Articles

Should Domestic Violence Victims Go To Prison For Killing Their Abusers?

LadyKathryn Williams-Julien’s first childhood memory is of her father punching her mother in the face. She was 6. Her mother fell to the ground, where Williams-Julien was already cowering. They were eye-to-eye, mother and child, both trembling with fear. “Her whole face was covered with blood,” she said quietly, sitting…

Almost a Third of Mass Shooting Deaths in 2015 Were Related to Domestic Violence

Thirty-one percent of all mass shooting deaths in 2015 were related to domestic violence incidents, according to a New York Times analysis published Sunday. The New York Times examined violent episodes in which four or more people were killed or wounded by a firearm, including the shooter. In 2015, there…

Controlling UK Man Jailed for 28 Months

Mohammed Anwaar, 27, pleaded guilty to coercive and controlling behaviour. Legislation to make this type of behaviour a criminal offence was only introduced in December. Anwaar, of Charlotte Road, Sheffield, also admitted nine counts of assault and criminal damage. South Yorkshire Police said Anwaar had exercised "controlling and abusive behaviour over…

Advocates Have High Hopes for DV Hotline for Native Women

Rape and domestic violence against Native women have reached “epidemic proportions,” but the hotlines that could help are often unprepared for the unique cultural needs of tribal women who may live in rural areas with little support and a bewildering legal system. But that could be changing. Sometime this year,…

Domestic Violence Often Omitted from Sentencing Reforms

On March 8, the Iowa House of Representatives passed a bill setting new mandatory minimum sentences in domestic violence cases. Those convicted of domestic violence three times must serve 85 percent of their sentences prior to release, regardless of their conduct while imprisoned. The Iowa Senate voted unanimously to adopt…

Office on Violence Against Women Announces New Program to Support Tribal Governments

This new program was authorized in the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA 2013) and received its first appropriation in fiscal year 2016.  VAWA 2013 recognizes tribes’ inherent power to exercise “special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction” (SDVCJ) over certain defendants, regardless of their Indian or non-Indian status, who…

School crime rates down in most every category — except sex crimes at colleges

Postsecondary institutions reported a 34 percent decline in crimes between 2001 and 2013, with decreases in every category except forcible sex crimes, which rose 120 percent over the same period. It is not clear whether sex crimes are occurring more frequently or whether victims have become more willing to report…

Sexual Assault Ruling in Oklahoma Spurs Calls to Change State Laws

Outraged activists and prosecutors in Oklahoma called for changes to a state law on forced oral sex after a court rejected the prosecution of a teenage boy in Tulsa because his 16-year-old accuser had been intoxicated to the point of unconsciousness. “Forcible sodomy cannot occur where a victim is so…

Reentry Resources Available

The National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women has compiled a number of resource listings about survivors as they reenter their communities after being incarcerated in prison and/or jail.  READ MORE

At Brigham Young, a Cost in Reporting a Rape

Before she could move into a dormitory at Brigham Young University or sign up for freshman classes, Brooke had to sign the college’s Honor Code. Part moral compass and part contract, the Honor Code is a cornerstone of life for the nearly 30,000 students at Brigham Young, a Mormon-run university.…

Remembering Jen Wright

Jen Wright It’s so painful to lose colleagues and friends. We lost Jen Wright on March 16th to cancer; she was a great team member who gave so much to her work. Jen was a long-time staff member at Arrowhead Regional Corrections in Duluth, MN. Jen loved training too, she…

Federal Study Increases Understanding of Homeless Youth

The first-of-its-kind study, funded by ACF’s Family & Youth Services Bureau and conducted by researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, focused on 873 youth ages 14 to 21 in 11 cities. Respondents included street youth receiving services from ACF’s Street Outreach Program grantees and street youth who were not currently…

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Obama Designates New Women’s Equality Memorial

Obama created the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument with a presidential proclamation, honoring both Alva Belmont, the National Woman's Party benefactor, and Alice Paul, who founded the party and served as its chief strategist. Obama will deliver remarks Tuesday morning at the house, which served as the party's fifth headquarters,…

International Anti-Street Harassment Week, April 10-16

In its sixth year, Meet Us on the Street: International Anti-Street Harassment Week (April 10-16) will be observed in more than 30 countries. Tens of thousands of people in countries like Afghanistan, Australia, Cameroon, Chile, Egypt, France, Guatemala, the Maldives, Nepal, and Yemen will participate in actions that challenge the…

UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women Issues Annual Call for Proposals

The annual call for proposals is open for applications for the 20th cycle of grant giving from the ‪UN Trust Fund‬. The fund focuses on three priority areas including preventing violence, expanding access to critical services for survivors; and strengtheing the implementation of national laws. This year there is also a…

Woman Accused Of Murdering Her Abusive Ex Goes Free After Almost Three Years Behind Bars

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Twelve jurors found Cherelle Baldwin not guilty of murder on Thursday in the death of her ex-boyfriend, Jeffrey Brown.  Baldwin collapsed to the floor in tears as the verdict was announced.  “My baby,” she cried. “My baby will have his mommy back.” Police say Baldwin, 24, ran…

FL Judge Who Jailed DV Victim Admits Error

A Florida judge who sent a crying domestic violence victim to jail has finally admitted she was wrong. Seminole County Judge Jerri Collins has agreed to a public reprimand in a plea deal with the state, the Orlando Sentinel reported Thursday. Judge Collins had come under fire for berating and imprisoning the woman after she…

April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month

In the United States April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). The goal of SAAM is to raise public awareness about sexual violence and to educate communities on how to prevent it. READ MORE

CFFPP Releases New Report: “If I Had Money”

Children and teenagers need a variety of resources in order to thrive, grow, and later succeed as adults. They need the support and love of their parents and families, financial resources and economic stability, access to quality education, opportunities for employment, and avenues for contributing in other ways to their…

What it’s like to be a male survivor of sexual assault

If Adam slept through the night, he knew, it would be good day. But that didn't happen often, even after a relative stopped raping him. Now 34, Adam says the abuse began when he was 14 and stopped as soon as he turned 18. His relative warned him that if…