Media Coverage | JDI https://www.janedoe.org Jane Doe Inc., The Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Fri, 28 Nov 2025 03:45:18 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 JDI News Coverage https://www.janedoe.org/jdi-news-coverage/ Thu, 27 Nov 2025 16:43:34 +0000 https://www.janedoe.org/?p=39347
  • Grants for crime victims won’t come with immigration conditions … for now: “a group of 17 domestic violence organizations, which includes the Boston-based Jane Doe Inc., obtained a preliminary stay against the DOJ in August after they sued over the department’s attempt to place conditions on awards through the Violence Against Women Act. Among the conditions, the department said “gender ideology” and “illegal DEI” were outside the scope of the grants.”
  • Advocates worry funding cut could limit services for domestic violence survivors: “So many programs use the funding in different creative ways,” said Nithya Badrinath, JDI’s Policy Director. “It can range from survivors not having access to hotel vouchers if they’re fleeing an emergency situation, or immigrant survivors not just being able to get services and culturally specific programming or services that are accessible in other languages.”
  • Why risks are mounting for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence: “[O]rganizations that provide meaningful, live-affirming services are forced to make impossible choices based on swirling uncertainty around funding – all of which empowers abusers and puts survivors at even greater risk,” writes Hema Sarang-Sieminski, JDI’s Executive Director, in a recent MassLive op-ed.
  •  Bar crisis hikes risks for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence: “Bar advocates and public defenders deserve to be paid a fair wage. Defendants have the right to representation and a speedy trial. Survivors deserve safety and the ability to navigate the court system with dignity. These ideas are not in conflict,” writes JDI’s Executive Director Hema Sarang-Sieminski in a recent Dorchester Reporter op-ed
]]> Listening to Survivors Matters https://www.janedoe.org/listening-to-survivors-matters/ Thu, 06 Feb 2025 20:37:03 +0000 https://www.janedoe.org/?p=39104 Rappaport panelists share policy reform efforts that center the voices and experiences of sexual assault and domestic violence survivors.

The Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy recently welcomed 2025 Senior Fellow Hema Sarang-Sieminski, who delivered a community address on the long arc of the movement to end sexual and domestic violence. This was the Center’s first program under the leadership of its new executive director, Amanda Teo. The former Counsel for the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts succeeds Elisabeth “Lissy” J. Medvedow, who retired in December after almost a decade in the role.

Sarang-Sieminski, the executive director of Jane Doe Inc., the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence (JDI), focused her address on the intersection of interpersonal and state violence, and how intimate partner violence must be understood through the framework of oppression.

She explained that starting in the 1980s, advocates successfully campaigned for government recognition of, and funding for services to support, survivors of sexual violence. With these positive efforts, however, also came an increasing overreliance on criminal-legal and carceral approaches that disproportionately impacted communities of color and often compounded harm by criminalizing survivors. “Build[ing] the world we want to see,” said Sarang-Sieminski, means supporting and addressing the needs of all survivors, including those who are systems-involved or who don’t fit a neat conception of “victim.”

“We have work to do,” Sarang-Sieminski said. Stressing the need for community involvement and organization, she analogized her strategy to that of bison, who, when facing a storm, walk through in formation headfirst, knowing that if they are to survive, they must do so as a collective.

In the week following her address, Sarang-Sieminski moderated a panel on emerging issues in domestic violence and sexual assault survivor advocacy. Panelists were Anne Bureau, program director of the Worcester Community Connections Coalition; Lisa Goodman, clinical-community psychologist and professor in BC’s Lynch School of Education and Human Development; and Jamie Sabino, deputy director of advocacy at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute.

Survivors often find themselves with limited space for action, making choices to avoid harm for themselves and their loved ones that may not make sense to judges, juries, or people who have not experienced interpersonal violence.

The panel discussed how the understanding of abuse has evolved to encompass not just physical violence but also forms of coercive control. As Goodman explained, domestic violence is, at its core, a set of demands that are backed by threats or punishments. This can manifest through physical, emotional, mental, financial, and sexual control or abuse. Survivors often find themselves with limited space for action, making choices to avoid harm for themselves and their loved ones that may not make sense to judges, juries, or people who have not experienced interpersonal violence.

Inspired by a recent law passed in Connecticut that redefines abuse to include coercive control, Bureau has worked tirelessly to get Massachusetts to do the same. The success of this initiative resulted from Bureau’s engaging of survivors as leaders, culminating in a legislative hearing that lasted more than eight hours, where survivors were able to tell their stories, and more importantly, be heard.

In domestic violence work, there’s sometimes a feeling that you shouldn’t involve survivors, Bureau said. “But they want to speak up.” Even more than educated judges, the field needs educated litigants so that survivors can tell their stories. That said, “learning to listen as a lawyer is the best skill you can develop,” Sabino added, acknowledging that it can be a challenge when survivors don’t want to talk. “But,” she said, “I can’t be the only voice at the table.”

