Calling Attention to Prevention

This month’s episode presents a comprehensive view of human trafficking. Via the exploration of historical events, key definitions and frameworks, data, and more, we can debunk myths associated with human trafficking and best support survivors. These conversations are also essential to prevention and reducing vulnerabilities that increase the likelihood of trafficking. In reviewing research and takeaways from the Southwest Ohio Human Trafficking Conference, intersections between gender-based violence and human trafficking are evident.  

Visit our website to learn more about Women Helping Women and our services: ⁠https://www.womenhelpingwomen.org/⁠. 

Resources:  

It’s the holiday season! This episode unpacks the heightened prevalence of gender-based violence during this time. In identifying stressors that may contribute to increased rates of perpetration, we can better understand how to support survivors who may be isolated and prevent harm. Additionally, the conversation addresses the role of family and friends not only as support through healing processes, but as potential active bystanders in dangerous situations. 

Shelby Lieber (she/her) is the Survivor Coordinator at the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence (OAESV). Prior to joining OAESV, Shelby gained extensive experience in a dual domestic violence and sexual violence shelter in Ohio, where she took on various roles. She is a nationally credentialed advocate through the National Organization for Victim Assistance and holds an Advanced Registered Advocate Credential in Ohio. Throughout her career, Shelby has delivered many trainings on topics such as strangulation advocacy with sexual violence survivors and the challenges survivors face after disclosing their experiences. In her free time, Shelby enjoys spending quality time with her partner, Cory, and creating lasting memories with their 3-year-old. 

Angela Knighten MSW, LSW, currently the Shelter Director for Bethany House who serves an average of 40-45 families daily in emergency shelter has been a social worker and advocate for vulnerable children and families for over 20 years. Angela received her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Mount St. Joseph University with minors in Psychology, Sociology, and Religious Studies. She then went on to obtain her Masters in Social Work from Northern Kentucky University where she specialized in Trauma Informed Care. Angela continues her work with vulnerable people and has added community service to her resume as a way to continue her love of teaching and learning. She currently serves as an advisory board member for the Department of Social Work at Mount St. Joseph University and was elected in November 2023 as a Winton Woods City Schools Board of Education Member. She additionally enjoys pouring into the up and coming social workers in the field and provides adjunct instruction, mentorship, and internship for many local students. 

Visit our website to learn more about Women Helping Women and our services: ⁠https://www.womenhelpingwomen.org/⁠. To engage with the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence and Bethany House services, follow these links: https://oaesv.org/ , https://bethanyhouseservices.org/ . 

**Trigger warning: This episode does contextualize sexual violence on campuses. Acknowledging this can be heavy, we encourage you to take care of yourself and lean on resources.**

This month’s episode explores the impact of gender-based violence on campus communities. Sylvia Pinto, Wellness Resource Coordinator at the Art Academy of Cincinnati and Erica Fries, Miami University Campus Advocate at Women Helping Women join the conversation to address the significance of the “Red Zone” and effective prevention practices to face heightened rates of victimization. Relationship building and unpacking social norms emerge as key factors in the promotion of safer campus environments.   

Sylvia Pinto is dedicated to promoting health and well-being as the Wellness Resource Specialist at Art Academy of Cincinnati. As part of her role in overseeing the health and wellness services for students, she takes a holistic approach to campus wellness through prevention, education, and intervention programming. Sylvia draws on her background as a clinical social worker and health promoter, offering solution focused strategies and practical tools to address everyday challenges. Her expertise in trauma and social justice also informs her work as she continuously looks to create long-term and sustainable solutions to larger systemic issues that adversely impact the health and well-being of communities at large. Sylvia is passionate about creating healthy communities through connection and relationship building, recognizing that the well-being of each individual is interconnected with and interdependent on the well-being of all communities.

Erica Fries is Women Helping Women’s dedicated advocate for Miami University’s Oxford Campus. They are committed to assisting students and faculty that identify themselves as SIV survivors – this entails ensuring survivors receive the resources and accommodations to help alleviate the immediate effects of their situation. As a former Miami student, they understand the nuances of campus life and use that experience to better connect with student survivors and ensure their needs are met.

Visit our website to learn more about Women Helping Women and our services: ⁠https://www.womenhelpingwomen.org/⁠. 

This month’s episode of “Calling Attention to Prevention” explores the intersection of domestic violence and social systems. Particularly, what survivors of domestic violence may face in navigating the criminal justice system. Domestic Violence Awareness Month is an opportunity to consider how systems can best serve survivors and to uplift the secondary prevention work being done with systems partners. Airica Smith and Kelly Van Driest join the conversation to shed light on the realities of systems and how we can address inequity.   

