There has been a lot in the news lately both locally and nationally regarding domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment and bullying. These are complex issues, and many islanders have been reaching out to The DoVE Project with questions and concerns. As advocates for social change, we’d like to begin a dialogue to address your questions and concerns and explain how we can and cannot help.

Locally, Title IX has been getting a lot of attention. Title IX is complicated, but is a landmark federal civil rights act that prohibits sex discrimination in education. Title IX is not just about sports; it is a prohibition against sex-based discrimination in education. It addresses discrimination against pregnant and parenting students and women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs.

Title IX also does not apply to female students only. It protects any person from sex-based discrimination, regardless of their real or perceived sex, gender identity and/or gender expression. Female, male, and gender non-conforming students, faculty and staff are protected from any sex-based discrimination, harassment or violence.

Title IX also addresses sexual harassment, gender-based discrimination and sexual violence.

According to the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, sexual harassment can include unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature. Harassment does not have to be of a sexual nature, however, and can include offensive remarks about a person’s sex.

Along with recent Title IX discussions, The DoVE Project is always committed to preventing domestic violence. As another complex issue, domestic violence is about power and control and can be a criminal offense. It doesn’t always come in the form of a black eye or broken rib. In fact, often it comes in even more pervasive, damaging forms. Emotional abuse, psychological abuse, financial abuse, abuse of the legal system; these forms of domestic violence can be used against a survivor long after she physically leaves the relationship, especially when she has to co-parent with an abuser (I use female pronouns here because 85 percent of survivors are women, but males can be abused as well).

This is an important point, as many folks believe that once a person has left, it’s over. Few people fully realize that moving forward can be like walking in wet tar — trying to move and have so many things not in your control hold you down.

DoVE offers education and skill building around understanding the root causes of domestic violence through looking at the “isms” that stem from oppression (racism, sexism, ableism, etc), shifting culture to where violence is not acceptable and survivors are not shamed or blamed and building skills to know how to communicate and ask for consent, talking about feelings and responding in a respectful, thoughtful manner.

DoVE can help clients file Domestic Violence Orders of Protection, can educate and strategize to get people financially stronger to leave a situation (if that is their goal), can create safety plans to make sure that they, and their kids, have various options for safety at home, at work and in the schools. However, DoVE does not represent people in court, investigate claims of child abuse, domestic violence, or sexual assault; does not act as law enforcement or as any part of the judicial process and does not make the determination if a Protection Order is granted or renewed.

For the Teen Dating Abuse Prevention project, DoVE has two prevention specialists, one man and one woman, who are present in the schools.

In 2016, the Vashon Island School District contracted with DoVE to send two prevention specialists to the Planned Parenthood Teen Council training in September 2016 to then work with the high school health teachers and counsellors to develop a peer-to-peer education program on healthy relationships.

Starting this week, we will be discussing these complex issues in more depth at vashondoveproject.org

— Betsey Archambault is the Executive Director of the DoVE Project.