BWJP is the national non-profit leader at the intersection of gender-based violence and the law. BWJP is a dynamic collection of national policy and practice centers which provide support, education, best practice, and innovation to advocates, systems professionals, community leaders, and policy experts. BWJP advocates for survivors of gender-based violence with both civil and criminal […]
Anonymous Many people are unaware that immigration abuse can be a tool of gender-based violence. Imagine being 21, prohibited from legally working, pregnant, and about to be deported. What other choice did I have but to marry him? I emigrated to the United States from the United Kingdom (a predominately white, wealthy country that the […]
Read More… from When Immigration Becomes a Tool in Intimate Partner Violence
Published by: David Keck Background check systems, such as the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), were created to work like a net; they are designed to catch and deter anyone not allowed to possess a gun before a purchase is completed. A net with a gaping hole in it, however, is not effective. Too much […]
Read More… from Reporting Domestic Offenses to Background Check Systems: Does it Really Matter?
As a gender-based violence organization, BWJP will always support the autonomy of survivors over their own lives and bodies. The Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to overturn the longstanding rights to privacy and abortion in Roe v. Wade takes away that decision-making for women. This is particularly harmful to survivors […]
Over the last 25 years, domestic violence advocates, organizations, and survivors have been pushing Congress to close the “boyfriend loophole.” Research has shown that approximately one-half of all intimate partner homicides involving firearms include relationships that are not covered under the current definition of domestic violence.1 BWJP applauds Congress for passing the Bipartisan Safer Communities […]
Read More… from You Thought the Boyfriend Loophole Was Closing… Not Exactly
Published by: David W. Keck, Project Director Gun violence in America is a public health epidemic. Gun deaths have eclipsed car accidents as the leading cause of death for Americans aged 19 and under*. These tragic deaths are predictable therefore they are preventable. Laws already exist that prohibit some individuals from having guns. Most states […]
Read More… from Letter from the NRCDVF Director on Gun Violence Solutions
To: Steve Dettelbach, Presidential Nominee for Director of ATF Mr. Dettelbach, Congratulations on your nomination for Director of ATF. BWJP and the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms, applaud your recommendation and are optimistic about your confirmation. We believe that now is the time for a closer look at the implementation of existing […]
Read More… from Statement from NRCDVF on Presidential Nominee for Director of ATF
anonymous Emotional abuse is just as real for children as it is for adults. As April is Child Abuse Prevention month, we must take this time to ensure that parents, caregivers, and other adults in children’s lives, are acutely aware of the emotional dangers of denying children of their whole selves. Bills are being considered […]
Read More… from Reaffirming My Transgender Child’s Identity is Not Child Abuse
By Ana M. Martinez-Mullen, Esq. and Tracy Shoberg, J.D., April 2022 Family Court systems are in dire need of reform. It gives parents who are survivors of intimate partner violence conflicting messages that can cost them custody of their children. If you are a parent with shared custody who takes action to protect your children […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: BWJP Supports the Biden Administration’s Newly Released Firearm Regulations on “Ghost Guns” April 12, 2022 ST. PAUL, M.N. – BWJP applauds President Biden’s newly released regulations to prevent the proliferation of untraceable firearms known as ghost guns. Ghost guns are assembled weapons from firearm kits purchased online or in stores. These privately made weapons are unregulated […]
Season 2 Episode 2: Justice for Survivors Charged With Crimes | Release Date 3/25/2022 The criminalization of survivors of gender-based violence is not new. Survivors end up inside the criminal justice system in so many ways. We talk to Cindene Pezzell, Legal Director of the National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women, an organization […]
March 25th, 2022 BWJP is excited to announce two internal leadership promotions. Monica Player, JD, will serve as the next Director of the National Center on Protection Orders and Full Faith & Credit (“NCPOFFC”), and Christina Jones JD, will serve as the new Chief Executive of External Relations. “I am thrilled that both Monica and […]
By Victoria Taylor | March 24th 2022 My bisexuality was to be hidden, a forbidden topic of conversation, unless it was wanted to use in the context of his fantasies. Sometimes my sexual identity was “hot”, and I was badgered for threesomes with other women, the next I was a “slut” for having feelings for […]
Read More… from Protecting Physical Safety and Honoring Bisexual Health Month
March 23rd, 2022 BWJP announces that Millicent Shaw Phipps is stepping down as the Director of the National Center on Protection Orders and Full Faith & Credit after a sixteen-year tenure at BWJP and an eighteen-year tenure as NCPOFFC Director. Under her leadership, NCPOFFC grew exponentially, and provided national leadership on one of the essential […]
Read More… from BWJP Announces the Departure of Millicent Shaw Phipps
