Erika Leif erika@casda.org Sexual Assault Program Coordinator Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse (CASDA) 3-25-04

CASDA provides a 24-hour crisis line, legal support, guardian ad lidem, shelter, and transitional housing as well as various events. For example, on April 13 CASDA is offering a children's carnival. Volunteers are needed for this event.

Local institutional and cultural responses to violence unfortunately support the batterers. For example, slow response reaction time by the police and failure to arrest. Victims often recant because of all the pressure that people place on them. For example, disclosure to a pastor has often led to a response like "You duty is to be a servant to a man." Followed by the pastor asking the victim to pray for the batterer. How does that affect the victim? Or the marriage counselor who says to the victim, "What can you say to him so he doesn't get angry with you?" This is how the victim is blamed.

Erika Leif referred to the March 23 presentation on campus by Kirsten Dierking and the readings from her book One Red Eye about her rape. The assaulter said he would kill her if she looked at him. The District Attorney said you should have looked at him. Erika also referred to the movie "Enough." The mother-in-law said the the daughter-in-law, "Oh my god, what did you say to him" that caused him to give you that black eye? Being asked to take a lie detector test is another way of blaming a victim.

A description of the cycle of abuse. (Figures depicting the drawings Erika made will be linked to this page by Thursday). From the perspective of the victim tension escalates until the violence occurs. From the perspective of the abuser everything is fine until a trigger occurs and everything is fine afterwards. The abuser doesn't see the tension building. The point is that women are blamed. Women get blamed for promiscuity. Men do not get blamed for promiscuity.

CASDA is not judgmental. CASDA is the only organization that is not judgmental. They counsel those who decide to go back and as well as those who decide not to go back into an abusive relationship. They advise those who go back to stay away from the bathroom and kitchen, where there are weapons, during a violent episode. They advise them to keep their own bank accounts.

There were 5,292 reports of assaults in Wisconsin last year.