The panel agreed that policy and outcomes are better when the work is survivor-centered and survivor-led. “You can get so much done when you’re working in a broad coalition with different folks,” Bureau said. Armed with a better understanding of the limits and possible harms of criminal-legal responses, the wide range of abuse that occurs beyond physical violence, and what survivors actually need to feel safe, advocates can make “big changes,” Bureau and other panelists insisted.

As Teo stated in her introduction, “nobody needs to be spoken for. Survivors know what will lead to justice. Listening, therefore, turns out to be a radical act.”

Photograph by Reba Saldanha

]]> A year later, search continues for Mass. veteran suspected of killing wife https://www.janedoe.org/a-year-later-search-continues-for-mass-veteran-suspected-of-killing-wife/ Tue, 22 Oct 2024 16:31:43 +0000 https://www.janedoe.org/?p=38907 Family of Breanne Pennington, a mother of four fatally shot by her husband, Aaron, is still hoping he’ll be found — and they want to shine a light on domestic violence: “Breanne had called for help”

By Anika Hope and Alysha Palumbo

Tuesday marks one year since Breanne Pennington, a young mother of four, was found shot to death in her Cherry Street home in Gardner, Massachusetts.

Her husband, Aaron Pennington, charged with her murder, was never found.

Brenda Hull, Breanne’s aunt, is using the one-year mark of the woman’s death to raise awareness about two crucial issues: the ongoing search for Aaron Pennington and support for victims of domestic violence.

Hull is asking that people share Aaron’s photo.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.

The search for Aaron Pennington

Aaron Pennington, a 33-year-old Air Force veteran and father of four, remains the prime suspect in the killing Breanne, who was 30.

After investigators discovered her shot dead in the family home, Aaron Pennington’s vehicle was later found in a wooded area known as Camp Collier, prompting an extensive search.

Authorities have said that part of what police were investigating was whether Pennington’s military training included skills that would allow him to survive outside.

In the aftermath of the killing, the Penningtons’ children were in the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families.

Investigators are still actively searching, conducting both air and ground searches, as recently as late September of of this year, according to the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office. They said law enforcement has pledged to continue until he is found.

Anyone with any information about the Pennington case or potential sightings of Aaron Pennington is encouraged to contact the Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office at 508-832-9124.

Anyone who does spot Pennington was urged not to approach him, as he is considered potentially armed and dangerous, officials said.

Deadly domestic violence

As the search for Aaron Pennington continues, Breanne’s aunt encourages the public to honor her niece’s memory by helping others facing similar situations.”Breanne had called for help on Friday,” Hull said. “Professionals responded and gave her options. Breanne said she’d think about it over the weekend. She was gone within 24 hours.”The National Domestic Violence Hotline — 1-800-799-SAFE — is available for those seeking help or information.”At the core of this, it’s domestic violence. It’s a need for control,” Hull said.Investigators have previously said the couple was having marital problems and that Aaron had attempted suicide.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.

You are not alone

Domestic violence is “a continued pattern of power and control” that can manifest in various forms, said Ren Liu, from the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, also known as Jane Doe Inc.”Not all domestic violence looks the same, and not every perpetrator looks the same,” Liu said. “The truth is, this can happen to anyone.”Controlling behaviors can include emotional withholding, financial abuse, isolation and digital surveillance. Leaving can be the most important step, but also a difficult one, Liu said.”Typically, those first 18 months are the most dangerous, which is why it’s really important for us to come together as a community and really use all these resources,” Liu said.The range of support services available in Massachusetts includes:

  • Safety planning
  • Shelter and housing assistance
  • Support for children and family members
  • Financial support
  • Culturally responsive organizations
  • Legal system navigation
  • Support groups

Liu also encourages friends and family to offer non-judgmental support and connect survivors with professional resources when they can.”Every survivor is different. Healing and agency looks different for every survivor, and people deserve to be matched with the resources and with the right things that work for their situation,” Liu emphasized.

Help is available

In Massachusetts:

You can use this link to search by location for specific services through Janedoe.org’s Massachusetts partners.

Outside of Massachusetts:

National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (800-799-7233)
1-800-787-3224 (TTY)

Love Is Respect
1-866-331-9474
TTY 1-866-331-8453
Text: loveis to 22522

Pathways to Safety International (formerly Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center)

Email: crisis@pathwaystosafety.org

]]> What are the warning signs of domestic violence? Here’s what experts say to look for. https://www.janedoe.org/what-are-the-warning-signs-of-domestic-violence-heres-what-experts-say-to-look-for/ Wed, 09 Oct 2024 16:19:18 +0000 https://www.janedoe.org/?p=38894 By Jeremy C. Fox Globe Staff

There are often warning signs of abuse in an intimate partner or family relationship that can foreshadow more extreme brutality to come, advocates for survivors of domestic violence said in the wake of a weekend double homicide and suicide in Maine, allegedly at the hands of the father and husband of the two victims.

The killings in Bath, Maine, which tragically came during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, were discovered about 7 a.m. Sunday, when 58-year-old Lisa Bailey and 32-year-old Jennifer Bailey were found fatally shot at their Crawford Drive home. Michael Bailey, 66, was found later inside the home, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Maine State Police said.

