DiversityNursing Blog

What is NO MORE?

NO MORE is a new unifying symbol designed to galvanize greater awareness and action to end domestic violence and sexual assault.  Supported by major organizations working to address these urgent issues, NO MORE is gaining support with Americans nationwide, sparking new conversations about these problems and moving this cause higher on the public agenda.

The history of NO MORE

The NO MORE symbol has been in the making since 2009. It was developed because despite the significant progress that has been made in the visibility of domestic violence and sexual assault, these problems affecting millions remain hidden and on the margins of public concern. Hundreds of representatives from the domestic violence and sexual assault prevention field came together and agreed that a new, overarching symbol, uniting all people working to end these problems, could have a dramatic impact on the public’s awareness.

The signature blue vanishing point originated from the concept of a zero – as in zero incidences of domestic violence and sexual assault. It was inspired by Christine Mau, a survivor of domestic violence and sexual abuse who is now the Director of European Designs at Kimberly-Clark. The symbol was designed by Sterling Brands, and focus group tested with diverse audiences across the country who agreed that the symbol was memorable, needed and important.

Who is behind NO MORE?

Every major domestic violence and sexual assault organization in the U.S. – from men’s organizations like A CALL TO MEN and Men Can Stop Rape, to the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, to groups that help teens like Break the Cycle and Futures Without Violence, to organizations that advance the rights of women of Color and immigrants like Casa de Esperanza and SCESA to the U.S. Dept. of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women – all of them and more are behind NO MORE.

View the complete list of organizations here.

What do we do?

NO MORE is spotlighting an invisible problem in a whole new way. The first unifying symbol to express support for ending domestic violence and sexual assault, NO MORE can be used by anyone who wants to normalize the conversation around these issues and help end domestic violence and sexual assault. Our vision is that NO MORE will be everywhere – on websites, t-shirts, billboards. Organizations and corporations, large and small, will embrace this symbol as their own. When an abuse case makes media headlines, you will instantly see NO MORE being tweeted, discussed on Facebook, worn as jewelry and on t-shirts; made into buttons and posted in classrooms, offices, billboards and grocery stores across the country. NO MORE will help end the stigma, shame and silence of domestic violence and sexual assault. NO MORE will help increase funding to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault.  Like the pink ribbon did for breast cancer and the red ribbon did for HIV/AIDS, NO MORE will help to change behaviors that lead to this violence.

Get the symbol today and start showing your support.

Why should I care?

The next time you’re in a room with 6 people, think about this:

• 1 in 4 women experience violence from their partners in their lifetimes.
• 1 in 3 teens experience sexual or physical abuse or threats from a boyfriend or girlfriend in one year.
• 1 in 6 women are survivors of sexual assault.
• 1 in 5 men have experienced some form of sexual victimization in their lives.
• 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men were sexually abused before the age of 18.

These are not numbers. They’re our mothers, girlfriends, brothers, sisters, children, co-workers and friends. They’re the person you confide in most at work, the guy you play basketball with, the people in your book club, your poker buddy, your teenager’s best friend – or your teen, herself. The silence and shame must end for good.

How can I help?

There are hundreds of ways you can spread the word about NO MORE.

Say it: Learn about these issues and talk openly about them. Break the silence. Speak out. Seek help when you see this problem or harassment of any kind in your family, your community, your workplace or school. Upload your photo to the NO MORE gallery and tell us why you say NO MORE.

Share it: Help raise awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault by sharing NO MORE. Share the PSAs. Download the Tools to Say NO MORE and share NO MORE with everyone you know. Facebook it. Tweet it. Instagram it. Pin it.

Show it: Show NO MORE by wearing your NO MORE gear everyday, supporting partner groups working to end domestic violence and sexual assault and volunteering in your community.

Learn more here.

By AL STRAIN

OWATONNA — A new program is now in place at Owatonna Hospital to help people who have been victims of sexual assault.

The hospital has instituted the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program after identifying a need for a sexual assault program to serve Owatonna and surrounding areas.

“There wasn’t a program like this nearby,” said Jody Kaiser, RN, assistant manager for the Emergency Department at Owatonna Hospital, in a news release. “For assault victims, whether physical or emotional, there just wasn’t the option for a trained nurse examiner.”

Four nurses in Owatonna went through a five-day, 40-hour training course through the Sexual Assault Response Service.

“While we don’t see the number of patients the metro area does, it’s important to have a program in place locally,” said Kimberly Glasgow, RN, a trained nurse examiner, in the release. “This program offers patients comfort after a traumatic situation.”

According to Lori Pfeifer, the sexual assault program coordinator for the Crisis Resource Center of Steele County, one in six people will be the victim of a sexual assault at some point.

“That’s Owatonna. That’s Blooming Prairie. That’s everywhere in our vicinity, and that’s men, women, old people, young people and everybody,” Pfeifer said. “(The program) is going to help with gathering evidence for prosecution. It’s going to help with follow-through for victims.”

Pfeifer said the program is very beneficial for the community, and thought it could make a difference for victims to see a medical professional who is trained to handle a sexual assault situation, which may not have always happened in the past.

“Any time someone is in the unfortunate position of being sexually assaulted, they need to be able to go into an ER that’s full of understanding and empathy, and that’s exactly what the nurses are trained to do,” Pfeifer said.

The nurses trained in performing exams with Obstetrics and Gynecology staff and nurse practitioners at Mayo Clinic Health System — Owatonna. The program also received funding from the Owatonna Hospital Auxiliary, which donated $2,500. Thrivent Financial in Owatonna also contributed $500.

The program will receive a digital camera and memory card to document evidence, along with toiletries, underwear, sweat pants and hooded sweatshirts that will be given to victims.

“They don’t have to leave the hospital in a hospital gown,” Pfeifer said. “To be able to give them back something of warmth ... you want to give people their dignity and their privacy back.”

The program is available to anyone over the age of 12. Younger victims are referred to Children’s Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota in St. Paul.