Domestic violence

October 19, 2009 -- Dover, DE – On the 15th Anniversary of landmark legislation that he helped pass as a staffer, U.S. Senator Ted Kaufman (D-DE) marked the celebration by recounting how far advocacy has come and highlighted the newest investment: $2 million to expand the efforts that have saved countless lives in Delaware.    » read more »

Project brings higher level of domestic violence expertise to child abuse cases

October 15, 2009 -- FORT LAUDERDALE – Florida Governor Charlie Crist, in observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, today applauded Florida’s Child Protective Investigator (CPI) project during a visit to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. The project, which teams child abuse investigators with domestic violence victim advocates, enhances services to families with children who are impacted by domestic violence.    » read more »

October 2, 2009 -- Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, submitted the following statement at yesterday’s Committee hearing concerning the global costs and consequences of violence against women.

“For too long, women have gotten short shrift in development and foreign policy. Women’s rights, women’s health, and violence against women have a history as being designated and denigrated as “soft” issues,” said Dodd. “The unassailable truth, however, is that promoting women’s rights, women’s health, and women’s empowerment are not simply idealistic, moral goals. Rather, they are some of our most effective tools in achieving America’s key foreign policy goals and meeting our most difficult challenges.”    » read more »

September 30, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman announced today that the U.S. Department of Justice has released over $3 million to help New Mexico combat violent crimes against women. The funds come from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women.

"The funds awarded today to New Mexico will enhance efforts to combat this serious problem," Bingaman said.

Funding was awarded to the following:

New Mexico Crime Victims Reparation Commission - $1.13 million: Funding will help the commission implement a variety of activities aimed at strengthening the justice system's response to violent crimes committed against women.    » read more »

New national poll reveals economic abuse defined differently on Main Street than Wall Street

Jun. 23, 2009 NORTHBROOK, Ill. -- While 70 percent of Americans know people who are or have been victims of domestic violence, nearly the same percentage of Americans fail to see a connection between domestic violence and "economic abuse," according to a new national poll released by The Allstate Foundation.

Economic abuse is a tactic commonly used by abusers to control their victims' finances and prevent them from leaving a dangerous relationship. However, the survey also revealed nearly eight out of 10 Americans link economic abuse to Wall Street woes or irresponsible spending.    » read more »

June 23, 2009, Anchorage, Alaska – Alaska Governor Sarah Palin today signed legislation expanding the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. The bill adds a rural representative to the council. It also adds a representative from the Department of Corrections.

“As Alaska’s governor, as a wife, mother, and as a woman, I am very aware of the atrocious domestic violence and sexual abuse and exploitation statistics that plague our state,” Governor Palin said. “Objectification contributes to high rates of abuse and exploitation by reinforcing a victim's belief that he or she has to endure abuse instead of being empowered to break away from it. This council's expanded efforts can help stop this violence. Together we can stand for what’s right and end abuse in Alaska.”    » read more »

Funds will strengthen victim services and bolster criminal justice programs across Indiana

May 19, 2009 -- Washington – Senator Evan Bayh today announced that Indiana will receive more than $2.8 million in funds to prevent violence against women under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) in Indianapolis will receive the funds from the Recovery Act STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program administered by the Department of Justice (DOJ). According to the ICJI, the funds will allow local jurisdictions in Indiana to hire more victim advocates and to create more training opportunities for police officers, prosecutors and other victim service providers.    » read more »

Will Strengthen Victim Services and Create Jobs; Department of Justice Awards Funding to Hire and Retain Criminal Justice Personnel to Respond to Violent Crimes Against

May 18, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. -- United States Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced the United States Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) will allocate $7,374,913 to New York State under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for the STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program.    » read more »

May 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall announced last week that the New Mexico Crime Victims Reparation Commission is set to receive $1.22 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help combat violent crimes against women.

“The funding released today will help support families whose lives have been touched by domestic violence, and holds abusers accountable for their criminal actions,” Bingaman said.

“Every time a violent act is committed against a woman, the devastating impacts are lasting and widespread,” said Udall. “Incidents of rape, domestic violence and stalking are never acceptable, and this funding will be used to crack down on these inexcusable acts within our communities.”    » read more »

March 26, 2009 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that the state is proposing to use over $2 million in federal stimulus funding and required state funds match for a wide range of programs to prevent violence against women and to help law enforcement prosecute sexual assaults and domestic violence.

Among other advances, the money would enable domestic violence shelters to be staffed 24 hours a day, fund a training program to address dating violence among teens and pay for medical experts trained to help sexual assault victims cope with the experience and trained to collect evidence necessary to prosecute their attackers.    » read more »

INVEST program targets high-risk victims in five counties

April 17, 2008 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum today formally announced the expansion of a successful pilot program to address rising numbers of fatal domestic violence cases in Florida. The INVEST program, which stands for Intimate Violence Enhanced Services Team, provides intensive prevention and protection services to domestic abuse victims identified as at high risk for fatal attacks in Alachua, Duval, Orange, St. Lucie and Seminole Counties. These five counties had the highest rates of domestic violence fatalities in the state in 2006.    » read more »

April 7, 2008 -- CHICAGO --The Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women's Network, in conjunction with U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D) and U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D), expressed outrage at the current Presidential Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2009. The request, released in February, would cut $120 million in often life saving DV services created and provided by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA.)

This funding “is not a priority for the President’s administration”, Durbin said at a news conference at the offices of the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network.    » read more »

February 4, 2008 -- Washington, DC – United States Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) and author of the landmark 1994 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) took the Administration to task today for drastic cuts in funding for crucial domestic violence programs.    » read more »

November 21, 2007 -- MADISON - The Wisconsin Department of Justice - Office of Crime Victim Services has released the 2006 Domestic Abuse Incident Report (DAIR). The annual report is compiled from data submitted by district attorneys' offices throughout the state and analyzes homicide statistics gathered by the Office of Justice Assistance.

Key findings of the report include:

* Wisconsin prosecutors reported 25,531 domestic abuse incidents referred to their offices by law enforcement during 2006.    » read more »

11/20/2007 -- It can come as a cruel word, a manipulating fear or a slap to the face. It never happens in some homes, and in others it happens every day. It is often hidden, shunned by polite society as something that only occurs on the bad side of town. It leaves its victims feeling hopeless and trapped, suffering silently and alone.

It is domestic abuse, and Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson and Wal-Mart are launching an innovative public awareness campaign in advance of the holiday season to help those who suffer under its tremendous weight.    » read more »