Headlines for the Week of April 21

In this week's headlines, we're sadly not surprised to read about more attempts by men to have power and control over women. 

Indiana Senator Suggests Teaching Kids About Consent Should No Longer Be Required in Sex Ed 

Republican Senator Gary Byrne of Indiana proposed some last-minute edits to Senate Bill 422 on Monday that included teaching about consent during sex education no longer be required. The “human sexuality” curriculum for grades 4-12 currently includes education around “the importance of consent to sexual activity,” but Sen. Byrne argued it should be up to individual school boards to decide if consent is still a necessary topic for students. 

“This is a sensitive subject for many. I believe it may be different thoughts in different communities, and…this leaves, for the most part, local control on making those decisions.”

Democratic Representative Tonya Pfaff voiced her bewilderment of Byrne’s suggestion.

“I don’t understand how we could possibly not agree to teach [consent] as part of human sexuality. For consent, it protects both boy and girl—man and woman. We are talking about teenagers that sometimes don’t learn that they can say no.”

The proposed changes were not officially approved as of Monday evening. 

According to the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey, one in 12 high school students reported being experiencing sexual violence from a dating partner in the past year. The same number also reported physical dating abuse. Those youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer, or those who were unsure of their gender identity, reported even higher rates of sexual and physical dating violence, and less than 25 percent say they reported the abuse. 

In an era where dangerous misogynistic rhetoric including “Your body, my choice” is making its way through high schools, experts agree it’s more important than ever to teach children and teens about both boundaries and consent. Even kids as young as 3 years old can begin learning about consent in order to have an understanding of bodily autonomy. Kids and teens should eventually learn they can set physical, emotional, sexual, material and spiritual boundaries in order to feel safe in any relationship—friendship, dating, work or familial. 

For more information, read “Understanding Boundaries and Consent in Relationships,” or consider picking up a copy of Sex, Teens & Everything in Between by Shafia Zaloom. 

Source: Indiana Capital Chronicle 

Pregnant Woman Realizes Car That Tried to Kill Her Was Driven by Boyfriend

Honolulu police arrested Justin Ahkuoi, 34, on Monday, two weeks after he attempted to kill his pregnant girlfriend while she was changing her car’s tire on the side of the road. On the morning of April 8, Ahkuoi, the father of the victim’s unborn twins, sideswiped his 32-year-old girlfriend with his car while driving at a high rate of speed, spinning the woman around before knocking her to the ground. The victim didn’t realize it was the father of her children who had hit her until Ahkoui got out of his car and yelled, “F*ck you,” and bragged that he had just killed their babies. 

Ahkuoi fled the scene, but turned himself in this week after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was charged with second-degree murder. Luckily, neither the woman nor her unborn babies suffered any major injuries.

The National Institutes of Health reports that homicide is the leading cause of injury-related death for pregnant women after car accidents. Pregnancy can trigger an escalation in intimate partner violence for several reasons. Abusers may feel threatened that they will no longer be the center of attention in the victim’s life. They may use threats of violence, outright violence or neglect to have more power and control over their victim, who may be vulnerable and dependent on the abuser for care, support or financial security. 

Pregnant victims of abuse are also more likely to have a lack of prenatal care and that, combined with physical, mental and/or sexual abuse, can lead to an increased risk of preterm birth, low birth weight and a higher instance of miscarriage. Unfortunately, too few women are asked about domestic violence by their physicians, and they may not realize how much danger they’re in before it’s too late. 

See “A Guide to Reproductive and Sexual Coercion” for more information on the signs of abuse and how to get help.

Source: People.com

Abuser in Boston Tries to Kill Wife and Kids, Luckily Fails 

A Boston father shot his wife and two of his children, his 16-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son, and stabbed another 18-year-old woman thought to be related to him, late Monday night. Fortunately, all of the victims are expected to survive. 

The attempted mass murder occurred around 11 p.m. When police arrived at the home, they found the perpetrator’s wife, 47-year-old Priscilla Robinson, had been shot several times in her torso. The children were shot multiple times in their arms and legs. The suspect, Calvin Stokes, 46, was arrested early Tuesday during a traffic stop. He has since pled not guilty to four counts of assault with intent to murder, four counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling. He is also being charged as a career criminal, which means he has been previously convicted of multiple violent or drug-related crimes and will face harsher sentencing under federal law. 

Boson police released a statement in response to the attack which read in part, “There is no excuse for domestic violence. You are not alone, and no one deserves to be harmed.”

Abusers who have access to guns are five times more likely to kill their partners than abusers without guns. It’s estimated at least 70 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner every month in the U.S., and 4.5 million women have been threatened by a partner with a gun. It’s unclear how many women like Robinson are shot but survive being killed by their partner, but advocates argue more needs to be done to keep guns out of abusers’ hands. A “boyfriend loophole” in many states’ gun laws still allows dating partners of abuse victims to possess guns after a domestic violence conviction. 

Survivors of abuse who have children should consider creating a safety plan that includes the children in an age-appropriate way. A safety plan is a written tool used to prepare and plan for a survivor to leave an abusive partner safely. 

Read “Safety Planning With Your Kids” for more information. 

Source: Boston.com