Airica Smith is the Systems training program manager at Women Helping Women. She is responsible for coordinating and implementing the Justice System Response, Advocacy, and Training Project within Hamilton County court and justice systems. She has been with the agency for two years and has held several different positions, such as daytime hotline advocate, systems training advocate, and hospital response advocate. Currently, she is working on language and disability accessibility issues survivors encounter when English is not their first language. 

Kelly Van Driest is currently the Legal Assistance Program Manager at the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, joining ODVN in 2022. Kelly has worked with domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking and human trafficking survivors since 2012 and her previous experience includes working in a rural community in Ashland County working as a legal advocate and shelter manager at Rape Crisis Domestic Violence Safe Haven. During her time at the Safe Haven, Kelly developed the legal advocacy program for Safe Haven and developed the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) for the community and served as the co-chair. Kelly has a criminal justice degree from Eastern Gateway Community college and is currently the Board President for Advocates for Families, which houses Ashland and Knox County’s CASA Program, and serves as a board member on Ashland County's Community Corrections Board. 

Visit our website to learn more about Women Helping Women and our services: ⁠https://www.womenhelpingwomen.org/⁠. Follow this link to connect with the Ohio Domestic Violence Network: https://www.odvn.org/ 

September 15 to October 15 marks Hispanic Heritage Month. This month enables the recognition of the histories, cultures, and contributions of Latinx and Hispanic figures in the United States. This episode discusses the prevalence of gender-based violence within Latinx communities, specific barriers these populations face in seeking services, and given this information, how we can support survivors and ultimately, stop cycles of abuse from causing further harm to Latinx and Hispanic communities. Amy Tax Iraheta joins the conversation to share the knowledge and perspective she has gained working with these populations. 

Amy Tax Iraheta has been part of the Butler County team as the Bilingual Advocate for one year. Within her role, her goal is to make the process more accessible for victims who don't understand English and help them recognize and communicate their needs. She is very passionate about survivors, knowing that there are resources available and that they should speak up if they do not feel safe. She was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio but not forgetting her Guatemalan and Honduran roots. She graduated from Mt. Healthy High School in 2019 and now is looking forward to being a change within the community.  

Visit our website to learn more about Women Helping Women and our services: ⁠https://www.womenhelpingwomen.org/⁠.  

Resources: 

Hispanic Heritage Month 

Hispanic Heritage Month | National Museum of the American Latino (si.edu)  

National Hispanic American Heritage Month 2024 (hispanicheritagemonth.gov) 

Impacts of GBV 

Rape Culture in Hispanic Communities + Resources and Support ~ Verity (ourverity.org)  

Esperanza United Resource -- 3.11.73-Factsheet_GeneralIPV2021-1.pdf (esperanzaunited.org)  

Local Latinx and Hispanic Organizations 

WELCOME - Apoyo Latino: The Greater Cincinnati Latino Coalition 

LULAC Cincinnati – League of United Latin American Citizens (lulacohio.com) 

Non-profit | Ohio Hispanic Coalition | United States  

Home - Hispanic Chamber Cincinnati USA 

With the back-to-school season comes an opportunity to acknowledge how we can best support youth in the Greater Cincinnati region. Trauma-informed educational practices stand out, promoting resilience and enabling healthy communities. Sachika Singh, MA and Sarah Zawaly, MSW join the conversation to unpack the impacts of trauma, what it means to be trauma-informed, and the significance of these practices to violence prevention education.

Sarah Zawaly, LISW, is a committed Program Manager at the Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. As part of the Joining Forces for Children initiative, she focuses on implementing trauma-informed practices and building resilience to address the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Drawing on her background as a former teacher and clinical social worker, Sarah provides practical strategies for fostering healing environments for children, families, and staff. Her expertise includes co-creating curriculums, presenting at national and regional conferences, and offering consultation to a variety of organizations. Sarah’s dedication to promoting healthy well-being is evident through her work, showcasing her passion for creating supportive environments that bolster resilience and mitigate the impact of ACEs. 

Sachika Singh, MA is a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Mayerson Center for Safe & Healthy Children. She holds both a Bachelors and Master's degree in Sociology from University of Cincinnati. Sachika formerly consulted with grassroots health organizations in international, anti-oppressive partnerships and health equity. Through this work, Sachika came to understand how to manipulate organizational structures – the way that we collect data, the voices we include in decision-making, and the way we define success – to execute more equitable, sustainable, and inclusive work. Sachika now supports the research and evaluation behind Joining Forces for Children’s community-centered, evidence-based projects related to mitigating stress and trauma in children, promoting protective factors in families, and building community resilience. She partners closely with local schools and youth-serving organizations, like Women Helping Women, to support them in evaluating the impact of trauma on their organization and implementing trauma-informed systems-change. 

