“Intersectionality is a lens through which you can see where power comes and collides, where it interlocks and intersects. It’s not simply that there’s a race problem here, a gender problem here, and a class or LBGTQ problem there. Many times that framework erases what happens to people who are subject to all of these things.”---Crenshaw, K. (1989)
Crenshaw, K. (1989) "Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics,"University of Chicago Legal Forum: Vol. 1989: Iss. 1, Article 8. - Professor Crenshaw is credited with coining the term Intersectionality to describe how being part of a group which posesses multiple identities with a history of oppression creates greater opportunity for marginalization and discrimination.
credit: intersectionality wheel pcnicagad.wordpr
IPV (Intimate Partner Violence) and MST (Military Sexual Trauma)
Trauma informed care identifies the challenges faced by survivors with engaging in services meant provide assistance. Homelessness can also be an additional layer of trauma and creates a sense of increased vulnerability and urgency for assistance in someone who is already struggling with linking to service providers.
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1 in 20 women who serve in the armed forces will experience MST compared to 1 in 100 men.
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National Victim Center reports only 16% of rape cases are reported
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It is estimated that 1/3 of rape victims go on to develop PTSD
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Prior episodes of trauma may increase reluctance to accept help from agencies that are large and difficult to engage with social services.
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Despite efforts by the VA to create a more welcoming and safe for women Veterans, many individuals who have experienced MST remain reluctant to use services or express discomfort with an environment which remains predominantly male focused and bureaucratic.