Author: Rebecca

State Task Force to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse

On August 11, just before unprecedented flooding began to devastate many areas of South Louisiana, Prevent Child Abuse Louisiana sent out a call for testimonials to inform the work of Louisiana’s Task Force on the Prevention of Sexual Abuse of Children. This task force was created by the Louisiana Legislature in 2014 pursuant to Senate Concurrent Resolution 69 and further provided for… Read More

The Intersection: Nate Parker, Denial and the Damage Done

The Intersection is a regular, in-depth segment in which we examine the many layers of oppression, violence, and trauma that we encounter in our survivor-focused and community-based work at STAR. The Background Nate Parker is an actor, writer and director who has recently received a great deal of attention for his new film The Birth of… Read More

Parent Powers: Having conversations about consent

Parents often ask us how they can best protect their children, usually girls, from being victims of sexual assault. What’s our answer? First, we want everyone to know that men and boys also commonly experience sexual trauma. Then, we advise that the best way to protect your child is to prevent and address the perpetration of sexual violence, rather than attempting to prevent victimization.… Read More

STAR Responds to LSUPD Statements

As an organization, we are committed to providing excellent survivor services to individual clients and to strengthening relationships and communication with partners to improve survivors’ experiences when interacting with universities, medical systems, law enforcement, and the legal system. On Wednesday, April 6, STAR staff became aware of a Daily Reveille article that quoted an LSU Police… Read More

The ACE Study: Finding a new fix

This month, we are exploring The Intersection between childhood trauma and adult adverse health outcomes.  Have you heard of the ACE study? It resulted in the largest public health discovery of our time and possibly of all time, but you likely have no idea what I’m talking about…yet. It all began with interviews Dr. Vincent J. Felitti… Read More

Pro (Social) Tips: Building healthy (and happy) relationships

It’s February, so you know what that means! Valentine’s Day, candy hearts, chocolates, flowers, gushiness, consensual hugs and kisses, and bright and shiny relationships with no imperfections at all! Okay, so that’s not actually real life. Relationships can bring us joy, comfort and life-sustaining emotional nourishment. They can also be challenging, unsettling and anxiety-inducing. So,… Read More

Looking back as we move forward

Sometimes, you just have to brag. We at STAR are doing amazing things, and we want to share our progress and positive experiences with you.   At STAR, we pride ourselves on accomplishing a lot with limited resources, which means most of the time we’re working hard and looking ahead. On a daily basis, we dedicate ourselves… Read More

Fun and Inviting! Tales of sexual harassment in the service industry

This month, we are exploring The Intersection between gender and economic oppression in the service industry. This essay is authored by Kaeli Egler, a STAR Volunteer, Agent of Change, and Fall 2015 intern in our Social Change program. Kaeli also wrote this month’s Pro(Social) Tips: Treating service industry workers like people. As a 4th grader, I remember… Read More

Services Spotlight: Volunteers needed in NOLA!

Sometimes, you just have to brag. We at STAR are doing amazing things, and we want to share our progress and positive experiences with you. This past year has been a big one for STAR! In the past six months, we have begun to expand services to New Orleans, recently launching a 24/7, sexual assault-specific hotline for… Read More