Check out the latest media coverage featuring The Rowan Center’s leadership, programs, events, and partnerships. Learn more about our work to advocate for victims and survivors, provide counseling, and educate our community through news stories and updates.
Patch
We Must Do Better: Rowan Center, Officials Highlight Sexual Assault
Several state and local elected officials representing towns in lower Fairfield County, along with volunteers and staff members from the Rowan Center, gathered outside of Greenwich Town Hall on Monday morning to highlight Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
CT Insider
Arrests of Connecticut teachers in child sex abuse cases show need for more changes, lawmaker says
Two Connecticut teachers were arrested this month after they were accused of sexually assaulting minors, stressing the urgency for legislators to develop policies that will establish stronger procedures to report incidents and protect students.
Darien Times
Greenwich’s charity boxing match draws 900 to cheer on local fighters from cops to school board chair
GREENWICH — Joe Kelly, the chair of Greenwich’s Board of Education, was a winner at Glove Up Greenwich, a charity boxing event, if only for a few minutes. The scorekeepers initially said Kelly bested Josh Berman, a lawyer from Scarsdale, N.Y., and both left the ring before they were called back. “Ladies and gentlemen, there was a discrepancy in the judges scorecard,” announcer Paul Grassi said shortly after the Kelly/Berman bout ended. “By split decision, your winner, Josh ‘The Verdict’ Berman!”
Greenwich Time
Greenwich police vs firefighters? Charity boxing match could feature local rivals, MMA fighter says
GREENWICH — Roger Sherman Baldwin Park, home of soft rock concerts and lazy harbor strolls, will soon host a raucous crowd cheering as muscle-bound amateurs try to punch each other in the face. Kastriot Xhema, a Greenwich native and professional MMA fighter, is organizing “Glove Up Greenwich,” a boxing event on Sept. 30 that will raise money for local charities. The fights will transform Roger Sherman Baldwin Park with a massive 40 foot by 40 foot square truss decked out with display screens on all sides.
Stamford Advocate
Human trafficking can happen anywhere, and to anyone
Human trafficking happens right here in Connecticut. Recent headlines make this abundantly clear: “Bristol Man Charged with Sex Trafficking, Related Offenses,” “Bridgeport man charged with trafficking, prostituting teenaged girl,” “Arrests made in connection to juvenile sex trafficking: Norwalk Police.” In 2021, the Department of Family and Children received 241 reports of child trafficking in Connecticut. Since its inception in 2007, the Human Trafficking Hotline has identified 508 human trafficking cases involving Connecticut victims. And between the years of 2016 and 2021, Connecticut logged 456 arrests for human trafficking-related offenses.
The Hour
Sexual violence victims seek more help as reports of rape fluctuate in Norwalk
NORWALK — Reports of rape have fluctuated over the last five years, going up 33 percent in 2020 in the city, according to recent FBI crime data. Whether that’s an increase in reporting or an increase in the crime rate is uncertain, but victims of sexual violence appear to be seeking more counseling and support services. “While perhaps simple instances of disclosure might not have changed, one of the things that we saw that was very dramatic last year was the actual number of services provided to those clients,” said Luke Robbins, director of counseling for The Rowan Center, which supports victims of sexual violence in eight towns in lower Fairfield County.
Stamford Advocate
Opinion: Rowan Center following mission
We are in truly unprecedented times, and there are so many urgent and pressing needs in our community and around the nation. At The Rowan Center, the sexual assault resource agency serving Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, Weston, Westport and Wilton, we have responded to the COVID-19 crisis as many other agencies and businesses have: we have shuttered our office and canceled our in-school education programs, and our staff are practicing social isolation to ensure our collective health and safety. But the problem of sexual violence persists and can be exacerbated during such times of strife, stress, and isolation.
Stamford Advocate
John Breunig: A CT sexual assault crisis center braces for the holidays
A-Zoom discussion with two experts on sexual assault has pivoted into a therapy session with tips that could be useful for anyone, at any time, particularly during the holiday season. “The biggest piece of advice I give someone who is trying to make themselves a safe satellite in somebody else’s orbit during the holidays would be the same thing we teach about being trauma-informed,” explains Luke Robbins, who oversees counseling for the Stamford-based Rowan Center.
Stamford Advocate
Opinion: Sexual harassment is in the news. But who is thinking about the victims?
“A governor, A Congressman and a doctor walk into their workplaces …” If only this were “just a joke,” but sexual violence isn’t funny. There are new sexual harassment allegations against public officials in the news. Media accounts tell us that the allegations are serious, but mostly for the potential repercussions for the harassers. Yes, these accused perpetrators will be scrutinized, judged, and possibly punished if they are found to have committed the actions and possible crimes of which they are accused. Any punishment will likely only occur in the Court of Public Opinion, however, as criminal harassment cases are rarely prosecuted. Yes, it is a big story when someone with a high profile is accused of sexual harassment — will they be forced to resign, will they be fired, will other accusers come forward?
