Are you experiencing violence or other forms of abuse?

WE ARE HERE TO HELP

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WE ARE HERE TO HELP ·

You are not alone.

Kinship Heals is on a journey to end domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and sex trafficking in Native communities by supporting our tribal relatives.

If you are a Native person experiencing any of these things, we have culturally specific services that can help you.

Are you experiencing domestic violence?

Domestic violence is abusive behavior used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. It can involve actions, threats, or other ways of making you do something you don't want to. It can take many forms that include, but are not limited to, the following examples:
- Physical: Hitting, pushing, holding down
- Sexual: Demanding sex, rape, touching
- Emotional: Calling names, bullying, shaming, jealousy, making you feel worthless
- Economic: Controlling money or other things that money can buy; stopping you from working; taking your money or other property
- Psychological: Manipulative behavior, gaslighting, embarrassing you in public
- Technological: Controlling access to phones and computers, cyberstalking, online harassment, tracking where you are
- Domestic violence can happen to anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender.
- Intimate partner and dating violence can occur between past and present partners.
- The most dangerous time for someone who is experiencing domestic violence can be when they are trying to leave their abusive partner.

Are you experiencing sexual assault?

Sexual assault is any type of sexual activity or contact that you do not consent (agree) to. It can be done by an intimate partner, spouse, dating partner, acquaintance, family member, or stranger. It may be drug-facilitated, which is when a person takes advantage of someone who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Child or underage sexual assault includes any sexual contact with a minor (a person under the age of 16).
Sexual assault includes contact activities, such as:
- Unwanted touching or kissing
- Forced oral sex
- Forced penetration
- Rape
It also includes non-contact activities, such as:
- Voyeurism, which is when someone watches private sexual acts without consent
- Exhibitionism, which is when someone exposes themselves in public
- Sexual harassment or threats
- Forcing someone to pose for intimate pictures
- Sending someone unwanted sexual messages
Regardless of how recent or far in the past, sexual assault can have long-term effects, that include the following.
Physical effects:
- Long-term pain
- Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
- Pregnancy
- Asthma
- Eating disorders
Emotional effects:
- Flashbacks
- PTSD (a mental health condition that's caused by an extremely stressful or terrifying event — either being part of it or witnessing it)
- Panic attacks
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Suicidal thoughts
- Feelings of isolation
- Consent is a clear, enthusiastic yes to sexual activity.
- Consent is an ongoing process, not a one-time question.
- You cannot give consent if you are:
  - Threatened
  - Forced or coerced (manipulated or pressured)
  - Under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol
  - Unconscious
  - Under the age of consent (16 years of age)
  - Not mentally able due to illness or disability
- Saying yes to something in the past doesn't mean you agree to it in the future.
- No one should ever do anything sexual with you without your permission.
Even though it may feel really hard, it is okay and important to ask for help. To protect and help yourself, you can:
- Report any assault to law enforcement (e.g. the police).
- Get medical attention to prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and pregnancy.
- Contact a sexual assault victim advocate to support you.
- Take care of yourself emotionally through:
  - Meditation
  - Self-care
  - Spiritual healing
  - Support groups
  - Therapy

No matter how tough your situation feels, we are here to help.

YOU MAY FEEL THAT SEEKING HELP IS HARD.

That's a normal response to your experience and the barriers you might face, such as:

Feelings of shame
Fear of retaliation or being harmed again by the person who has hurt you before
Bad experiences with service providers, such as law enforcement, courts, and medical providers

We understand what is happening to you, because it has happened to many of us too. You are not alone.

KINSHIP HEALS OFFERS THE FOLLOWING FREE SERVICES:

Advocacy: Help and information for legal, health, education, and cultural needs
Crisis intervention: Response to abuse that is from the past, happening now, or ongoing
Short-term emergency shelter: Safe spaces to be during crisis and emergency situations
Relocation assistance: Help moving when you are leaving an abusive situation
Transition assistance: Support to become economically stable
Support groups: Connection to others who understand what you are experiencing
Education and healing events: Ceremonies for healing, support with school
Side-by-side encouragement: Accompaniment to medical/law enforcement and other appointments

The violence, abuse, and pain can be stopped.

Contact us for help

YOUR PRIVACY

Privacy, confidentiality, and privileged communications are the keystones of safety for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and abuse. Under Massachusetts law, our domestic violence advocates have privileged communication status.

This means we will not tell anyone what you say without your consent (permission).