Law and Order: Special Victims Unit a.k.a. Law and Order: SVU is the longest running live-action show on television. Today is the premiere of season 20.
I started watching SVU in 2008 or 2009. The first episode I watched was 911 from season 7 episode 3 and I remember crying after watching the episode. I love how the show is helping people find healing and get justice.
Natalie Grant who is one of my favorite Christian singers of all time co-founded
Hope for Justice and one of her inspirations for starting the foundation was when she watched an episode of SVU. I think that’s actually how I found out about the show.
Hope for Justice is an organization whose mission is:
“We exist to bring an end to modern slavery by preventing exploitation, rescuing victims, restoring lives, and reforming society.” (Hope For Justice). Mariska Hargitay who is one of the original actors on SVU and an executive producer of SVU is the founder and president of
The Joyful Heart Foundation. The Joyful Heart Foundation is an organization whose mission is:
“Our mission is to transform society’s response to sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse, support survivors’ healing, and end this violence forever.” (The Joyful Heart Foundation).
Since watching SVU all these years there is one thing I’ve learned and that is to be more cautious and self-aware of my surroundings. Here are some things I do to keep myself safe:
Six years ago I started carrying
pepper spray wherever I go it is very affordable.
Pepper Spray is great because I can attach it to my keychain and wear it around my belt buckle. It’s good to have more than one in various places.
When walking, whether it’s taking my dogs or just myself I bring a
whistle with me. This is great because the sound of a
whistle is something you don’t normally hear, so it can help to deter people or even animals.
I am always listening to music and it’s a passion of mine, whether it’s playing an instrument or writing a song. I wear
headphones a lot because I connect with music better. When walking I don’t wear my
headphones. This is because I like to be aware of my surroundings, so if I do want to listen to music I’ll just play it through the speaker on my phone. I get the best of both worlds, listening to music, but also being safe at the same time.
4. Traveling at Night
If possible I try not to walk or travel at night. When I went to Europe I did some night traveling, but I was with a friend, so that helped a lot. When traveling at night the above steps still apply when possible. I mean you should be cautious when traveling during the daytime too, but more cautious at night because your visibility is low.
Law and Order: SVU is an amazing show. They talk about real issues that happen to people all around the world. The show helps to shed light on the topics that some people don’t necessarily want to talk about. I’m glad this show exists and I can’t wait to see what is going to happen this year on season 20.
RESOURCES
Hope for Justice: http://hopeforjustice.org/
The Joyful Heart Foundation Resources List: http://www.joyfulheartfoundation.org/resources
Some links in this blog post are affiliate links
