¡Dime Cómo Va!
What's going on?
| July 2024 | Monthly E-Newsletter | |
Give Back Through Stop & Shop | Support your community and protect the planet with one purchase. For each $2.50 reusable Community Bag purchased at Stop & Shop on 460 Blue Hill Avenue in Roxbury during the month of July, Casa Myrna will receive $1. We’re grateful for this collaboration in support of survivors. | |  |
|
Saturday, September 21
Mystic River
Medford, MA
Join us for a fun community event in celebration of Hispanic and Latino Month! Casa Myrna will receive a donation with each person who registers and selects us as the recipient charity. Click here to register and/or donate today!
| | |
|
In just a few weeks, more than 150 children of survivors served by Casa Myrna will be heading back to schools across Boston.
Please consider joining our backpack drive to ensure that each child gets off to a great start this fall. By participating in this program, you are committing to purchasing a backpack for a child, filling it with necessary items, and scheduling a specific date and time to drop off the backpack. We can accommodate all budgets, whether you want to sponsor one child or 20.
To participate, contact Paola Rosario-Mateo at pmateo@casamyrna.org by Wednesday, July 17th.
Thanks for helping survivors and their families have a happy, successful school year!
| | |
Recognizing BIPOC Mental Health Month | | |
|
BIPOC Mental Health Month, observed in July, aims to raise awareness about disparities in mental health access and treatment among these groups, highlight cultural resilience, and promote resources and support tailored to their needs. The initiative grew from ongoing advocacy for equitable mental health care and recognition of systemic barriers affecting BIPOC individuals seeking mental health services.
The month is originally named Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month after prominent American author, journalist, and mental health advocate. Known for her compelling novels exploring African American experiences, such as "Brothers and Sisters" and "Your Blues Ain't Like Mine," Campbell also co-founded National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to highlight mental health issues in diverse communities. Her work continues to inspire conversations on race, identity, and mental health in America.
According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, survivors of color and immigrant survivors face increased barriers to accessing safety and services. A 2019 survey found that 3 out of 4 advocates reported that immigrant survivors fear accessing legal services related to their abuser. Furthermore, survivors of color experience domestic violence at a disproportionate rate. In fact, a recent paper in the Lancet Medical Journal found that Black adult women are six times more likely to be killed than their white counterparts.
Domestic violence is a deeply stigmatized issue, exacerbated for people of color who also experience prejudice and systemic barriers. Fear of discrimination, along with mistrust of authorities and healthcare systems, can prevent victims from accessing support services thereby perpetuating cycles of abuse and isolation. Furthermore, cultural norms and historical mistrust of healthcare systems adds additional barriers to BIPOC survivors. Overcoming these barriers is essential to ensuring all survivors can access the support and care they need without fear of judgment or prejudice.
Casa Myrna is proud to support survivors of all races, ethnicities, genders, and backgrounds. Our counseling team provides individual counseling and support groups for adult and youth survivors of domestic violence as well as referrals to specialized counseling services in the community. We meet survivors where they are, providing essential support as they empower themselves as they achieve safety. Casa Myrna helps survivors navigate challenges, rebuild their lives, and reclaim their autonomy with dignity and respect.
If you or someone you know may be in an unsafe or unhealthy relationship, call SafeLink, our 24/7 statewide domestic violence hotline, at 1-877-785-2020. We also highly recommend contacting the free 24/7 Massachusetts Behavioral Health Line at 1-833-773-2445.
Lastly, click here to view MHA’s BIPOC Mental Health Month toolkit, and click here to view their updated resource center.
| | |
Expanding Protections Against Survivor Abuse and Exploitation | |
|
We’re thrilled to share that on Thursday, June 20, Governor Healey signed An Act to Prevent Abuse and Exploitation. This new law will expand protections for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence by doing two things: banning image-based sexual assault (commonly known as “revenge porn”) and adding coercive control as a basis for 209A (restraining order) protection. With the passing of this important piece of legislation, Massachusetts became the 49th state to ban image-based sexual assault and the 7th state to recognize coercive control as a form of domestic abuse.
