Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

Investigating Mental Health, Trauma

By Jesse Tarbert

Atlanta — The shielding of records about children in public care has "done more to harm children and protect adults than anything else," said Jane Hansen of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. She spoke on a panel on mental-health issues co-sponsored by the Dart Center at the Investigative Reporters and Editors conference in Atlanta.

Recognizing Survivors: The Clergy Scandal

By Ron Claiborne

This week, a draft report on sexual abuse by clergy members indicated that even more claims have been made than previously thought. Here, ABC correspondent Ron Claiborne reflects on the struggle of survivors.

Naming the Victims of Rape

Why it Hurts, What Can Help

By Migael Scherer

After all the loud debate about "public good" and "right to know," it is time to say the words that are best said quietly. The most important reason to refrain from publishing the names of women (and children and men) who report the crime of rape is a simple one: it hurts.

Sexual Abuse of Native American Women

By Laura Sullivan, Amy Walters, and Maria Godoy

One in three Native American women will be raped in her lifetime. This two-part series tells the story behind this shocking statistic — a story of both human tragedy and  systematic failure of criminal justice on and off of reservations.  This series led to the reopening of a sexual assault case, Congressional hearings, and the launching of a website to manage donations to help sexual assault victims living in the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Originally aired on NPR on July 25 and 26, 2007.

Yolanda's Crossing

By Stella Chavez, Paul Meyer, and Lara Solt

In rural Mexico , Yolanda Méndez Torres lived in a society where sexual violence against girls often goes unreported and unpunished. In America , she joined legions of undocumented abuse victims who have little hope of finding justice. This narrative series chronicles Yolanda's crossing between the two worlds. Originally published in The Dallas Morning News (Dallas, TX), in Dec., 2006.

A Long Ride on the Thunderbolt

By William Birnbauer

This is the story of the confrontation between a man and a psychiatric doctor who treated him with unmodified electro-convulsive therapy as an adolescent, and the other forms of abuse he suffered. Originally published in The Age (Melbourne, Australia), on March 13, 1999.

Children of the Underground

By Mackenzie Carpenter and Allen Detrich

Part 1 of a Dart Award-winning account of the hidden network that shelters youngsters escaping from sexual or physical abuse at home — real or alleged — and a judicial system perceived as unwilling or unable to help them. Originally published in the Pittsburg Post-Gazette in December, 1997.