COLUMBUS, Ohio - Anyone can become a victim of sexual violence, and work is underway in Ohio to ensure that men feel welcome in the anti-violence movement.

As the Engaging Men Coordinator at the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence, Jayvon Howard said he focuses on assisting male survivors of sexual violence and getting more men involved in prevention work.

He explained that sexual-violence prevention work is historically rooted in combating patriarchal ideas and thus isolating men from the movement

"We have this anti-violence space to get away from violence perpetuated by men," said Howard. "But then this space also needs to include men. It creates tension in the movement and it illuminates a lot of the pain and fears that we have toward men that prevent us from fully accepting male survivors."

Howard said something as simple as female-centered language can discourage a male survivor from coming forward. He noted that understanding these challenges is a new conversation, and advocates are examining how to shape services to specifically target the male needs and experiences.

Howard said the shock, withdrawal and denial experienced by survivors looks very different among men, and is often expressed through gender stereotypes such as strength, aggression or impassiveness.

"Toxic masculinity can complicate our ability to address these issues head-on with accountability and healing at the same time," said Howard. "So like an expression of trauma for men could be leaning more heavily into protecting this identity that might be exhibitive of an unhealthy masculinity. "

One in six men is a survivor of sexual assault, and one of every fifty-three boys is sexually assaulted before age 18. Howard said it's crucial that they aren't shut out of violence-prevention and response services.

"Sexual violence is not normal, it happens more commonly than we are all aware of, and it does happen to men," said Howard. "At the end of the day our movement is about support and care and compassion being extended to everyone. That is what this movement requires for us to be successful."

The Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence is hosting a fundraiser on Saturday. National violence-prevention expert Tony Porter will give a keynote address about engaging men and boys in the anti-sexual violence movement.

Learn more at oaesv.org.

Ohioans who work, day in and day out, with some of the most vulnerable populations are struggling with major burnout, according to new data.

Program directors and staff in the Ohio Victim Services Compensation 2022 survey reported they don't earn what they see as a living wage, and 45% of staff said their salaries don't cover their basic needs.

Rosa Beltre, president and chief executive of the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence, explained that these workers are first responders for survivors of violence and sexual assault. She agreed that they are overextended and underpaid.

"We are on the field of anti-oppression and anti-violence," she said, "and the way that we pay our staff, the way that we compensate our staff continues to fall into the cycles of oppressive methods."

In the survey, 57% reported having to work more than one job to make ends meet, which leads to fatigue and lower performance at their Victim Services job. Average Victim Services budgets fell 16% between 2020 and 2022, which means less funding available to pay employees.

Beltre said Victim Services workers often are expected to be well-versed in legal and medical advocacy as well as social work and psychology. She contended they deserve a compensation package that includes a competitive salary, health-care and retirement benefits, and reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses, from gas to education.

"We're asking them to come in with a master's degree in social work or be a sociologist," she said, "and what we're paying them doesn't cover their expenses, or the years that it took them to obtain the degree or the experience."

The bulk of funding for victim-services organizations comes from the federal Victims of Crimes Act, which consists of fines and penalties paid by convicted offenders. Beltre said the funding has decreased more than 70% in Ohio in the past few years.

"That has trickled down to the programs, that has trickled down to the services, and we are not exempt from the exodus that all of the corporations or organizations are experiencing," she said. "We have been heavily hit, and it's not sustainable."

The VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victim Funds Act of 2021 will provide more federal dollars to states. However, it will take time for the funds to be distributed.

Economic supports could be the key to reducing intimate-partner violence, which claims the lives of dozens of Ohioans each year.

Research from the Ohio Domestic Violence Network showed during times of financial insecurity, people are at a higher risk of violent behavior.

Rebecca Cline, director of prevention for the Network, explained individuals are targeted for intimate-partner violence, often because they are marginalized and made vulnerable by oppressive systems.

"High rates of poverty, high rates of unemployment, high rates of social disorganization," Cline outlined. "All of those things contribute to conditions that create additional risks for violence perpetration and victimization."

Cline also pointed to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report which found a nearly five times greater firearm homicide rate in counties with the highest poverty levels, and it mentions economic supports as a pathway to gun-violence prevention. Data show 4.5 million women have reported being threatened with a gun by an intimate partner.

The research suggested strengthening economic supports for families by expanding access to affordable child care, health care, transportation and housing, making the Ohio Earned Income Tax Credit fully refundable, and raising wages.

Cline pointed out a minimum-wage worker in Ohio earns less than $20,000 a year, but a single parent of two needs nearly four times as much to earn a living wage.

"$76,000 a year," Cline asserted. "And that's to be able to afford housing, transportation, child care and all the other things a family needs to live sustainably and efficiently instead of in scarcity. "

She emphasized policies can be most effective with a holistic approach, bringing local and state partners together.

"The smarter we get about our prevention work, the more evidence that begins to emerge about where we need to go, the more promising our prevention work will be," Cline stated. "And it's long-term work."

Cline added measures to improve community connectedness can reduce violence, which can be as simple as picking up litter or planting flowers. Individuals can also talk to their elected leaders about policies to help reduce violence.

Kentucky will soon begin developing a coordinated, statewide system for reporting crimes related to intimate-partner violence. Gov. Andy Beshear's signature on Senate Bill 271 mandates data collection on domestic violence.

Advocacy groups say they have struggled for years to verify state records of these types of cases, and have relied primarily on media reports and information from local shelters.

Andrea Robinson, executive director of Oasis Women's Shelter in the Owensboro area, said homicides involving an intimate partner are likely underreported.

"By us collecting this data, it's going to potentially help shape laws that will better protect victims," Robinson stated.

The new law requires Kentucky State Police, Administrative Office of the Courts, State Medical Examiner's Office, and coroner's office to gather and report annual domestic violence-related data to the state's Criminal Justice Analysis Center.

According to the University of Kentucky's Violent Death Reporting system, between 2005 and 2017, Kentucky saw 462 documented deaths related to intimate partner violence.

Meg Savage, chief legal officer for the Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said like any other public health issue, communities, advocacy groups and social-service agencies need accurate reporting in order to develop best practices and prevention strategies.

"Even to start looking at, you know, domestic violence homicides and what might be the underlying causes and trends and red flags, etc.," Savage outlined. "That could help us improve our systems."

Robinson believes inaccurate data is masking the prevalence of household violence in the Commonwealth.

"I think it's important for us to be able to recognize how many victims are murdered and losing their lives," Robinson emphasized. "Because it brings awareness to how real and serious domestic violence is."

If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 for help, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.