The Pattern We Keep Repeating

By Patti Giggans, Executive Director/CEO, & Darcy Pollan, Director of Communications & Strategic Partnerships

There is a pattern we know all too well. A name rises into public consciousness — often someone powerful, admired, a celebrity — even iconic. Then comes the shift. Allegations surface. Survivors speak. And for a moment, the world pays attention. We have seen it again and again: O.J. Simpson. Bill Cosby. Harvey Weinstein. R. Kelly. Danny Masterson. Jeffrey Epstein. The list goes on. And now, revelations tied to Cesar Chavez. Famous becomes infamous. Or perhaps more accurately, what was always there is finally seen. There is outrage. Headlines. Public reckoning.

And then, we move on.

At Peace Over Violence, and in organizations like ours across the country, we do not have the luxury of moving on. We sit with this reality every day — working with survivors navigating trauma, fear, and systems that are still too often difficult to access or trust. We see the long arc of harm — not just when a story breaks, but the years, sometimes decades, before someone is able to speak their truth.

We also see the patterns. Sexual violence is not an anomaly. It is not limited to individuals or isolated incidents. It is rooted in power — in systems that have historically protected those with influence while silencing those without it. And despite decades of advocacy and the courage of victim-survivors, we continue to cycle through moments of awakening followed by collective forgetting.

We wake up. And then we go back to sleep.

There has been progress. Survivors are speaking out in ways that were once unimaginable. Crisis intervention services and violence prevention programs exist today that did not exist even 50 years ago. There is greater awareness and language. A sitting U.S. Congressman and gubernatorial candidate resigned from his campaign and current office due to sexual violence allegations. And yet — the persistence of these cases across industries, generations, and cultures tells us something deeper: we have not yet committed to addressing the root causes.

Sexual violence is deeply interconnected with other social issues — tied to inequality, economic instability, racism, and gender-based power imbalances, as well as a long history of women and girls being exploited both inside and outside the family. And yet, sexual violence prevention and education are still treated as optional.

Recently, Peace Over Violence was declined for funding by several California philanthropies, citing that they do not support sexual violence services. How is that possible — when sexual violence sits at the root of so many of the issues these institutions seek to address?

The trauma resulting from sexual and domestic violence — which are deeply interconnected — drives many of the most pressing challenges we face: mental health conditions, homelessness, substance use, school failure, chronic health issues, and long-term economic instability. Over time, domestic violence has become more publicly recognized. It is easier for systems to respond to what can be seen and documented.

Sexual violence — including harassment, molestation, trafficking, rape, and child sexual abuse — remains far more difficult to confront. Its deeply personal and often hidden nature can obscure its impact, allowing discomfort and denial to shape our response. Addressing it requires us to face uncomfortable truths — about individual behavior, institutional accountability, and the culture that allows harm to persist.

So we look away.
We don’t talk about it.
We avoid it.
We fund it less.

Interpersonal violence exists on a continuum of power, control, privilege, and harm. And when we sidestep sexual violence, we are not simplifying the problem — we are ignoring its root. If we are serious about addressing health, safety, and equity, we must be serious about addressing sexual violence and its lifelong impacts.

Not just when it is in the headlines.
Not just when a name becomes impossible to ignore.
But consistently. Systemically. Sustainably.

This moment — like so many before it — is an opportunity.

To listen.
To believe survivors.
To examine our own beliefs and the systems that allow harm to persist.
And to decide whether we will once again look away — or finally commit to lasting change.

Because the truth is: we know a great deal about what works. Progress happens when we invest in prevention, education, survivor services, and accountability. The question is not whether change is possible. It is whether we have the will to finally treat sexual and gender-based violence as the epidemic they are.

Silence is not neutral.
Accountability cannot be optional.

This is how change happens — not just in moments of outrage, but in what we choose to do next.

At Peace Over Violence, this work continues every day — supporting survivors, advancing prevention, and building communities rooted in safety and respect. Through Denim Day, POV’s global sexual violence prevention and education campaign, we invite people everywhere to take a visible stand — to challenge harmful norms, support survivors, and use their voices for change.

Because there will be another headline. There always is.

What must be different is the response.