Bath Police Chief Andrew M. Booth told the Globe his officers “had recent past interactions at that residence” but he was not aware of protective orders against any members of the family. Bath police logs show officers were called to the home Sept. 24 for an alleged assault with a knife.

Advocates for abuse survivors say such tragedies represent the most extreme form of family violence. Abuse typically begins in small, subtle ways and escalates over time, according to Jane Doe Inc., the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence.

“There’s a lot of other forms of domestic violence that occur and can also be really impactful and really, really harmful for a survivor as well, such as emotional abuse and financial abuse,” said Ren Liu, communications and outreach manager for Jane Doe Inc.

Public attention again turned to the issue of domestic violence Monday as Patriots safety Jabrill A. Peppers was arraigned on allegations that he choked his “on and off” girlfriend of three years and pushed her head against a wall, according to court records. Peppers pleaded not guilty to charges including strangulation, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery on a family or household member.

Those experiencing violence from a partner or family member will often withdraw from others or be forced into isolation by their abuser because it makes them easier to dominate, Liu said, adding that domestic violence is part of “a pattern of power and control over another person.”

“What we see . . . is this common thread of a survivor not feeling as though they have agency or autonomy over their own life,” Liu said. “Isolating people from the rest of their community is a huge part of how this abuse starts and how it tends to like thrive, because when people don’t have access . . . to other folks who love them, who care for them, or who are willing to point this out and say like, ‘Hey, can I support you with this?’ they lose access to those resources.”

Loved ones may also notice a victim of abuse has lost interest in activities they previously enjoyed, or that they can’t make plans without checking with their partner, according to Liu. They said an observer might “notice a friend constantly being monitored and constantly being checked in on, and this sense of fear, or owing to that partner.”

Greta Hagen, director of development and external relations for Jane Doe Inc., said since abusive relationships are cyclical, they can at times seem loving and happy.

“There are points in that cycle that look really magical . . . to an outsider,” she said. And an abuser, especially at the beginning of a relationship, may engage in “love bombing” — ostentatious displays of affection used to emotionally manipulate a partner or potential partner.

“It’s about watching that and listening to your friend or your your loved one, because survivors are really the experts in in their own safety,” Hagen said. “Folks will tell you if if you’re ready to listen and if they’re ready to share.”

She said anyone in Massachusetts who may be experiencing abuse or who wants to support a loved one in an abusive relationship can call the 24-hour statewide confidential domestic violence hotline at 1-877-785-2020 or access resources at www.janedoe.org/find_help/.

While abusive behavior can escalate into fatal violence, familicide — the killing of a current or former romantic partner along with one or more children from the relationship — can also come seemingly out of nowhere and can be committed by people known as “pillars of the community,” according to Neil Websdale, director of the National Domestic Violence Fatality Review Initiative.

Websdale, a professor at Arizona State University who also heads its Family Violence Center, said 95 percent of people who kill their partners and families are male, but otherwise they may have little in common. They exist on a spectrum that ranges from “under-controlled, angry, often violent and abusive men” who one group of researchers likened to “pit bulls” to what Websdale calls “civil, reputable offenders,” who may have no known history of violence and reputations as upstanding citizens.

“These offenses are impossible to predict — impossible,” he said. “Domestic homicide in general, intimate partner homicide in general, is such a rare offense, it too is impossible to predict.”

Because familicide is so rare, he said, there isn’t enough data to say whether it is increasing or decreasing. But the deaths of the Baileys in Maine are the latest in a series of tragic family killings across New England.

On Oct. 4, a man was arrested for allegedly killing his father and injuring his mother in Enosburgh, Vt. Jordan Lawyer, 29, was charged with second-degree murder and first-degree aggravated domestic assault, according to State Police, who alleged he attacked Todd Lawyer, 54, and Robin Lawyer, 58, with a baseball bat at the home the three shared.

Last month, also in Vermont, a 23-year-old New York man with a history of mental health issues was arrested following the shooting deaths of his father, stepmother, and stepbrother at their farmhouse in Pawlet, Vt., authorities said. Brian Crossman Jr. was charged with aggravated murder in the killings of Brian Crossman Sr., 46; Erica Crossman, 41; and her 13-year-old son, Colin Taft.

In August, a 37-year-old Troy, N.H., man allegedly killed his wife and 8-year-old son before he was fatally shot by police on a bridge connecting that state to Maine, authorities said.

John R. Ellement of the Globe staff contributed to this report, and material from previous Globe coverage was used.

]]> Boston Police warn of drink spiking as colleges get back in session https://www.janedoe.org/boston-police-warn-of-drink-spiking-as-colleges-get-back-in-session/ Mon, 09 Sep 2024 12:44:09 +0000 https://www.janedoe.org/?p=38879
By Marilyn Schairer, GBH
September 09, 2024

Last week as many Boston area college and university students got ready to celebrate their first weekend of the school year, they also got a reminder: Stay safe.