Visit our website to learn more about Women Helping Women and our services: ⁠https://www.womenhelpingwomen.org/⁠. Follow this link to connect with Joining Forces for Children: https://www.joiningforcesforchildren.org/. 

Engaging men and boys in prevention work is critical to ending gender-based violence. To do so, we must acknowledge social norms that hinder not only prevention, but accessibility of resources for male survivors. In emphasizing the importance of male-identifying focused programs and initiatives, this episode unpacks the ways masculinity, mental health, and violence intersect. Jeff Puster joins the conversation to provide insight on these dynamics such as best practices for engaging these populations and strategies to address challenges.  

Jeff is a violence prevention, and engaging men specialist who has worked for 16 years in the field of intimate-partner violence prevention. Much of that time was spent establishing safe environments for children to visit with a parent during supervised visitations, co-founding a non-profit organization in Tennessee. Since moving back to Ohio in 2017 with his family, Jeff worked with OhioHealth’s Sexual Assault Response Network of Cental Ohio (SARNCO) providing trainings on college campuses, and at facilities for young men who are incarcerated. Jeff has been a member of the Ohio Men’s Action Network (OHMAN) and is currently providing contract work with the Ohio Domestic Violence Network. 

Visit our website to learn more about Women Helping Women and our services: https://www.womenhelpingwomen.org/. Follow this link to connect with the Ohio Men’s Action Network (OHMAN): https://www.odvn.org/ohman/.

Resources:

Pride month is an opportunity to dialogue about the ways service providers can support the needs of the LGBTQ+ community. At WHW, we strive to offer equitable prevention and intervention services. This episode encourages the consideration of the prevalence, the ways violence emerges, and barriers to healing. The key to preventing gender-based violence and supporting survivors is addressing harmful social norms via education and community engagement. These conversations enable our engagement with the LGBTQ+ community and solidify our advocacy for LGBTQ+ survivors.

Born and raised on the West side of Cincinnati, Cecilia obtained her bachelor's degree in criminal justice with a minor in victim studies from Mount St. Joseph University in May of 2023. She has been with the agency for 3 months as the LGBTQ+ Court and Outreach advocate. Away from work she enjoys visiting local markets with her partner, taking her dog on walks, and traveling. She is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and is very happy to be advocating for something she is passionate about. 

As the 2023-2024 academic year comes to a close, the prevention team wanted to recap the impacts of WHW’s Prevent & Empower program. Vice President of Prevention, Amber Malott, joins the conversation to share the ways the program works to prevent gender-based violence, what P&E entails, how many students were reached, the ways attitudes and understanding are measured, and the importance of strong relationships with school partners. This episode also features perspectives from prevention educators working directly with students.

Amber Malott graduated from Morehead State University with a BA in Government in 2000.  Upon graduation, Amber began building a career in social services working with Children's Protective Services in Brown County, Ohio as well as Jennings County, Indiana.  It was in late 2009 when Amber began working as a prevention educator with the YWCA Greater Cincinnati and ignited her career passion in the field of violence prevention.  Amber worked from 2009 until 2022 with the YWCA Greater Cincinnati growing in her leadership abilities, working with students, staff and community partners to prevent violence and promote healthy relationships as well as interventions to those who experienced violence and trauma.  In 2022, Amber worked in collaboration with the Kentucky Department for Public Health, CDC Foundation and Kentucky Rural Health Association to establish test to stay programs for Covid-19 mitigation in Kentucky K-12 schools and then to establish a statewide immunization coalition.  In December of 2023, Amber joined Women Helping Women of Southwest Ohio as the Vice President of Prevention and has returned to using her talents and energy to prevent gender-based violence and empower survivors.   

Visit our website to learn more about Women Helping Women and our services: https://www.womenhelpingwomen.org/ 

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. SAAM presents an opportunity to uplift survivors' voices, reflect on the history of intervention and prevention movements, unpack the prevalence and acknowledge the role we play in preventing gender-based violence. This April also marks the launch of Women Helping Women’s new prevention program, Brave Bar! Prevention educator, Conor Jameson, joins the podcast to convey the importance of this training for members of the hospitality industry and shed light on the planning, implementation, and evaluation processes.  

Conor Jameson is a Cincinnati local by way of London, England. She is a writer and educator with a B.A. in Literature & Performance from Antioch College. She is a performance artist and a mom, two roles deeply informed by the same force of creativity and wonder present in her work as a preventionist. With her work in violence prevention education and public health, Conor is turning her passion into a career. She has a daughter and aims to obtain a master's degree in public health focused on violence prevention in maternity care. Her favorite drink is a Kentucky Bramble.  

If your establishment is interested in becoming Brave Bar certified, contact Vice President of Prevention, Amber Malott at [email protected]. Visit our website to learn more about Women Helping Women and our services: https://www.womenhelpingwomen.org/