rights.
To register for and learn more about this event click HERE.