The Boston Police Department issued a community alert about spiked drinks, encouraging people to watch out for themselves and their friends. Organizations that support sexual assault victims refer to this time of year as the “Red Zone” because it’s when students on campus are most vulnerable to sexual violence.

“Research shows that more than 50% of all college sexual assaults take place during this time between the beginning of the fall semester and Thanksgiving break,” according to Jane Doe Inc., The Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence.

According to the Boston Police Department, 44 cases of drink spiking have been reported so far this year.

In 2023, there were 108 cases reported for the full year. And in 2022, there were 107.

Community is key to sexual assault prevention, Jane Doe Inc. told GBH News. The organization added that many of its member programs serve as resources for college campuses, where students can learn more about awareness, risk reduction and response.

Recommendations for how to stay safe

Drugs such as rohypnol, aka roofies, gamma-hydroxybutyric acid and ketamine are scentless, colorless and flavorless. These drugs can result in disorientation and potential loss of consciousness, which can leave victims vulnerable to sexual assault.

Boston Police spokesman Sgt. Detective John Boyle encourages people in social settings to create a “buddy system” to prevent getting separated.

Other tips for staying safe:

  • Be sure that your drink is being served directly by the bartender or your server.
  • Don’t allow people you don’t know or trust to order drinks and deliver them to you.
  • Watch your drink at all times. Never leave your drink unattended.
  • Take your drink with you to the restroom if need be.
  • Keep your hand covered over your drink when you’re not looking at it. Many creative inventions exist that can help you cover your drink.
  • Get help immediately if you begin to feel dizzy, nauseated, light-headed, or strange in any way.
  • Please be aware of any uncharacteristic behavior from your acquaintances and be wary of strangers attempting to lure individuals away from their friends.

Police urge victims to report all incidents. When incidents are reported, police say they can investigate further and follow up on any suspects or locations of alleged assaults and further protect the public from further assaults or drink spiking from occurring.

Addressing the problem

Advocates say there’s room for improvement when it comes to responding to drugging incidents.

Victims are often refused testing at hospitals if they did not report a sexual assault or rape, according to state Sen. Paul Feeney.

“Whether in Boston, Barnstable, or the Berkshires, victims of drink spiking shouldn’t have to play hospital roulette to find a facility that will test and properly care for them following what is likely the most traumatizing night of their life,” Feeney said.

Feeney has pushed the Legislature to create a “date rape drug response and intervention task force” to collect data on drink-drugging incidents across the state and recommend standard drug-testing protocols for hospitals.

“The bottom line is we cannot change what we do not measure,” he said. “Standardized testing and care is what victims needs to feel heard and safe, what law enforcement needs to hold perpetrators accountable, and what our communities need to protect the wellbeing of Massachusetts residents.”

]]> Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey Signs Coercive Control Bill Into Law https://www.janedoe.org/massachusetts-gov-maura-healey-signs-coercive-control-bill-into-law/ Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:00:57 +0000 https://www.janedoe.org/?p=38850
PUBLISHED 6/20/2024 by 

A new bill signed into law on Thursday cracks down on coercive control by domestic abusers and bans revenge pornography in Massachusetts.

 

Gov. Maura Healey during 2023 Massachusetts Conference for Women on Dec. 14, 2023 in Boston. Healey signed legislation Thursday morning that bans revenge pornography and cracks down on coercive control by domestic abusers. (Marla Aufmuth / Getty Images for Massachusetts Conference For Women)

Massachusetts just became the seventh state in the country to pass legislation classifying coercive control as a form of domestic violence. The state’s coalition against sexual assault and domestic violence, Jane Doe Inc., praised the bill, H4744, as advancing “essential protections for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence across the Commonwealth.”

Coercive control is a strategy that abusers use to dominate their intimate partners. Signed on Thursday morning, the Massachusetts law defines coercive control as “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 including isolation; threatening to harm a child, family member or pet; intentionally damaging property; threatening to release sensitive images or information, and more.

In passing this bill, Massachusetts joins California, Connecticut, Colorado, Hawaii, Washington (state) and New Jersey which all have passed laws defining coercive control as a form of domestic violence in the past five years.

Attorney Jamie Sabino of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute said the survivor and expert testimony that influenced legislators “spelled out the lifetime and generational harm caused by coercive control. Non-physical abuse like revenge porn, which is a form of technology abuse, is typically a precursor to more serious and violent acts, including sexual and physical assault or homicide.”

The new Massachusetts law does not criminalize coercive control. However, if an abuser has a protective order against them, and commits coercive control, this can be considered a criminal violation of the protective order.

Passing an initial law is the first great hurdle. The law will undoubtedly be improved and refined over time, as has happened in other states. For example, subsequent legislation may establish that child safety is the first priority in custody and parenting adjudications and must be resolved as a “fundamental consideration in determining the best interests of the child before assessing other best interest factors,” as is currently the case in Colorado.

