The Safe Coalition: Children, Families, Community Heightens Awareness About Domestic and Sexual Violence

The Safe Coalition: Children, Families, Community, is reminding the Scarsdale community about two important items.

First- we continue to recognize that social distancing and isolation places families where there is violence at high risk. There is great concern for physical and emotional safety in homes where there is violence of any kind (domestic, child, elderly). Below are a few basic tips that we hope can be helpful:

Keep lines of communication open and stay in touch with your support network when possible

Create a safety plan, including how to leave the home and where to stay that is most safe in your own home

Create a “peaceful” space in your home for you and/or your children. This can include pictures, imagery, and positive affirmations, reminding them and you of your worth

Consider options, but trust your own instincts. Survivors are experts in their own situations. What can make one person feel safer could create increased danger for someone else

Share your concern and any history of violence at home with someone, possibly even the Police

Provide to contacts a seemingly innocuous word/phrase that you can use to alert them to that you are in a potentially dangerous situation

Know there is help and resources available!

Second- the Safe Coaliton will be participating virtually in Denim Day, a campaign on Wednesdsay April 29th in honor of Sexual Violence Awareness Month. The campaign was originally triggered by 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 her rapist 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. Peace Over Violence developed the Denim Day campaign in response to this case and the activism surrounding it. Since then, wearing jeans on Denim Day has become a symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault. In this rape prevention education campaign we ask community members, elected officials, businesses and students to make a social statement with their fashion by wearing jeans on this day as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual assault.

So people can demonstrate their participation, please send all pictures to lpomerantz@scarsdaleschools.org or follow/post them on our facebook page:

Together as a community we can show our support for survivors of sexual assault.