2017 Incident Reporting & Response
By Susan Wright
In 2017, 170 reports and requests for help were received. Compared to previous years: 109 requests in 2016, 198 requests received in 2015, and 184 requests received in 2014. NCSF maintains the confidentiality of those who come to us for help, however we balance that need with the need to report the services we are providing and to provide the community with a record of where the need is the greatest.
Here is a breakdown of the cases the IRR Team dealt with in 2017:
Criminal
76 people made reports & requested help, twice the number of requests in 2016, but similar to the 72 requests in 2015:
57 requests from people who reported an assault, sexual assault or harassment involving BDSM or non-monogamy. In 2016, there were 16 reports.
16 people requested resources and referrals to assist in defending themselves or the person they accused of assault, sexual assault or harassment.
3 people needed help with sex worker related issues
Groups
42 groups and businesses requested assistance. Compared to 24 reports in 2016, and 50 reports in both 2015 and 2014.
20 Groups received information on dealing with consent violations.
9 Groups were exposed, harassed, defamed or reported to law enforcement. 2 involved the media.
4 Events had their contract threatened, canceled or not renewed with their hotels.
6 Groups needed assistance with organization and zoning issues.
3 Groups needed assistance with issues involving obscenity law (1 with credit card processing).
Child Custody
27 people requested help with child custody cases. There were no divorce cases. Compared to 16 reports in 2016, 26 in 2015, and 37 in 2014:
13 involved BDSM (with 1 involving photos taken from FetLife)
7 involved polyamory
2 involved both BDSM and polyamory
3 involved sex work
2 involved gender identity
Civil
13 requests for assistance in civil issues:
6 people were threatened with/or outed (2 involved FetLife photos).
3 involved a defamation lawsuit or accusations of defamation.
1 involved a security clearance.
1 involved a member dealing with a group ban,
1 filed a lawsuit to get back moneys owed.
1 involved legal liability risks of publishing a book,
Professional Education
10 professionals requested education on BDSM, consent, the DSM and translation of educational resources to better serve their clients or present workshops for their professional groups. These requests came from researchers, professors, graduate students, clinical therapists, prison advocate and victim advocacy agencies.
Additional Requests
There were 2 other requests for informational resources and/or referrals to Kink Aware Professionals:
1 was looking for low cost PrEP
1 involved immigration issues over polyamory, w/info gathered through social media.
If you need NCSF’s help because of discrimination or to remove kink as a barrier to service, please contact our Incident Reporting & Response today! Email [email protected]
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