3 Women 3 Ways

You’ve probably wondered what to do if you know someone in a domestic violence situation.  What if you are confronted with domestic violence with a stranger or acquaintance?  What’s a bystander supposed to do in that situation?  Intercede? Yell at the abuser?  Offer to take the victim away? All those actions can be dangerous and ultimately not useful.  So what DO you do? Saturday’s guest is Barbara Paradiso, MPA, who has Paradiso has worked on behalf of victims of domestic and sexual violence and their children for more than thirty years as an advocate, administrator and activist.  She is the founder and Director of the Center on Domestic Violence at the School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver).  In that capacity, Ms. Paradiso is responsible for the development and maintenance of a groundbreaking Center for original research, service and graduate level educational programming - the first of its kind in the nation. So who better to talk with us about what to do as a bystander when

Did you know There's a U.S. district court judge in Alabama who was arrested in August after his wife called 9-1-1 crying and being audibly beaten by her husband?  The police report says the good judge blodied the woman's face and legs and dragged her around the room by her hair. On top of that, his first wife reports he did much the same to her during their marriage. So what's happening?  What happens much too often in these cases: he took a plea deal that requires him to see a counsellor once a week for 24 weeks and the whole thing disappears from his record. The community wants him out. The fact is, this man was appointed a judge for life and unless he resigns or is impeached by the U.S. congress, he will still be on the bench hearing cases involving domestic violence and other crimes. And he will sit in judgement of others while his own messy background goes away.  Huh?  That's right, no jail time, no conviction, even, eventually, no record of arrest.  Is this a guy you want to stand before in a court of

Sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse -- each brings with it a heavy burden for victims to deal with. But as bad as that trauma is, having it committed by one we rely on like a parent or clergyman, makes that trauma so much worse.  Join us as we discuss betrayal trauma..

The drama never seems to end for the NFL.  After years of getting a slap on the hand for violence against women, the athletes are going to face a new tough policy in the future.  And the NFL hired former Manhattan prosecutor Lisa Friel as an advisor for that revamp in policy.  Problem is, she is already getting wishy washy about how the policy has to look out for the athletes.  So is all the hype from the NFL just that - hype? Join us with MIchael O'keeffe, award winning sports reporter for the NY Daily News as we discuss his take on abuse in sports.    

Really, if 7th Heaven's Rev. Eric Camden can be a child molester, is nothing sacred?  Well, no. Not when it comes to the abuse of children. In light of the recent allegations and investigations into actor Stephen Collins (TV's Rev. Camden) for molesting children, it's time to take another look at just who molesters are, how they operate, hot to recognize them, and how to help kids be safe.  We also need to reexamine what we can do about this terrible problem.  Did you know a 2004 U.S. Department of Education report said nearly 10 % of students have sexual contact with school employees before they graduate?  That report also stated that abuse happens when no one is paying attention to the issue. So let's pay attention. Storm is a writer and poet.  She is a survivor and advocate for child abuse victims and has turned that into a personal campaign to speak out against the unspeakable.  She wants to help children get out of abusive situations by personally speaking about what she's been through. Daphne Young,

October has been Domestic Violence Awareness Month for a couple of decades now and still some folks don’t get it.  You might see a purple ribbon.  Maybe some businesses and communities string some purple lights in their windows, but what are we doing this year to increase awareness and honor the lives torn apart by this particularly insidious form of violence against women? There is a National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and we’re lucky to have its new Executive Director, Ruth Glenn join us to talk about what different groups around the country are doing to raise awareness about DV.  She worked for the Colorado Department of Human Services for 28 years and served as the Director of the Domestic Violence Program (DVP) for the last nine of those years.  Ruth has worked and volunteered in the domestic violence field for over 19 years and holds a Masters’ in Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Colorado Denver, Program on Domestic Violence, as well as a degree in Communications. She has se

What woman doesn't want to take control of her life?  Starting a business and watching it grow is one great way to do just that.  But many women have no experience with entrepreneurship, and many carry extra burdens to life fulfillment.  Those who have experienced domestic violence even more so. Susan Wilson Solovic, best selling author, ABC and Fox commentator Susan Wilson Solovic will talk women starting small and making it. From upstart to millionaire, from beginner to expert, she has advice and suggestions for every woman out there. join us for this important conversation.  

