Military Justice Now!
“He hit me across the left side of my face...He screamed at me and he grabbed my arm and he raped me,” said Coast Guard member Kori Cioca in describing her assault by a commanding officer. Following the attack, Cioca was told by her superiors that if she went forward with her case she would be court-martialed for lying. Her assailant received just 30 days of base restriction and loss of pay.*
In light of the recent chain of events that illustrates the epidemic of sexual assault in the U.S. military, we’re standing up on behalf of a bipartisan Senate-House bill that can create transformational reform in decision-making, and sexual assault prosecution. We hope you’ll join us.
The Military Justice Improvement Act (S. 967), introduced by a group of bipartisan Senators and Representatives this week, would for the first time remove the decision on whether to take a case to special or general court-martial completely out of the chain of command and give that discretion to experienced military prosecutors for all crimes punishable by one year or more in confinement, except crimes that are uniquely military in nature, such as disobeying orders or going AWOL.
Our thanks to U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Mark Begich (D-AK), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Al Franken (D-MN), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Mark Pryor (D-AR), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) as well as Representatives Dan Benishek (R-MI), Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Richard Hanna (R-NY) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), all of whom are standing up to express their commitment to reforming the military justice system and defending those who put their lives on the line to defend us.
Coaching Boys into Men a Proven Strategy to Prevent Violence
With all the disturbing news surrounding the prevalence of rape culture in the United States, we are pleased to see some good news about a proven strategy to help young people build healthy, respectful, and non-violent relationships. A study published online yesterday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that our program Coaching Boys into Men (CBIM) is proven effective to reduce abusive behaviors among male athletes who have participated in the program.
“The key to this program is respect—teaching players to be aware of how they treat women and how to deal with all people in general,” said Mike Alberghini, head football coach at Grant Union High School in Sacramento, CA, a participating school in the study. “The experience has brought us together as a stronger, more responsible group.”
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Macy's Thank-a-Mom Challenge a Success!
You helped us raise thousands of dollars sending thousands of Mother’s Day e-cards, and for that we say THANK YOU! We set a goal of sending 50,000 Mother’s Day e-cards to the special women in our lives, and because of your contributions, we not only reached, but exceeded it! We thanked our moms, sisters, aunts and grandmothers – and all for a great cause!
For each e-card you sent, Macy’s donated $2 to FUTURES. Money raised through the Macy’s Thank-a-Mom challenge will support our violence prevention and education programs focused on critical issues—from bullying and digital abuse to domestic violence and sexual assault.
This year was an even bigger success than last, and it’s all because of your efforts! Even though the fundraising campaign is over, you can keep sending the outstanding women in your lives Mother’s Day e-cards. All you have to do is visit the Macy’s Thank-a-Mom Facebook app and choose Futures Without Violence as the charity recipient. Then, celebrate all of the Moms in your life! Send up to 15 e-cards via Facebook, and 10 cards via email per day.
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