March 18th, 2022 With a new Executive Director at the helm, BWJP is entering an exciting phase in its work. Building on existing relationships and past accomplishments, BWJP will continue to broker meaningful community engagement to ensure systems accountability. Using an intersectional lens and analysis, our work will uplift the voices of all survivors, especially […]
March 14th, 2022 The Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) is gearing up for its FY22 Discretionary Grant Reviews and has incorporated a Reviewer Recruitment campaign designed to allow for widest dissemination of efforts and to secure the most qualified reviewers to support its program grant reviews. Please find the application packets here: General Recruitment Notification as […]
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March 11th, 2022 BWJP is thrilled that the Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”) has been passed by both chambers of the United States Congress. This pivotal piece of legislation is vital in protecting all people against gender-based violence. “VAWA is critical legislation for the country,” says Amy J. Sánchez, BWJP’s Chief Executive Officer, “It provides much needed […]
By Sujata Warrier Ph.D. and Christina M. Jones, J.D. | March 8th, 2022 As the national resource center on civil and criminal justice response to gender-based violence, we strongly condemn all forms of sexual violence and on International Women’s Day we want to call out sexual violence that is used in conflict-affected and war-torn areas as […]
Read More… from International Women’s Day and Sexual Assault as a Tactic in War-Torn Areas
By Alicia Nichols, LSW and Christina Jones, Esq. “No man will ever hit me. You just can’t hit a Black woman. We won’t stand for that.” As a twenty-something domestic violence advocate, these words stunned me. I was facilitating an exercise for a group of professionals to shed light on how women experience domestic violence […]
Read More… from Black Women Deserve the Right to be Free from Violence
Season 2 Episode 2: Teens Deserve Protection Too | Release Date 2/25/2022 Teens and young people deserve to be safe from abusive behaviors. Did you know that most jurisdictions have a separate process for teens to receive protection orders? In this episode, we talk with BWJP Attorney-Advisor Sarah Henry about what the National Center on […]
Season 2 Episode 1: Using Our Platform to Inform Policy | Release Date 2/25/2022 The best national policy is informed by the real-world experiences of the people who policies affect. BWJP recently responded to the Biden Administration’s National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality. In this episode, we talk to BWJP CEO Amy Sánchez about […]
Christina M. Jones J.D. | February 16, 2022 Maybe you could say the first public outburst of love was endearing. The second may have been embarrassing for most, but they are such a public couple. After moving in across the street and berating her parenting across social media platforms, it was time to stop excusing […]
Read More… from Don’t Gaslight Me. Emotional Abuse is Abuse.
January 18, 2022 BWJP’s National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms is excited to announce a new project made possible with support from The Joyce Foundation. Over the next twelve months the project, Building a Community of Practice: Increasing Survivor Safety from Firearms, will form a community of practice that brings together domestic violence […]
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January 6, 2022 BWJP has been providing resources, trainings, programmatic innovations and much more for 30 years now. While we have been very successful at this (we know because you are reading this and using the resources!), it’s time to talk about our outdated brand and cumbersome website. It is time for a change. We […]
January 4, 2022 BWJP’s Director of Policy Initiatives, Kristine Lizdas, has been appointed to the Committee for Equality and Justice (CEJ) of the Minnesota Judicial Branch. The CEJ is was established to serve as an advisory committee to Minnesota’s Judicial Council. The mission of the CEJ is to work collaboratively across the Judicial Branch to advance […]
Read More… from BWJP Director, Kristine, Appointed to CEJ Minnesota Judicial Branch
December 7, 2021 BWJP is proud to support the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Sexual Assault in the Military, along with the visionary leadership of President Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. These changes will ensure that any service member who experiences sexual assault, domestic […]
Read More… from BWJP Applauds Bipartisan Agreement addressing Military Sexual Assault in the NDAA
Season 1 Episode 8: The Loyalty Trap: Black Women, Domestic Violence and Firearms | Release Date 11/22/2021 In the 1980s, Dr. Beth Ritchie coined the concept of “The Trap of Loyalty.” The term refers to the immense pressure that black women feel to protect black men even at the expense of their own bodies. In […]
BWJP is excited to be a part of Jon Stewart’s new show ‘The Problem with Jon Stewart’. In this new series only available on Apple TV, Jon Stewart brings together people impacted by different parts of a problem to discuss how we produce change. The BWJP Firearms team engaged in an interview for their […]
Read More… from BWJP Featured on ‘The Problem with Jon Stewart’ Show
A STATEMENT SUPPORTING ASSESSMENT OF THE NATURE, CONTEXT AND EFFECTS OF ABUSE IN FAMILY COURT SETTING The National Custody Strategy Network (NCSN) is a professional network of multidisciplinary practitioners and advocates for survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) from state and national organizations striving to achieve better, safer outcomes for children and their families in […]