GENDER VIOLENCE: IS IT REALLY THAT DIFFERENT IN THE MIDDLE EAST? The news gives us shocking reports of violence against women in the Middle East – stoning, brutality, punishment for being sexually assaulted—it has to be worse than the US, right?  It turns out there are vast differences in gender violence, but there also are a surprising number of similarities.  Leyla Welkin, Ph.D. is a clinical cross cultural psychologist born in Turkey and educated in the US.  After 25 years working in the Pacific Northwest, she founded the Pomegranate Connection Program in Ankara, Turkey in 2008.  She has partnered with organizations in the US, the UK, and Turkey to address gender based violence.  Welkin has worked with civil and social organizations, government agencies, businesses, universities, and the United Nations Population Fund to develop programs to prevent and intervene in sexual and family violence among Syrian refugees living in Turkey. Her work has given her a unique perspective on talking about the perpetra

SUICIDE: WHAT ABOUT THOSE LEFT BEHIND? We’ve all known a friend of a friend, or a family member, or even a celebrity who shocked and dumbfounded us because of his or her suicide.  Your children may have school friends who have contemplated or carried out a suicide.  Maybe a relative left you wondering for the rest of your life what you could have done.  Perhaps you have had thoughts of killing yourself.  Not a happy topic, for sure, but one which can affect all of us. September is suicide awareness month, so this is a perfect time to discuss this topic and find out more about the whys and guilt that can accompany it. Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman is responsible for research for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. This includes gathering data from AFSP funded studies and communicating those findings to the larger community and public. She also collaborates on the development of prevention materials such as films, programs and brochures. Dr. Harkavy-Friedman received her B.A. in Psychology at the Un

With the death of Joan Rivers this week, it seems like everyone is talking about her role in shaping the world’s view of women in comedy. So what about women in comedy? Is there such a thing as “women’s humor?” Is it only funny when women mock their bodies and relationships? Are today’s female comedians different from other generations of female comics? Prepare to discuss humor, laughs, what’s funny and how women are perceived in comedy with two guests Saturday. Sheila Moeschen is a writer and Senior Editor for I AM THAT GIRL, an organization that empowers girls and young women to healthy self-esteem and self-worth. She holds a Ph.D in Gender and Theatre Studies from Northwestern University. Sheila has been involved behind the scenes with the Women In Comedy Festival since its beginning in 2008. She is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and her work has appeared elsewhere in print and online. She lives in Boston. Elyse Schuerman is one of the producers of the Women in Comedy Festival, and between

THE BULLY AND THE BULLIED Kids get bullied.  Adults get bullied.  Workers get bullied.  It’s just a fact of life, right?  We grow up change jobs, move new places and there’s no harm, no foul, right?  Well, maybe not.  Could bullying actually be tied to abuse, domestic violence and long term consequences?  What happens when your parent or your teacher is the bully?  Or your supervisor at work or a relative? Lisa Freeman, award winning author and speaker, will help us sort it all out Saturday. She’s appeared on TCT Today, Family Life Radio, Family Forum, news programs (such as WNEM-TV 5, WEYI-TV 25, WILNS-TV 6, ABC-TV 12 and more!) and has made headlines in newspapers both at the local and national level. For four years she hosted her own televised ministry “A Time to Heal.” Currently she writes a blog, “Abuse Bites but True Love Heals” to inspire others.   She also lost a son in 2010, who had been bullied all his life for having Asperger’s Syndrome and a rare heart disease.  Both personally and professionall

Everybody’s been talking about “Fifty Shades of Gray” the notorious book soon to be movie, telling the story of a young girl experimenting with sexuality with a gorgeous, rich sadist.  So is it just a good fantasy, or is it something darker?  A recent study by some Michigan State University researchers found that young women who are fans of the book are more likely to be prone to eating disorders, binge drinking and multiple sexual partners, than young women who have not read the books.  They are also more likely to have a verbally abusive partner. Coincidence?  Maybe, but we’ll learn more Saturday when we talk with Amy Bonomi, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Human Development and Family Studies Department at Michigan State University. Dr. Bonomi’s research focuses on the long-term health effects of domestic violence, dating violence, and child abuse, and the intimacy dynamics/processes that keep violent relationships intact.  Dr. Bonomi and her colleagues analyzed abuse and harmed identity in the national

ATHLETES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, AND ARE WE TAKING IT SERIOUSLY?           We’ve all seen the headlines- Ray Rice gets two game suspension for knocking his fiancé unconscious and dragging her off a casino elevator. Joe Mixon under investigation for punching a woman in the face.  One of the Steubenville high school students convicted of rape is back on the football field.  The news reports go on and on with allegations and prosecutions of athletes at all levels for violence against women.  And what are we doing about it?  The NFL gives a slap on the hand to Rice (who could have been suspended for numerous games if he had smoked a joint).  Sports fans still line up for autographs, and the victims are disparaged for “ruining” the athlete’s life.  Have we really slipped down the rabbit hole when it comes to seriously dealing with violent athletes?           So let’s talk about it.  Brian O’Connor, Director of Public Education Campaigns and Programs for Futures Without Violence where he crafts national and internati

We’ve heard (and experienced) so much wrong with the family court system. Judges don’t get it, the process is another way to abuse a partner, the courts and other professionals are making money hand over fist because of all the extra counsellors and shrinks they are requiring to determine custody…the list goes on and on. So what being done about it? What should family courts look like and who’s going to get them that way?   Shawn C. Marsh, Ph.D., is the Chief Program Officer over Juvenile Law at the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges headquartered at the University of Nevada - Reno. He’s a researcher and teacher and he knows why family courts need to change and how to make that happen. He knows about psychology and the law, adolescent development, resiliency, and juvenile justice. He’s published numerous articles in scholarly journals such as Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice and Victims & Offenders, as well as chapters in textbooks such as Correctional Psychiatry and Juvenile Crime