More specifically, the new law: closes a legal loophole to prohibit sharing sexually explicit images and videos without a subject’s consent; creates a new diversion and education program for adolescents who engage in sexting; explicitly bans artificially generated material purporting to depict a real person in a sexually explicit manner, often called “deepfakes;” and expands the definition of criminal abuse to include “coercive control.”
Casa Myrna’s legal team joined Together Rising Against Coercion (TRAC), a statewide coalition of survivors, advocates, and allies, to advocate for stronger policy protections against coercive control. This resulted in the definition changing to “a pattern of behavior intended to threaten, intimidate, harass, isolate, control, coerce or compel compliance of a family or household member that causes the family or household member to fear physical harm or have a reduced sense of physical safety or autonomy.” It specifically lists several coercive control tactics that we see all too often including: isolation; threatening to harm a child, family member or pet; intentionally damaging property; threatening to release sensitive images or information; and more. This language is significant because it represents a culture shift, along with the recognition and validation that abuse extends beyond physical harm.
Casa Myrna joined TRAC and other organizations including Jane Doe, Inc. (JDI), Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI), and Healing Abuse Working for Change (HAWC), in finalizing the definition of coercive control and educating the legislature on what it means and its impact on survivors. Our team attended Advocacy Day at the State House and connected with Chief Justice John D. Casey along with Senator Michael Moore and Representative Natalie M. Higgins, major supporters of this bill.
Coercive control is often a precursor to more serious and violent acts. This language will change the requirements for restraining orders from fear of imminent harm to a reduced fear of safety or autonomy. This definition demonstrates that physical harm is often only one part of an overall pattern of abuse that comprises domestic violence. The passage of this bill recognizes survivors and their experiences of coercion, a huge move forward in the education and awareness of dating and domestic violence.
The bill will go into effect on September 18. In the meantime, Casa Myrna will collaborate with MLRI and JDI to educate judges on its details, make sure court forms are changed appropriately, and determine how we can best represent survivors in court. Once the bill goes into effect, we will be able to see exactly how it impacts our representation of supporting survivors with abuse prevention orders. For now, our work together continues.
You can read more about the bill here.
Photo credit: Nancy Lane/Boston Herald
| |
Advocating for a Fully-Funded VOCA Bridge |  |  | |
We’re thrilled to share that we are half-way to our goal of passing the VOCA Bridge! On Wednesday, June 26, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a supplemental budget that included the VOCA Bridge. If passed, this $20 million funding request would mitigate impending cuts to victim service programs across Massachusetts, including a cut of $380,000 to Casa Myrna. We now ask the Senate to pass the bill quickly, so we do not see cuts for survivor services materialize.
Casa Myrna was in full force at the VOCA Bridge Day of Action at the State House (pictured above) on June 27, the day after the House voted to pass the bill. Special thanks to Representatives Brandy Fluker Oakley, Esq. and Christopher Worrell for meeting with us to celebrate. And lots of gratitude to Boston Area Rape Crisis Center for organizing this important event!
Help us get the VOCA Bridge past the finish line! Call or email your Senator today and ask that they pass the $20 million VOCA Bridge as part of the supplemental budget. And reach out to your state Representative to thank them for voting to pass the bill.
| | |
|
Casa Myrna is eternally grateful to our donors, government funders, volunteers and more for your ongoing support of survivors impacted by domestic violence. Here are some ways you can get involved:
-
Volunteer: Our website describes the numerous ways you and/or your company can lend a hand (or 10!) across our programs – note that we have virtual options, too.
-
Donate to our Wish List, with the following currently in great need: diapers (all sizes except children’s 3) and wipes, new plate sets, silverware, pots and pans, cups, mugs, pillows, pillowcases, cooking utensils (spatulas, slotted spoons, etc.), shower curtains, shower rings, trash cans (small and 13 gallon ones), hand soap, Lysol wipes or spray, paper towels, bath towels, wash cloths, toilet and shower cleaner, toilet brushes, and all size kids shoes and summer clothes.
-
Work with us: Check out our current career opportunities. Casa Myrna provides a supportive and rewarding workplace with an emphasis on the diversity and leadership development of our staff. And we have a four-day work week!
-
Support your community by purchasing a reusable Community Bag from Stop & Shop on 460 Blue Hill Ave in Roxbury during the month of July. Casa Myrna will receive $1 for every bag sold.
| | | | |
