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In our first ever Blackbird episode, we discussed how the COVID-19 quarantine began to impact survivors of domestic violence. Today’s minisode is going to be an extension of that, as new reports are coming out and new statistics from around the world are being released. We want to inform our listeners about what is going on around the world in this respect and also provide information of how to get help if needed.According to the United Nations Population Fund, the U.N.’s sexual and reproductive health agency, an analysis shows that the pandemic will accelerate rates of domestic violence, and result in millions of unwanted pregnancies, female genital mutilations, and child marriages. They say this prediction could have a “calamitous impact” on women’s health around the globe, according to Vice News.If anyone out there needs help, you can always call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or go to their website thehotline.orgText to 911 Guidelines (includes PDF list of locations): https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/what-you-need-know-about-text-911https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/akw5d4/domestic-violence-child-marriage-and-genital-mutilation-coronavirus-could-be-a-catastrophe-for-women?fbclid=IwAR3v2Srb5_0SlD1nwZUXaAr_E0AvMqIy9fekKZ-aJv_sVHKPKKvO3BbmHeEhttps://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/04/10/coronavirus-sf-shelter-order-emergency-911-text-option/

The Human Trafficking Hotline reports that in 2019, there were 4,585 reported cases of human trafficking in the US. States with the most reported cases were California (749), Texas (561), Florida (466), and Ohio (229 – and of those 229, 157 were sex trafficking reports). Today’s case takes us to Portsmouth, Ohio, where numerous underaged girls have reported having been sex trafficked by a prominent player and where one woman’s family is still looking for answers.If you want to report human trafficking, you can do so through the Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or at humantraffickinghotline.org.REFERENCES:https://humantraffickinghotline.org/stateshttps://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/17/drugs-opiod-addiction-epidemic-portsmouth-ohiohttps://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2019/03/21/sex-trafficking-trapped-and-trafficked-portsmouth-ohio/3230992002/https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2019/09/05/sex-trafficking-ohio-women-allege-probation-officer-abused-power/2219063001/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2020/03/26/michael-mearan-portsmouth-ohio-detained-home-searched/5082518002/https://www.fox19.com/2020/04/05/none-it-is-true-portsmouth-attorney-under-state-investigation-speaks-out/http://charleyproject.org/case/megan-nicole-lancaster

Today is National Denim Day, organized by Peace Over Violence!The campaign began after a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court where a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans she must have helped the person who raped her remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim. Find out more @peaceovrviolnce on Instagram or at denimdayinfo.org

Every 73 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. A lot of people feel ashamed to speak up about being sexually assaulted because they think they did something wrong during their attack. Everyone needs to know that what happens during an assault is not at all the survivor’s fault. Nothing about the assault is the survivor’s fault. Our brains and bodies are trained to act a certain way when faced with a stressful event. Today's episode is all about what exactly happens inside our minds and bodies when enduring sexual assault and understanding that it is not the survivor's fault.During this episode, approximately 38 people will be sexually assaulted in America.REFERENCES:https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/reports/a9620593/sexual-assault-rape-lubrication-reaction-research/https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/how-body-reacts-sexual-assault/https://www.bustle.com/p/5-common-things-survivors-of-sexual-assault-blame-themselves-for-but-never-should-5495075https://www.acuitycounseling.net/2019/05/30/fight-flight-freeze-or-fawn-what-is-trauma/https://acasa.us/what-happens-to-the-brain-during-a-sexual-assault/https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sexual-assault-and-the-brain/201804/freezing-during-sexual-assault-and-harassmentJenny Lee Corvo article: https://humanparts.medium.com/why-i-silently-froze-and-smiled-during-my-sexual-assault-7bf5d56deebc 

Sexual assault on college campuses is extremely common. According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, among undergraduate students, 23.1% of females and 5.4% of males experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation.Around 1am January 18th, 2015, two graduate students, Peter Lars Jonsson and Carl-Fredrik Arndt were riding their bicycles by the Kappa Alpha fraternity house on the Stanford University campus when they spotted something they found to be unusual. They saw a man assaulting a woman being a dumpster. Jonsson and Arndt held the perpetrator until the police arrived on scene, preceding his arrest.If you or someone you know has been a victim or survivor of sexual assault, reach out for help at RAINN.org or 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).REFERENCES:https://sexualviolencesupport.stanford.edu/policies/overview-student-processhttps://www.rainn.org/statistics/campus-sexual-violencehttps://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katiejmbaker/heres-the-powerful-letter-the-stanford-victim-read-to-her-rahttps://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2015/10/05/woman-in-stanford-sexual-assault-case-testifieshttps://www.stanforddaily.com/2016/06/02/brock-turner-sentenced-to-six-months-in-county-jail-three-years-probation/https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2016/03/18/alleged-victim-testifies-in-brock-turner-trialhttps://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2015/01/30/stanford-swimmer-denies-alleged-rape-in-police-reporthttps://www.mercurynews.com/2016/03/23/woman-and-former-stanford-swim-star-accused-of-sexually-assaulting-her-both-testify/https://www.cnn.com/2016/06/10/us/stanford-rape-case-court-documents/https://www.glamour.com/story/women-of-the-year-emily-doehttps://www.congress.gov/bill/107th-congress/house-joint-resolution/113https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/20/1681Chanel Miller, Know My Name: A Memoir

