Articles

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…

#Children and Teens

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…