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Democrats are favored to win the House, but the GOP still has hope October 20, 2018
House forecast: Democrats will win 226 seats (and the House majority) while Republicans will win just 209 seats. A Democratic win of 202 seats and 260 seats is within the margin of error.
Georgia county facing lawsuits after rejecting absentee ballots October 20, 2018
One suburban Georgia county has become a flashpoint for concerns over voter suppression for rejecting hundreds of mail-in absentee ballots weeks before Election Day.
9 races with Electoral College implications October 20, 2018
Redistricting! It's not just for wonks.
College Republican pauses after this Trump question October 12, 2018
CNN's Robyn Curnow met a group of college Republicans at the University of Georgia football game who are eager to back President Donald Trump's party in the midterms, despite his most controversial actions.
How Russian trolls manipulated American politics October 20, 2018
A new complaint unsealed Friday revealed extraordinary new details of how Russian trolls manipulate US politics and try to fool unsuspecting Americans on social media.

4 Obstacles Facing Latin@ Survivors Who Seek Help
Christine Show It can be difficult for any person experiencing sexual and domestic violence to seek support and find the resources they need. For some Latin@ survivors, cultural and language barriers can add to these challenges. One in three Latin@ women has experienced physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. And 50% of […]
Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2018: What Is #SupportAfterDV?
Joyful Heart Foundation Each October, we join hundreds of other organizations to recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month. DVAM is an opportunity to deepen our understanding of these issues, share resources, and most importantly, support survivors.Our ProgramsHealingOur IssuesDomestic Violence
6 Ways to Boost Your Health on National Women’s Health and Fitness Day
Joyful Heart Foundation At Joyful Heart, we know wellness can take many forms, especially for survivors and their loved ones. Tending to your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health are all part of the healing journey. This year we’re joining other organizations to recognize September 26 as National Women’s Health and Fitness Day, an annual […]
Christine Blasey Ford and a Survivor’s Choice
Anonymous Editor’s note: A survivor’s decision to seek help or report a rape is a personal choice that belongs only to the survivor. Survivors’ bravery and credibility are not dependent on whether they choose to report an assault to authorities or not. All survivors are courageous; their reasons to share their experiences or keep it […]
What is Digital Abuse? Signs to Watch For and How to Get Help
Joyful Heart Foundation In the age of smartphones and smart homes, using technology to harass and abuse has become increasingly common.EducationOur IssuesDomestic ViolenceTeen Dating Violence

4 Obstacles Facing Latin@ Survivors Who Seek Help
It can be difficult for any person experiencing sexual and domestic violence to seek support and find the resources they need. For some Latin@ survivors, cultural and language barriers can add to these challenges. One in three Latin@ women has experienced physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. And 50% of survivors never […]
Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2018: What Is #SupportAfterDV?
Each October, we join hundreds of other organizations to recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month. DVAM is an opportunity to deepen our understanding of these issues, share resources, and most importantly, support survivors.Domestic violence is widespread and affects people from all walks of life; one in four women and one in seven men have suffered severe […]
6 Ways to Boost Your Health on National Women’s Health and Fitness Day
At Joyful Heart, we know wellness can take many forms, especially for survivors and their loved ones. Tending to your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health are all part of the healing journey. This year we’re joining other organizations to recognize September 26 as National Women’s Health and Fitness Day, an annual event for women […]
What is Digital Abuse? Signs to Watch For and How to Get Help
In the age of smartphones and smart homes, using technology to harass and abuse has become increasingly common.Digital abuse, or the use of technology to harass or intimidate someone, can take many forms. It can occur at any stage of a relationship and to people of all ages, though it is especially common among teens […]
Working With LGBTQ Survivors of Sexual Violence
Lyzanne Malfitano has been a hotline shift supervisor at the Chicago Rape Crisis Hotline for five years. She is the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning) staff trainer for the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago 40-Hour Sexual Assault Crisis Intervention Training. She is also a mental health counselor and provides counseling to women and LGBTQ adults […]