According to the Rape and Incest National Network, or RAINN, every 37 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. Yet, only 5 out of every 1,000 perpetrators will end up in prison. We must speak up, we must take these cases seriously, we must believe those telling their stories.If you or someone you know has been a victim or survivor of sexual assault, reach out for help at RAINN.org or 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).REFERENCES:https://www.propublica.org/article/police-fail-stop-nfl-darren-sharper-rape-spreehttps://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/nfl/bs-sp-nfl-sharper-rape-20190801-on6wqd4f45eg7cuggshcj7uhsu-story.htmlhttps://www.rainn.org/statisticshttps://www.wdsu.com/article/nopd-issues-arrest-warrant-for-darren-sharper-on-2-charges-of-rape-1/3369229https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5366

Conrad Roy III was a bright young man with a beautiful future ahead of him, until he met Michelle Carter. Their relationship through text message proved to be a manipulative and pressure-filled time bomb waiting to explode.If you or anyone you know is contemplating suicide, please contact The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at suicidepreventionlifeline.org or 1-800-273-8255.REFERENCES:https://www.thehotline.org/resources/statistics/https://www.thecut.com/2016/02/conrad-roy-michelle-carter-c-v-r.htmlhttps://www.boston25news.com/news/all-the-text-messages-between-michelle-carter-and-conrad-roy-they-day-he-died/532942907/https://abcnews.go.com/US/michelle-carter-set-sentenced-texting-suicide-case/story?id=48947807https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/16/us/suicide-texting-trial-michelle-carter-conrad-roy.htmlhttps://www.southcoasttoday.com/news/20170606/contrasting-views-of-evidence-in-michelle-carter-trialhttp://www.patientsrightscouncil.org/site/assisted-suicide-state-laws/https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/12/us/conrads-law-suicide-michelle-carter/index.htmlwww.thehotline.orgwww.suicidepreventionlifeline.orgConrad audio: MassLive

In the summer of 2010, Shannan Gilbert went missing. The search for her uncovered something no one was expecting. The bodies found were human lives stolen. We discuss who these victims were and how important their stories are to tell. REFERENCES:https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a31945572/lost-girls-netflix-true-story-timeline/https://heavy.com/entertainment/2020/03/shannan-gilbert-cause-of-death-murdered/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704828104576021953580016630https://www.nj.com/news/2010/12/shannon_gilbert_missing_jersey.htmlhttps://newyork.cbslocal.com/2010/12/16/man-recalls-missing-n-j-prostitute-as-delirious/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33201320/april-6-2011-frank-eltmanarticle-on/https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/07/a-long-island-serial-killer-who-targeted-prostitutes-murdered-melissa-barthelemy-the-case-remains-unsolved.htmlhttps://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/lost-girls-who-were-the-victims-of-the-long-island-serial-killerHandbook of Forensic Pathology, 2nd Ed., Vincent J.M. DiMaio & Suzanna E. Dana

What would you do if you were trapped inside with your abuser? This episode delves into this reality for many people during the time of COVID-19 quarantine in the US and around the world and the importance of finding support. If you or someone you know needs help, you can reach out to The National Domestic Violence Hotline – www.thehotline.org (1-800-799-SAFE (7233)) available 24/7 and available through a chat now option.REFERENCES –https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/epgk8z/domestic-abuse-could-spike-as-the-coronavirus-traps-people-indoorshttps://abc7ny.com/isolation-of-families-for-covid-19-raises-concerns-about-domestic-violence-/6033107/https://kutv.com/news/local/domestic-violence-calls-spike-after-utahns-advised-to-stay-home-social-distancehttps://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/opinion/covid-domestic-violence.htmlhttps://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/covid-19-leads-to-domestic-violence-concerns-on-long-island/2342547/https://abcnews.go.com/Health/cabin-fever-cold-uptick-domestic-violence/story?id=21454386https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/2015/10/14/msu-journalism-professor-bonnie-bucqueroux-dies/73932114/https://givingto.msu.edu/crowdpower/bonnie-bucqueroux-memorialhttp://www.ncadv.org/https://www.thehotline.org/http://www.tscli.org/https://www.lifewire.org/