Subsequent revisions could also close “the boyfriend loophole,” which is a possible sticky point, since this current law covers “family or household members.” It may not apply to all cases in which members of a couple have not ever lived together, are not married, and do not share children.

The push to pass this law was coordinated by a coalition formed for this purpose: Together Rising Above Coercion (TRAC), a statewide coalition of organizations, survivors, advocates and allies including Jane Doe Inc, The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, Jane Does Well and The Mass Family Advocacy Coalition (MFAC), among others. The year-long efforts included targeted webinars, putting a book on coercive control into the hands of every legislator, letter-writing campaigns, a day of testimony in the legislature, and much more.

Continued outreach to legislators on both sides of the aisle ensured that the bill was passed unanimously in both houses and signed rapidly by Gov. Healey.

“Abusers don’t typically change,” advocate and survivor Carmen Aliber said, “so the law must change to keep up with their tactics.”

The coercive control law is part of a larger bill expanding protections against abuse and exploitation. With this bill, Massachusetts also joined the 48 other states with laws against “revenge porn,” or the nonconsensual sharing of sexual images. The law also enhances education for young people about the dangers of sexting.

South Carolina is now the only state with no laws prohibiting the nonconsensual sharing of sexual images.

]]> Massachusetts lawmakers unanimously vote to criminalize revenge porn https://www.janedoe.org/massachusetts-lawmakers-unanimously-vote-to-criminalize-revenge-porn/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:59:07 +0000 https://www.janedoe.org/?p=38848
Dominique Farrell, GBH
June 13, 2024
Updated  June 14, 2024

The Massachusetts Senate voted 38-0 to criminalize what’s known as revenge porn, the sharing of intimate or sexually-explicit images without the subject’s consent.

The vote follows the unanimous approval of the legislation in the House yesterday. It now heads to the desk of Gov. Maura Healey, who has already voiced her support.

The Commonwealth joins 48 other states in making the non-consensual sharing of intimate images a crime and the seventh state to enact protections against coercive control, a pattern of abusive behavior used to dominate an intimate partner. Tactics can include isolation, financial abuse, verbal abuse, stalking and humiliation.

State Senator John Keenan (D), who sponsored the bill, credited abuse survivors with moving the legislation forward.

“To those who find themselves in vulnerable situations, hopefully this bill serves to protect them from becoming the next victims of revenge porn and coercive control,” said Sen. Keenan.

Advocates have been pushing lawmakers to act on these issues for years.

Hema Sarang-Sieminski, deputy director of the nonprofit advocacy group Jane Doe Inc., said the bill’s passage is a monumental moment for survivors.

“Adding this language to our protection order statute really allows survivors to seek protections from the power and control underlying domestic abuse,” said Sarang-Sieminski.

In September, Carmen Aliber testified at a State House hearing in support of the bill, recounting how a former partner took control of her life by linking to her devices and controlling her online accounts. She described coercive control as “the most insidious and crippling form of manipulation.”

“Despite no physical scars, his technological, financial, emotional, psychological, legal, and other forms of abuse that I am not ready to speak about nearly destroyed me,” she testified. “Technology was my abuser’s weapon of choice.”

Aliber told GBH News that police said she would need to show signs of physical or sexual abuse in court to obtain a restraining order.

“I asked law enforcement. I asked my attorney, how come protections aren’t in place? And they said, because the laws are not written that way,” said Aliber. “And that’s what led me to say, I will be working with legislators to change these laws because abusers don’t change, so laws must change to protect victims.”

Aliber founded the Together Rising Above Coercion Coalition or TRACC to protect others like her.

She says this legislation will make it easier for victims to obtain a restraining order against their abuser. If that order is violated, the offender can be arrested.

Experts like Dr. Lisa Fontes, a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said coercive control is the underlying element of revenge porn.

“Revenge porn – controlling and harming you through posting images – is an extension of coercive control,” said Fontes.

Intimate images include AI-generated images and deep fakes. Those found guilty of revenge porn could face up to two and a half years in jail and a fine of not more than $10,000. Offenders who are minors would be directed to an educational program.

Republican State Senator Bruce Tarr said this legislation could not come soon enough.

“Whereas technology continues to evolve and become more proliferate, the threat of the damage that can be done with regard to these kinds of actions grows by the day, and that damage can be significant,” he said. “It can be incredibly disruptive and damaging to the lives of the victims.”

Sarang-Sieminski agrees.

“When an image is shared without a survivor’s concerns, it really raises the risk of further sexual assault tremendously,” said Sarang-Sieminski. “Our protection order statutes did not cover that kind of harm. Our criminal laws did not cover that kind of harm.”

For many survivors, this legislation will help educate the public and courts.

“I was silent because I was ashamed and I felt like my situation would stigmatize me professionally,” said Aliber. “I came to realize my abuser had gotten away with this behavior for years because … victims are silenced by shame.”