Read More… from National Custody Strategy Network – A Statement on IPV and Co-Occurring Child Abuse
Season 1 Episode 7: The Lived Perspectives of Latina Survivors | Release Date 10/29/2021 This episode is recorded in Spanish // Este episodio está grabado en español Rosario de la Torre es Co-directora de apoyo a las familias y participación comunitaria de la organización Esperanza United. Rosario a dedicado su vida profesional a ser intercesora […]
Season 1 Episode 6: How we can better serve victim-survivors who identify as LGBTQ+ | Release Date 10/29/2021 The most predictive indicator of domestic violence is gender. In most cases, a woman is being abused by a man. Most systems operate with the assumption that a woman is being abused by a man. But how […]
Season 1 Episode 5: Reclaiming Bodily Sovereignty | Release Date 10/15/2021 Centering the stories of Native women and girls are essential because they are disproportionately impacted by intimate partner violence. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Corrine Sanchez of Tewa Women United to dig deeper in what it means to reclaim bodily sovereignty for […]
Season 1 Episode 3: Hearing the Authentic Voices of Black Women | Release Date 10/8/2021 Advocates across the country have been doing some amazing work in culturally specific communities. Antonia Drew Vann, Director and Founder of the The Asha Project, has been working with black survivors of domestic violence for over 30 years. In this […]
Season 1 Episode 4: Centering the Stories of the Hmong Community | Release Date 10/8/2021 In this episode, we talk to Kabzuag Vaj, Co-Executive Director of Freedom, Inc. Kabzuag is a longtime advocate and proud Hmong-American who has spent her life working to build collective power and social change. We talk to her about the […]
Season 1 Episode 2: The Stories That we Tell | Release Date 10/1/2021 In this episode, we talk with BWJP Chief Strategy Officer Dr. Sujata Warrier about the history of the advocacy movement and the importance of using your privilege to lift up others. Resources mentioned in this episode: Reach out to Sujata at swarrier@bwjp.org […]
Season 1 Episode 1: Organizational Shifts and How to Bring your Whole Self to Work | Release Date 10/1/2021 Welcome to episode one of BWJP’s Taking Back Control. In this inaugural episode, we talk to BWJP CEO Amy Sanchez about the importance of bringing your full self to the table and the importance of amplifying […]
BWJP expresses their deep gratitude to Ms. Frederick for her 26 years of work with BWJP to improve the legal system’s response to domestic violence Minneapolis, MN Release: September 1, 2021 For Immediate Release BWJP today recognizes Loretta M. Frederick, JD, the organization’s Senior Legal and Policy Advisor, in her retirement effective September 2nd, 2021. […]
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About Us: The Battered Women’s Justice Project (BWJP) is a national legal resource & center on civil and criminal justice system responses to gender-based violence (GBV). BWJP provides expert training, policy analyses, and consultation to various constituencies including advocates, GBV programs and coalitions, communities, national leaders, and elected officials. With a new Executive Director at […]
Read about our challenges and successes, and find your name in our list of donors in our most recent Annual Report. […]
In our grant report, we emphasize the importance of BWJP’s SAFeR approach to our current moment. As we face increasing incidence of domestic violence, an uprising against police brutality, and widespread distrust of the legal systems that we’ve conventionally used to respond to domestic violence, our SAFeR approach can lead to better outcomes in child custody cases involving […]
Online processes can increase access to dispute resolution for some domestic violence survivors. They can be out of reach for others who don’t have access to private space, reliable internet, uncompromised electronic devices, or basic technical know-how. Online dispute resolution can also expand opportunities for abuse. Mediators can’t afford to jump into online processes without […]
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The Board of the Battered Women’s Justice Project (BWJP) is delighted to announce the appointment of Amy Sanchez as its Executive Director effective September 28, 2020. A thorough national search has resulted in a stellar candidate and we now look forward to supporting her leadership! For the past five years, Amy has served as the […]
The brutal murder of George Floyd was senseless and horrific, shocking the conscience of anyone who views the video. Our hearts are with his loved ones and with all people who know and fear brutality from those who take an oath to serve and protect. To our country’s great shame, acts of state violence continue […]
In situations involving a coercive controlling parent, shared legal custody can be a pathway for an abusive parent to exercise power over the victim-parent and child. During this pandemic, decisions about a child’s education, healthcare, and at-home life are even more critical, and the opportunities for abusers to manipulate and entrap are increased. […]
Read More… from COVID-19, Coercive Control, and Shared Parenting
In the first week of April, BWJP staff sat in on a Zoom call with over 75 people in Miami-Dade County working together in responding to intimate partner violence during the current public health crisis. Professionals on the call included judges, court staff, domestic violence shelter advocates, people working with farmworkers, batterer intervention programs, law […]