6 Ways to Boost Your Health on National Women’s Health and Fitness Day
At Joyful Heart, we know wellness can take many forms, especially for survivors and their loved ones. Tending to your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health are all part of the healing journey. This year we’re joining other organizations to recognize September 26 as National Women’s Health and Fitness Day, an annual event for women […]
A Conversation with Jennifer Fox on her HBO film, The Tale
Jennifer Fox is an internationally acclaimed producer, director, writer, and camerawoman. The Tale is Fox’s first fiction feature film, which she wrote, directed, and produced. The HBO film is based on Fox’s own life story as the main character, portrayed by Emmy award-winning actress Laura Dern, re-examines her first sexual relationship and the stories we […]
Healing as a Family After Child Sexual Abuse
Nancy Nesbitt is the parent representative on the Connecticut Governor’s Task Force on Justice for Abused Children. She applies her perspective and experiences as a mother of children who were sexually abused at a young age to her work. The task force serves to coordinate agencies in the investigation, intervention, and prosecution of child sexual […]
The Intersections of Disability and Violence
NPR called it the “assault epidemic no one talks about.” Each year, people with disabilities—physical, mental, intellectual, and others—face disproportionate rates of sexual and domestic violence. And too often, they do not receive the support they need.As many as 1 in 2 disabled women have experienced domestic violence—twice the rate of non-disabled women. People with […]
Introducing Joyful Heart en Español
Joyful Heart’s website now offers Spanish-language resources to make our educational materials about sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse accessible to those who speak Spanish, including the more than 40 million Spanish speakers in the United States.One in three Hispanic women has experienced physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime, and one […]

Keeping Our Healing Practices Survivor-centered
Healing from trauma looks different for every survivor. At Joyful Heart, our healing programs are based on honoring each survivor’s journey.We recently expanded the core of this work as participants in Blue Shield Foundation of California’s Learning Circle Project, a collaborative learning experience with seven other leading organizations serving domestic violence survivors. The learning circle’s […]
TALK LA: Supporting Survivors' Healing though our Signature Retreat Program
Thursday, 10 March 2016TALK EventsLos Angeles, CA On Thursday, March 10th, Joyful Heart board members Jenny Belushi and Heather Mnuchin hosted a TALK event in Los Angeles at the Belushi home. Over 30 guests gathered with our Los Angeles Committee for a presentation and conversation centered on Joyful Heart's survivor retreat research project with Georgetown […]
April: A Month of Healing, Education and Advocacy
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and National Child Abuse Prevention Month. For many of us, it will be marked by awareness-raising efforts, days of remembrance and calls to action. It will be a month, though, unchanged by the staggering facts:Every two minutes in the United States, someone is sexually assaulted.One in five women and […]
LA2050: We need your vote
Big news. This year, We are competing in this year's LA2050 Challenge to win $100,000 to support our holistic healing programs that help survivors heal from sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse.With your support, we will evaluate and document our retreat model and create a replication plan for agencies in Los Angeles and beyond […]

Hargitay hails impact of 'SVU' as It marks 20 seasons
September 21, 2018Associated PressAssociated Press NEW YORK — Mariska Hargitay thinks Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has played a huge role in educating people on sexual violence, but believes there is still a lot of work to do.The star of the TV drama spoke as the NBC show celebrated its 20th season Thursday at […]
Using #WhyIDidntReport, Twitter users challenge Trump after he questions why Ford didn't report
September 21, 2018NBC Bay AreaLiz Lane Some of the most vocal proponents of the #MeToo movement and droves of other women have come to the defense of Christine Blasey Ford after President Donald Trump questioned her credibility and wondered why she didn’t report her sexual assault at the time she said it happened.In a slew […]
Senate bill requiring prompt rape kit tests heads to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk
September 4, 2018The Daily CalifornianJenny Weng A bill requiring law enforcement agencies and laboratories to promptly analyze all newly collected rape kit evidence advanced to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk Friday.The state Senate and Assembly unanimously approved SB 1449 authored by Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, according to a press release provided by Leyva’s office.Under the legislation, […]
DA pledged to test 1,000 rape kits, but lab’s pace is testing critics’ patience
August 30, 2018Times of San DiegoKen Stone In late April, at the height of her successful campaign for district attorney, interim DA Summer Stephan announced she would spend $1 million to test 1,000 rape kits.By the end of August, only 200 kits will have been tested by Bode Cellmark Forensics, a private lab in Virginia, […]
California bill to count rape kit backlog won’t impact SFPD
August 29, 2018SF WeeklyIda Mojadad Through public records requests, End the Backlog estimates that more than 13,000 kits are sitting untested on the shelves of California law enforcement—but it still won’t have a complete number unless jurisdictions are mandated to have them. Read the original versionTags: Rape Kitsuntested rape kitsCalifornia