]]> Massachusetts on verge of becoming second-to-last state to outlaw ‘revenge porn’ https://www.janedoe.org/massachusetts-on-verge-of-becoming-second-to-last-state-to-outlaw-revenge-porn/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:54:32 +0000 https://www.janedoe.org/?p=38846
BY  STEVE LEBLANC
Updated 6:47 PM EDT, June 13, 2024

BOSTON (AP) — A bill aimed at outlawing “revenge porn” has been approved by lawmakers in the Massachusetts House and Senate and shipped to Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, a move advocates say was long overdue.

If signed by Healey, the bill — which bars the sharing of explicit images or videos without the consent of those depicted in the videos — would leave South Carolina as the only state not to have a law specifically banning revenge porn.

Supports say the bill, which landed on Healey’s desk Thursday, would align Massachusetts with the other 48 states that have clear prohibitions on disseminating sexually explicit images and videos without the subject’s consent. It is a form of abuse that advocates say has grown increasingly common in the digital age, subjecting people to social and emotional harm often inflicted by former romantic partners.

The bill would make disseminating nude or partially nude photos of another person without their permission criminal harassment. Offenders would face up to two and a half years in prison and a fine of $10,000. On subsequent offenses, the punishment would increase to up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $15,000.

“No person’s life should devolve into chaos because a private photo was shared without their permission, and no person should fear coercion or be threatened with the sharing of such a photo,” Senate President Karen Spilka said.

The bill explicitly states that even though a person might consent to the initial creation of an explicit image or video that doesn’t mean they are also agreeing that it can be distributed without their additional consent in the future.

The advent of artificial intelligence and deepfake technology in the creation of revenge porn has added to the concerns of lawmakers. Supporters said the bill opens the door to legislation further addressing the implications of the emerging technology.

Karissa Hand, an aide to Healey, said the governor, who was previously the state’s attorney general, “has long supported legislation to ban revenge porn and hold accountable those who would engage in abusive, coercive and deeply harmful behavior” and looks forward to reviewing any legislation that reaches her desk.

The legislation establishes a definition for coercive control to account for non-physical forms of abuse such as isolation, threatening harm toward a family member or pet, controlling or monitoring activities, damaging property, publishing sensitive information, and repeated legal action.

Advocates describe coercive control as a pattern of deliberate behavior by an abuser that substantially restricts another person’s safety and autonomy.

By expanding the statute of limitation for domestic violence charges to 15 years, the bill would also give survivors a longer time to seek justice.

Under current law, minors who possess, purchase or share explicit photos of themselves or other minors are charged with violating child sexual abuse image laws and are required to register as sex offenders.

The bill would instead require the state attorney general to develop an educational diversion program to provide adolescents who engage in revenge porn with information about the consequences and life-altering effects caused by engaging in the behavior.

District attorneys would still have the authority to petition the court to bring criminal charges in extreme cases.

Jane Doe Inc., the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, called passage of the bill in the Legislature “a milestone for survivors in Massachusetts.”

“Non-consensual sharing of intimate images impacts thousands of people in Massachusetts every year, and increases an individual’s likelihood of further sexual harm,” the group said in a written statement.

“This bill takes a thoughtful approach to addressing the problem – one that balances strong protections for survivors with a recognition that younger people who cause this harm often can and should benefit from educational diversion over prosecution,” the group added.

]]> Huntington News: State legislature to consider bill protecting victims of revenge porn https://www.janedoe.org/huntington-news-state-legislature-to-consider-bill-protecting-victims-of-revenge-porn/ Sat, 04 May 2024 15:13:01 +0000 https://www.janedoe.org/?p=38743
By Alyssa Enright, news correspondent
May 4, 2024
The+exterior+of+the+Massachusetts+State+House.+Bill+H.4241+was+introduced+during+this+years+state+legislative+session.
The exterior of the Massachusetts State House. Bill H.4241 was introduced during this year’s state legislative session. Photo by Harriet Rovniak.

Massachusetts is currently one of two states without any protections for survivors of image-based sexual assault, otherwise known as revenge porn. This means that victims in Massachusetts cannot charge their abusers with nonconsensually distributing sexual content.

If Bill H.4241, introduced during this year’s state legislative session and titled “An Act to Prevent Abuse and Exploitation,” is implemented into law, it will ban image-based sexual assault, and add coercive control — the pattern of behavior or actions used by a perpetrator to frighten, threaten, oppress and limit their victim — to the definition of domestic abuse. This would expand the definition of domestic abuse to include non-physical forms of abuse to the civil protection statute for survivors of domestic violence, according to Nithya Badrinath, the associate director of policy and advocacy at Jane Doe Inc.

For imaged-based sexual abuse survivor and advocate Katelynn Spencer, a 33-year-old from Wareham, getting this bill signed into Massachusetts law is essential.

“I will definitely break down and cry for excitement and to know that — God forbid this happens to anybody — at least they have protection. And they know that they can come forward and get justice and they won’t have to go through the bullshit that I had to go through,” Spencer said.

Co-sponsor of the bill, Lindsay Sabadosa, a Hampshire Democrat, explained that listening to victims’ statements inspired her to support the bill. “It felt like it was really important, plus you never want to be the state with the loophole and law enforcement telling you that they are unable to do their jobs because of that,” Sabadosa said.