Dr. Jill Murray IF IT DOESN’T LEAVE A BRUISE, CAN IT BE ABUSE?           How can it be abuse when he never hit me?  How can you call it domestic violence when there are no black eyes or broken bones?  Easy.  There are many ways one human being can bully, damage, and control another and only one of them involves physical attacks.  Verbal abuse, psychological abuse, spiritual abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse—they may sound like they are not nearly as bad as those broken bones, but in fact those types of abuse can actually have more devastating consequences for the victim.  Bones heal; black eyes get better; but when your security, your peace of mind, your doubts about your worth are consistently beaten down, the effects are not so easily repaired.           Dr. Jill Murray is an expert in teen dating violence as well as an expert on domestic violence issues, and has a private practice in California.  She has been on Oprah, Dr. Phil (and we’re going to ask her about him, for sure), Anderson Cooper, 20/

          You’ve heard it - “My wife is crazy, but the courts are so prejudiced against men, she got full custody.” “He was abusing me in front of the children, but the judge didn’t even pay attention to me- he got full custody.”  “We have shared custody – how can I ever get him/her to be reasonable when it comes to the decisions about the kids?” Oh, the horror stories we hear.  It seems like men’s groups and women’s groups are becoming more active about the sad state our family courts are in.  Anyone who’s been in front of a judge knows the fear, the devastation and the lifelong impact of their decisions regarding divorce and child custody.  It seems like everyone is let asking, “What was that judge thinking?” Now is your chance to find out.  Join us Saturday to hear A Colorado family court judge explain how judges think, assess, and make decisions, and what laws they have to consider when making those decisions. Angela R. Arkin has been a District Court Judge in the 18th Judicial District since 2002. Sh

The news article covers the latest woman murdered by her husband, and quotes a neighbor saying, “I can’t believe it, he was such a nice guy!”  The TV reporter leers happily at the woman wearing a swimsuit while doing a story about a swimming pool.  Beauty pageants…er, make that “scholarship pageants,” hang onto the bikini competition while pretending to ask each candidate a tough, intellectual question.  How many headlines have screamed, “Grandfather elected to city council,” when the headline about a woman announcing she is a grandmother precedes all other information about her accomplishments? And how can we forget the scantily clad Paris Hilton slithering around the top of a luxury car and being sprayed into her ecstatic face with spouting water, all to sell a hamburger? We are surrounded by media messages regardless of how they portray women, and how does that affect us?  Joining us Saturday is media activist Ann Simonton, once a top fashion model, who now works to expose the disturbing consequences of

CHILD BRIDES Imagine being 11 or 12 years old, getting ready for your wedding to a man as old as or older than your father, makes the arrangements to take you back to his home after the ceremony.  Now imagine being 5 years old, waking from a nap to find out you were married.  One 8 year old Yemeni girl was in the news last fall after she died from a ruptured uterus after her wedding night to a man in his 30s.  According to the International Center for Research on Women, One in every nine girls in this world will be married before the age of 15.  And, yes, it even happens in America. Dr. Suzanne Petroni has more than 20 years of experience in foreign policy and global development, with particular expertise in gender, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and adolescent health and development. She will be on our show Saturday to talk about child brides around the world, what creates the situation and what happens to these girls. Get ready to be shocked and outraged by the information she shares.   Join

DO RELIGIONS HELP OR HINDER DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS? Popular televangelist Pat Robertson recently advised a child who wrote in asking what to do when his father waves a gun around the mother when they fight. With all apparent concern and sincerity, the TV preacher told the child, “you don’t want to get your father busted,” and that instead of calling the police, the child should tell his mother to tell the father to get help. Huh?? This man clearly has no business giving out advice about domestic violence when he so clearly has no grasp of what it is nor how to handle it. Unfortunately, the young listener isn’t the only one who is getting dicey and dangerous advice about DV. So is Robertson typical of the religious stance on domestic violence? Are women being given advice by their clergy that is wrong, harmful, lacking in understanding of what DV is? Unfortunately, some women are. The good news is that some clergy have the knowledge, understanding and common sense to really help in these situations. C

This is hard, but imagine you are raped, get pregnant from that rape, and decide to continue the pregnancy. THEN, the attacker seeks joint custody…or even SOLE custody of that child! It defies logic, yet 31 states the rapists have parental rights to that child. That means visitation, overnights, perhaps, communication with your attacker for 18 years. It happens more than you think. Shauna Prewitt is an attorney, author, and advocate for raped women, and this is exactly what happened to her after she was raped in college. Spurred by these events and determined to make a difference, Shauna enrolled at Georgetown Law School in 2006. During her time there, Shauna wrote the first scholarly piece examining the legal protections afforded to women who mother through rape. Since its publication, Shauna's piece has received much attention from legal scholars, legislators, and advocacy groups. She is now a practicing attorney and national expert on the laws protective of pregnant raped women. Shauna frequently testifi