If you live in southern California or you follow sports, you may have heard about the high school football hazing scandal at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, CA.

It’s a long and scandalous saga that still unfolding, so go on to your googles and do a search on the latest on the cover-up, new victims coming forward, and how school officials have turned a blind eye to this violent sports culture … in the name of “winning” … for decades

Today, on the SpotTheLine podcast, we are going to talk about hazing in general. What is it? How do we stop it? And how do hold the adults who turn a blind eye accountable … while at the same time help our kids and our communities stop toxic cultures where kids have to be injured, tortured, scared, harassed, assaulted, or abused to “belong.”

Welcome to season two, episode one, of Deep Dive with Lauren and Joelle, a SpotTheLine podcast.

If you have ever seen a crime show, you know that you have rights if you are accused of a crime. But do you know your rights in the criminal justice system if you are the victim?

In this episode of the SpotTheLine podcast, we welcome our first guest—Meg Garvin, the executive director of the NCVLI - the National Crime Victim Law Institute. Their mission is to fight for crime victims through legal advocacy, public policy, and training. Basically, they work to make sure that the most vulnerable participants in the criminal justice system—crime victims—have a dedicated pro bono attorney who works to make sure that their rights and privacy are protected and enforced.

Anyone can be the victim of a crime. That means that EVERYONE should know their rights and how to make sure they are protected in the criminal justice system.

Here are some links for more information

The National Crime Victim Law Institute

Victim Resources—including pro bono attorney referrals, a law library, and a victims' resource map that provides a clear path to direct help and services such as crisis intervention, emergency housing, financial compensation, counseling, and legal advocacy.

NCVLI Crime Victim Law Conference

About our guest Meg Garvin and how to contact her and the NCVLI

There is a lot of bad and scary news in the media. But do you know how easy it is to save a child's life from sexual abuse? It's as simple as reporting. Today Lauren and Joelle talk about hotlines that will walk you through your fears and suspicions, how to report report, why it's vitally important, and why we need to talk to our kids about reporting ... now. If your child is in middle school, chances are that someone has already disclosed to them. 

Here are the hotlines we discussed:

National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-Child or childhelp.org

The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is dedicated to the prevention of child abuse. Serving the U.S. and Canada, the hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with professional crisis counselors who — through interpreters — provide assistance in over 170 languages. The hotline offers crisis intervention, information, and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service, and support resources. All calls, texts and chats are confidential.

National Human Trafficking Hotline 

To connect with services and support for human trafficking survivors, or to report a tip: call 1-888-373-7888, text 233733

So, what exactly is going on with the R. Kelly Trial? Why is he being tried in federal court on racketeering charges? What do the charges mean? Why is it so important to talk to your kids about his alleged crimes? Joelle and Lauren share an insightful discussion on the history of the charges, the "sex cult" he operated openly for years, the effects of the crimes on Kelly's victims, and why it took so long for Kelly (whose full name is Robert Kelly) to be held to account. They also talk about how Kelly's enablers and "victim blaming" put dozens of girls—some as young as twelve—directly in harm's way.

How many times did we helplessly look at our college-age kids and friends and think: How do I tell them to stay safe without being a total killjoy? Telling college students "Don't drink!" and "Don't walk alone at night!" is not an effective or realistic tactic. 

We have a solution. Join Lauren and Joelle as they discuss Lauren's "Real World 5+1" safety tips for the college (and high school) student. The tips are easy, logical, and they work. And Lauren reminds us: living at home does not make your college-age kid safer from sexual assault. These tips are for EVERYONE.

Plus, we do a brief update of the scathing New York Attorney General's report about Governor Andrew Cuomo that found that Cuomo "sexually harassed multiple women and violated state law." This story continues to unfold.

And the Netflix documentary about the Stubenville rape case? "Roll Red, Roll" (available for streaming now)

Last month, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned disgraced comedian Bill Cosby’s conviction for aggravated sexual assault. Immediately afterward, the 83-year-old was released from jail.

Why did this happen and what does it mean? It’s a little complicated, but it’s not hopeless. Join Joelle and Lauren as they discuss the technicality that set Cosby free and why this decision should be a call to action for anyone who cares about survivors of sexual assault.

Do you ever get that “creepy feeling” when you are out walking by yourself and you think that someone may be following you? What about those sticky situations at parties when someone is giving you attention that you don’t want? Or, heaven forbid, what do you do if someone grabs or attacks you? Today, we are going to talk about self defense. You don’t have to be a black belt and you don’t have to be big, strong, or young to fend off an attack. You just need tools. In this episode, Joelle mines Lauren Roselle’s 30-years experience training women in simple and effective self defense.

Joelle and Lauren talk about what trauma—especially trauma in childhood—can do to the body in the long term. And it all starts with that powerful brain-gut connection.

Spoilers: It's NOT "all in your head" and it's not hopeless, we promise.

Have you ever witnessed sexual harassment in the workplace and found yourself freezing when you really wanted to help? What about if you witness a sexual assault or other violence in public? You don't have to be powerless in these situations. There are EASY things you can do to help the victim without putting yourself—or your job or others—at risk. Finally, Joelle and Lauren talk about the "big disclosure." It's tough to predict how you will react when someone tells you that they were the victim of sexual trauma—especially when that disclosure happens at the worst possible time. But don't worry. Even though it's going to be awkward, you can do a few simple things that will change a survivor's life for the better. One of them is as simple as just being there.

Join the experts of SpotTheLine as we discuss the latest sexual harassment scandals surrounding New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. We will also discuss tools for intervention and support and talk about how we became so passionate about preventing sexual harassment, sexual assault, and child sexual abuse.