Spencer said that in May 2020, she found out there were two sexual videos of her on a Pornhub account. She said the owner of the account was a childhood friend of hers who she became closer to in high school and started “hooking up” with, but never dated. Spencer said the video was published in 2010, but she didn’t find out until 2020. At 18, she said she was pressured into making a sexual video for the man. She said she was also unaware a second video had been recorded and had been published.

Since there was no law in Massachusetts to ban image-based sexual assault, the only charge the police could file against the man was distribution of obscene material, Spencer said. “The legal system is a joke,” she said. “They screwed me over. I got nothing. It’s just very frustrating but, again, at the end of the day I still have to continue with my life.” She said the videos have been distributed to dozens of websites in five other countries and are on the dark web with over five million views.

“It’s ruined my entire life. … I’m finally getting back on my feet, but it ruined my marriage. I ended up getting a divorce. [My former husband] cheated on me for a year because of all this,” Spencer said. “I lost friends, I lost family members, I lost my career, I was a funeral director. It had affected me so much mentally, it was affecting me physically and it was affecting me emotionally.”

Spencer explained that she tried to get justice years ago, but her case was dismissed in March 2022. “Nothing ever happened and no lawyers can do anything because there are no laws in [Massachusetts] and no one wants to help me or take the case,” Spencer said.

By June 2022, she began to heavily advocate for laws to ban image-based sexual assault, she said.

Bills similar to H.4241 have been in the works for about three to four years and passed both chambers last year, but they didn’t have enough time to get it passed in the last session, Badrinath said.

“Massachusetts is generally such a leader in other legislation that you would imagine rights for victims of these heinous crimes and victims of abuse would be at the forefront, but unfortunately things either slipped through the cracks or there is a lot of money in [the porn industry],” said Isabella Pastore, public policy research associate at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.

Adding coercive control to the bill means victims of image-based sexual assault won’t have to wait until there is physical abuse to receive help from the law, providing them with extra protection.

“Survivors shouldn’t have to wait for violence to become physical to get the help that they need,” Badrinath said. “They are allowed to seek protection before violence escalates to physical violence.”

If passed by the Senate, the punishment for image-based sexual assault would be no more than two and a half years in prison and/or a fine of $10,000 or less.

Representative Jeffrey Roy, a co-sponsor of bill H.4241 and Norfolk Democrat, said he believes there should be an alternative punishment for people under 18 years old that focuses on education about image-based sexual assault.

“Part of the statute is allowing for there to be a misdemeanor offense of transmitting indecent visual depictions and before an arrangement takes place the district attorney could offer a diversion program to the person who violated that particular statute,” Roy said.

As long as the person completes the diversion program, they will not have an arrest record or a conviction, Roy said. However, the diversion program hasn’t been developed yet.

Pastore said she hopes this bill will make Massachusetts a safer place to live so people don’t have to live in fear of a sexually explicit video of them circulating the internet without their consent. “It will give them a path to justice,” she said.

Bill H.4241 passed in the House and a slightly altered version of the bill passed in the Senate on March 21.

According to Roy, a conference committee of three senators and three House members now need to reconcile the differences between the two bills. After that, it will come back to both branches for a vote on enactment and then will be sent to the governor for her signature. Roy said they do not know exactly if or when the governor will sign the bill.

While Roy does believe this bill will help to prevent revenge porn, he is ready to make changes but first must see how it is practiced in law. “I think these are good first steps. We’ll see how it works and if we need to make further tweaks down the road,” he said. “We’ll stand at the ready to do that.”

]]> Single homeless women in Massachusetts are invisible while facing overlapping challenges https://www.janedoe.org/single-homeless-women-in-massachusetts-are-invisible-while-facing-overlapping-challenges/ Fri, 22 Mar 2024 13:48:40 +0000 https://www.janedoe.org/?p=38737 Ruihan Yang
Boston University Statehouse Program
After years of being homeless, Amy “adapted” to living on the streets under insecurity.

“I thought I wasn’t going to wake up, but I woke up, and I’m fine. The more I feel adapted to staying outside without a person that stays with me, the more I wouldn’t feel scared,” she said.

At the age of 19, Amy decided to flee from her family because of her father’s emotional abuse. Since then, she started sleeping in the park or on the streets and going to churches for food. Being out on the street means living in fear and uncertainty.

“I literally slept on the grass, on the streets. I was afraid that someone would come up and hurt me, or animals would bite me while I was sleeping, or bugs would jump on me,” she said. “The environment that scared me the most. Where am I sleeping, what I should do after when I get up? It was morning what should I do.”

“I couldn’t go back home. It’s not a home.”

After facing repeated rejections from different homeless shelters due to having a family home, she shared her experience with Audra Doody, the co-executive director of Safe Exit Initiative, a nonprofit that has operated a women’s shelter, Harbor, since 2021. Doody understood her, so Amy now comes to this shelter daily.