Read More… from Centering Intimate Partner Violence: Miami-Dade’s COVID-19 Response
The Battered Women’s Justice Project seeks a strong, creative, seasoned leader who is oriented toward social justice, committed to ending gender-based violence, and has deep respect for advocacy and diversity, equity and inclusion practices. Find the full position description and application instructions in this document. […]
As COVID-19 spreads across the globe and into our homes, domestic abusers are finding new ways to exercise coercive control. This short video describes how abusers can exploit social distancing and shelter-in-place policies to achieve power and control over household members. You can download a PDF file of the COVID-19 Coercive Control Wheel here. […]
Read More… from Coercive Control during COVID-19: New Tactics
As we all strive to minimize the loss of life caused by COVID-19’s spread around the globe, those of us in the intimate partner violence sphere are preparing for an increase in domestic violence, as well as an increase in the lethality of domestic violence amid the spike in firearm and ammunition sales in recent […]
Read More… from Intimate Partner Violence in a COVID-19 World
Every domestic violence case is unique, and a one-size-fits-all approach often does victims/survivors a disservice. In the fourth and final video in our series, Loretta Frederick, Senior Legal Policy Advisor at BWJP, introduces the SAFeR Approach, a tool for identifying, assessing, and responding to domestic violence in child custody cases. BWJP offers SAFeR trainings upon request. […]
The third video in our series–the second focusing on trauma-informed advocacy–is now available! Listen to Sarah Super, Training & Curriculum Specialist with BWJP, explain the importance of helping victims/survivors restore their trust in her second video. […]
Read More… from Trauma-Informed Advocacy, Part II: Restoring Trust
The second video in our series, focusing on trauma-informed advocacy, is now live. Listen to Sarah Super, Training & Curriculum Specialist with BWJP, explain the basics of how to support survivors/victims to rebuild their own agency in the first of two videos on the topic. […]
Read More… from Trauma-Informed Advocacy, Part I: Rebuilding Agency
The phrase “high conflict” pervades the family court system. Interactions between parties are “high conflict;” separations may be “high conflict;” even parenting practices are labeled “high conflict.” Given how often the term is used in the family court system, it is surprising how little consensus there is about the term “high conflict” itself. The ambiguity […]
Over the last four months, BWJP has worked to produce four videos on different topics in domestic violence. We’re proud to announce that the first of those videos, on the overlap of domestic violence and firearm use, is available for viewing. Watch it below now! […]
Read More… from Now Live: Intersection of Firearms and Domestic Violence
Published by: Kelly Roskam and Vicka Chaplin In March of 2013, shortly after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, experts in the areas of mental health, public health, law enforcement, law and gun violence prevention met for a two-day conference to discuss research and identify areas of consensus regarding the intersection of gun violence, […]
Salem, Massachusetts, with a population of approximately 43,132, has a police force of 90 officers and uses a community policing model. Like many jurisdictions across the country, the population of Salem includes many residents with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). Officer Mike LaRiviere Officer Michael LaRiviere joined the Salem Police Department in 1989 and is currently […]
Several studies estimate the rate of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration in the military from 13.3 percent to 47 percent among male active duty servicemembers, and 13.5 percent to 42 percent among male veterans. While the intersection of IPV and the military is not a new issue, there has been a significant increase in public […]
Read More… from Firearms and Ammunition Prohibitions in the Military
Background check systems, such as the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), were created to work like a net; they are designed to catch and deter anyone not allowed to possess a gun before a purchase is completed. A net with a gaping hole in it, however, is not effective. Too much slips through, […]
Read More… from Reporting Domestic Offenses to Background Check Systems: Does it Really Matter?
Six in ten Native women will be physically assaulted at some point in their lives and, on some reservations, the murder rate for Native women is ten times the national average. For Native women, the lethal threat a gun poses in the home of a domestic violence perpetrator is especially severe given that guns are involved […]
Read More… from Preventing Gun Violence Against Native Women
On Sunday, November 5, a man shot and killed 26 people and injured at least 20 others at a church service in Sutherland Springs, TX. Our hearts ache for the families and everyone affected by this tragedy. According to the Associated Press, the gunman had a history of domestic violence. Recognizing the danger posed by domestic violence offenders […]
Read More… from The Texas Church Massacre and Preventing Domestic Violence-Related Gun Violence
As an Equal Justice Works Fellow, Katie will work with BWJP to improve outcomes for battered women and their children by developing tools and trainings for Child Protection Services workers to better address cases involving domestic violence. With the assistance of individuals at BWJP, Katie developed a project aimed at helping both children and mothers […]
