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Supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Survivors of Intimate-Partner Violence: Resources for Attorneys and Advocates

By Sarah Hur, Deputy Director, National Restraining Order Center April 2026 Attorneys and advocates working with Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) survivors of intimate-partner violence often navigate a complex intersection of cultural and linguistic differences that shape how survivors engage with the legal system.  At the National Restraining Order…

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2026 BWJP Rising Stars – Meghan Dunlap

“When it comes to gender-based violence, you just never know what’s going on behind closed doors, so you have to have an open mind, and an open heart, and be there for people.”  - Meghan Dunlap, Communications Associate, External Relations March is Women’s History Month, and this month we are featuring…

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Everyone’s Mother-In-Law

By Cindene Pezzell, Esq. Director, The National Defense Center for Criminalized Survivors Clara Shortridge Foltz This is the time of year that the justice community celebrates Clarence Earl Gideon. On March 18, 1963, his landmark case before the United States Supreme Court enshrined the Constitutional right to counsel for indigent people charged with crimes. The mandate that states fund representation…

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2026 BWJP Rising Stars – Irene Avina

“Being able to create a vision for the future comes from safety and safe relationships.” -Irene Avina, LCSW, MSW, Project Assistant, Firearms Technical Assistance Project   As we recognize Women’s History Month, we are highlighting Rising Stars, members of our staff building on the legacy of so many leaders in our movement.  …

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2026 BWJP Rising Stars – Patrick Cunningham

  “It’s important to treat people with kindness and empathy. Just because somebody has a charge doesn’t mean they’re a monster. That distinction is important.” -Patrick Cunningham, Defense Based Advocate, National Defense Center for Criminalized Survivors   This month we are featuring some of the Rising Stars of BWJP who are rising through the ranks and actively impacting our movement.    Meet Patrick Cunningham, an…

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2026 BWJP Rising Stars – Saba Ghori

“The driving force for me is this need to make change from the grassroots, at the community level, and start changing these stories for women.” - Saba Ghori, Director, Center on Global Rights for Women March is Women’s History Month, and Sunday is International Women’s Day and to celebrate this month we are featuring some of…

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What I Learned While Working with Young Survivors 

By: Megan BeldenESQ. Senior Attorney Advisor, National Restraining Order Center One in three.  That’s how many teens will experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse by someone that they are in a relationship with during their teenage years.1   My first job as a real-life attorney, actually representing survivors of intimate partner violence in court, was at the non-profit Break the…

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GrokAI, NCII, and the Fight to Protect Women and Girls Online 

By: Rachel E. Barkley, JD MBA, Staff Attorney, National Center for Legal Approaches to Prevent Family Violence Late December 2025, X users began leveraging GrokAI, X’s automated chatbot, to create nonconsensual sexually suggestive and explicit images of women and children. These images, which were developed through Grok’s image generation tools and its recently…

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Opening Doors for Trafficking Survivors

Each January, Human Trafficking Awareness Month invites us to confront a form of violence that is widespread, often hidden, and deeply interconnected with other forms of harm. Human trafficking—including both sex trafficking and labor trafficking—rarely occurs in isolation. While sex trafficking often receives more public and media attention, labor trafficking…

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Savanna’s Law: What Tennessee’s New Domestic Violence Registry Means for Safety and Accountability

By: Jennifer Waindle, MS, Deputy Director, National Center on Legal Approaches to Prevent Family Violence  Tennessee has begun implementing a new law designed to increase public awareness and safety by registering repeat domestic violence offenders. Formally known as “Savanna’s Law,” House Bill 1200 was signed by Governor Bill Lee on…

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