Right-to-shelter in Massachusetts

It was about 40 years ago that Massachusetts became the first and only state to implement the right-to-shelter law to provide shelters and other necessary services to homeless parents with children, pregnant women, and migrant families arriving in Massachusetts.

But the reality is individuals are excluded from the right-to-shelter law; single homeless women will have “much more limited” options towards finding a shelter, Sen. Jamie Eldridge, D-Marlboro, said.

“Yet most areas of the state, outside of certain cities, there’s really not much of a shelter system and there’s no shelters for women, very few,” he said. “It doesn’t really meet the needs for my region, not to mention many other parts of the state.”

Shelters for women is less than 20

According to a report from Massachusetts Coalition For the Homeless, the number of individuals experiencing homelessness has more than doubled since 1990, while the number of shelters that only for women is less than 20 in Massachusetts.

Last year, Doody made a “difficult decision” to close the overnight portion of the Harbor Shelter due to a lack of funding. But she added that they are trying to bring the overnight portion back.

“We’re in conversations with a couple of people to figure out if there’s funding to operate maybe during the winter months, especially because there’s such a need. I don’t know about ever being 365 [days] again, and I do want to, because we have a space, so I would like to look at the options of the winter merge,” she said.

In February 2023, Senate and House lawmakers filed a bill on establishing a special commission to conduct an investigation and study regarding homelessness among women in the commonwealth.

Sen. Robyn Kennedy, D-Worcester, said she refiled the bill from a previous session because she wanted to make sure the state is providing services and protecting marginalized communities.

Overlapping challenges for homeless women

The challenges for homeless people can be similar, but domestic violence can be a unique one for homeless women, Kennedy said.

“A lot of women are seeking shelter because of domestic violence. We know that our domestic violence shelters are consistently full capacity,” she said. “When there’s not an available shelter bandwidth in domestic violence programs, oftentimes women are seeking shelter and the homelessness system in the emergency assistance system. That’s one area that disproportionately impacts women.”

Esther Rogers, director of housing and economic justice at Jane Doe Inc., the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, wrote in an email that for victims of domestic violence, removing themselves from the physical location where violence happened can be essential to their safety. However, due to the limited number of beds in shelters, they can be at “far greater risk of being abused again.”

She added that survivors often face a myriad of other barriers.

“From financial insecurity, threats of their children being taken away, coercive control of bodily autonomy, forced use of illicit drugs, mental health challenges, and location constraints – that makes it even more difficult to find safe, affordable housing,” she wrote in the email.

Andrea Kalsow, the communications director of On The Rise, a day-time shelter for women, transgender and non-binary located in Cambridge, also said that women in a shelter often face a lot of overlapping challenges, including having been a victim of a crime, having a disability or health issues, a trauma history, or mental health concerns or substance use and misuse concerns.

“It is a struggle to work through and continue to engage with systems,” she said.

Housing prices puts strain on homeless women

“It just I think the underlining thing that every single person who’s living in shelter or displayed somewhere, it’s poverty, and that’s underlying, to everyone,” said Robyn Frost, the executive director of Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless.

According to the data from National Women’s Law Center, 11.20% of women in Massachusetts live in poverty, while women in Massachusetts make 84 cents for every dollar paid to men.

Meanwhile, Frost said in her 25 years of experience running the agency, housing prices have “skyrocketed” to numbers as high as she had never seen.

Kennedy said that Worcester, like all other communities in Massachusetts, faces a housing crisis, which is an overlay to other barriers that women are facing lead to homelessness.

“The customer hasn’t kept up with the income and hasn’t kept up with that increase in rent. You know, we have a housing crisis to also address it,” Kennedy said.

According to Zillow, the median rental price for all bedrooms in Massachusetts is $3,250, up $100 over the past year. It is $1,217 more than the national median.

“People do not have the income to support the rent. So, it’s really important to understand that homelessness is a microcosm of what’s going on as far as mental health, and domestic violence, but every single person right now is without housing because they are living a poverty, and they can’t afford the rents,” Frost said. “That is the biggest hurdle right now, you know, even making $25 an hour may not be enough to maintain housing.”

Homelessness is episodic for women

Frost said it’s “common” for homeless people to be housed for a short period and then episodically become homeless again. They might end up living with a friend or a family member for a short amount of time, and then fall back into homelessness.

She said the reason for that is homeless people can wait for two to 10 years till they can find affordable housing.

“There are individuals who are homeless for not just a week but multiple years, as they wait for affordable housing to come to availability,” she said.

Eldridge said establishing a special commission is important, but not enough.

“It’s just a commission and I’d rather see direct action, but I do think there’s a need for commission because I think that there are different shelter needs for different women going through different challenges.”

Beyond the special commission, Eldridge added they also encourage local housing authorities in Massachusetts to build more affordable public housing to address the need of homeless women.

“I’m trying to encourage more of these housing authorities to actually leverage money, leverage the property that they have, and build more low-income housing,” Eldridge said. “I think that could provide a real supply of housing for women that are seeking shelter because that’s, again, truly low-income housing.”

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