Question 1: Why are some people victims of crimes and others are not? What are some factors that contribute to victimization? Do the early theories on violence and victimization help or hurt our current understanding of victimization? (approx. 200-250 words)
Question 2: Watch the video about Nia’s experiences as a victim. After watching the video, pretend that you are a victim advocate and she has just shared her story with you. At the end of it, answer her questions, “How am I doing? Is any of this normal?” As you answer her questions, take into consideration the short and long-term responses and coping mechanisms that she has employed to survive her victimization. (approx. 200-250 words)
https://www.ovcttac.gov/victimimpact/presenters_to… and scroll down the page until you see number 7 on the list, which should say, “Nia”.
Question 3: You are working at a Rape Crisis Center and you are called by a victim who was brutally gang raped in a rural part of the county that you are working in. She is scared to call the police, but she does want help. You ask her if she is safe, but she is unsure. She gives you her location, but it is against your organization’s policy to go to a person’s home. You can meet her at a hospital or a public place, but not her home. She has no transportation and will not call the police for transportation. She will not call family/friends because she does not want them to know that she was raped. You know from past experience that an ambulance will only go out there for a life threatening emergency, which is not the case now. What will you do to help the victim in this case? (approx. 200-250 words)
Question 4: Watch the video about Rebel’s experiences as a victim. After watching the video, pretend that you are a victim advocate and she has just shared her story with you except that she is still involved in the abusive relationship, but estranged from him. He is actively stalking her and she has contacted the police several times due to his threats and abuse. Using the website, Survivor to Survivor (http://survivortosurvivor.org/), help Rebel to determine her options, resources, and guide her through her next steps through the criminal justice system. Assess the extent to which this website enabled you to help Rebel and would you suggest this as a resource for other victims of intimate partner violence? (approx. 200-250 words)
https://www.ovcttac.gov/victimimpact/presenters_to… and scroll down the list until you see item number 8 titled “Domestic Violence-Rebel”.
Question 5: Sean is a 16 year old who ran away from home. He lives on the streets and resorted to prostitution in order to make some money to survive. He lives in a motel with a few other runaway kids who he met on the street. One day he is called over to a car and is driven to a remote area where he is raped and beaten to death. Discuss the possible trauma response of at least two people in Sean’s life (e.g., parents, siblings, extended family, friends, and/or roommates). Discuss the ways in which their trauma response will differ and why. Explore your own feelings about the victimization depicted in this scenario and honestly assess if you would have felt differently based on changes in age, gender, race/ethnicity, and/or lifestyle. (double-spaced, at least 3 pages, APA style)
Question 6: Maria was a 14 year old teenager of Hispanic origin who worked part-time after school at a clothing store in the local mall. She loved her job because of the money it provided, the freedom from her very strict family, and the opportunity to meet new people. One day while at work, Maria offered to help a woman who was undecided about what to buy. They hit it off right away and the woman told Maria that she was beautiful, she had a flair for fashion, and that she would be a perfect model. The woman told Maria about her studio, explained the process of head shots, and how her photo would be widely distributed and picked up by many agencies throughout the nation. The woman told her of the opportunities to meet other new people, get out of her small town, make more money, and the endless possibilities of modeling. Maria was flattered and intrigued and they promised to meet again at the food court the next day.
Upon their second meeting, Maria met not only the woman, but one of her photographers. Maria was shown pictures of many young women like herself who “made it,” as a result of modeling. After talking about this further, Maria agreed to meet them at the mall over the weekend because she would be able to stay out longer without her parents becoming suspicious. The woman and the photographer agreed and told Maria to bring a few changes of clothing including a bathing suit for the shoot. Maria was excited and complied. When they met again over the weekend, Maria agreed to go with the couple to their studio. Once at the studio, Maria was quickly asked to put on the bathing suit, and after a few pictures a man was introduced as her “partner” for the pictures. Before too much longer, Maria was told to take off the bathing suit, to get into suggestive poses, while her “partner” touched her. Maria was very uncomfortable and wanted to leave. Her exit was blocked – increasingly scared, Maria began to cry. She was told to shut up and be a “good little girl.” Maria complied by taking off her clothes while the man sexually assaulted her with the camera rolling. Maria was ultimately given drugs and alcohol and transported to an unknown place where she was forced into prostitution. She was repeatedly raped while in captivity, while pictures and videos were taken of her ordeal. Every few days, Maria was drugged and taken to a new unknown location. Maria was disoriented and scared, with no resources, no means of contacting her family, and no opportunity to escape. After several months, law enforcement was tipped off to a possible trafficking situation. When they raided the home, police found Maria and several other young teenagers who were serving as sex slaves for a human trafficking ring. As a victim advocate working with Maria and her family, answer the following questions (double-spaced, at least 3 pages, APA style):
What will you do to help Maria immediately (now to 24 hours)
What will you do to help Maria in the short-term (24 hours to 1 month)
What will you do to help Maria in the long-term (within the next year)?
What services are available to Maria and her family, as victims of human trafficking within Connecticut?
What are some challenges you will face in working with Maria and her family, as victims of human trafficking?
Will Maria be eligible for victim compensation?
Question 7: Watch the video of Jee Young who talks about her brother’s experiences as a victim of a hate crime. Outline an approach that you feel addresses the prevention of hate crimes. What is needed to help primary and secondary victims like Jee Young and her brother? (approx. 200-250 words)
https://www.ovcttac.gov/victimimpact/presenters_to… and scroll down until you get to item number 4 on the list titled, “Hate Crime-Jee Young”.
Question 8: A 9-1-1 dispatcher for the local police department receives a call from a woman who is sobbing and scared. You ask the nature of the call and she identifies herself as 78-year old married woman. Crying, she says that she stayed home today while her husband went to play golf. Shortly after he left, she heard the back door open. Thinking it was him, she called out, but he did not answer. When she went to look, she was attacked by a man who beat her, tied her up, and locked her in a closet. Before running, he stole money, jewelry, and a few electronics. He told her that if she moved or called the cops, he would be back to “finish the job.” When her husband came home, he heard her sobbing, opened the door, and found her tied up and bloody on the ground with her clothes ripped off. While she does not admit to a sexual assault, you should proceed as if she has been sexually assaulted. The dispatcher sends out the police and a victim advocate to help this woman. As a victim advocate, answer the following questions (double-spaced, at least 3 pages, APA style):
What will you do to help this woman immediately (now to 24 hours)?
What will you do to help this woman in the short-term (24 hours to 1 month)?
What will you do to help this woman in the long-term (within the next year)?
What resources are available in the community to assist this woman and her husband in the aftermath of a violent rape and home invasion?
Is she eligible for victim compensation?