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Empowering Voices and Pursuing Justice: My Summer Internship Experience.

By Brionna Crawford, Intern, Summer 2023 My commitment to advocating for the rights of marginalized communities led me to pursue a summer internship at BWJP. When I learned about BWJP, I was inspired by the organization’s commitment to and results for domestic violence survivors. Throughout this transformative experience, I had the privilege of working alongside […]

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Post Separation Abuse. When to Consider Alternative Coparenting Methods with a High-Conflict Ex.

Anonymous What does Post-Separation Abuse Even Look Like?  For the first year after I left my abuser, he stalked me with an unrelenting focus at my dance classes, work, and home. He drove by my house and left random items on my car, texted and emailed me hundreds of times a day, used our children […]

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Four Ways to Get Back to School Safely When Using a Custody Agreement

For some parents and their children, the back-to-school season is exciting. It is full of gathering new school supplies and meeting new teachers; for others experiencing domestic violence, back to school can be very stressful, full of fear and unknowns. With schools opening their doors all over the country these next few weeks, it is […]

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Addressing Minority Mental Health with Onyx Therapy Group

By Meghan Wilhelm and Victoria Taylor, BWJP Communications Team The time to break down barriers to mental health care for minorities is now. We know that there are culturally-significant risk factors among female minority survivors of gender-based violence that dramatically exacerbate mental health challenges. Trauma and distress resulting from gender-based violence can lead to severe […]

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BWJP is excited to congratulate the Biden Administration on the introduction of the White House National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (the Plan)      

In response to the prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV), the Federal Government builds upon existing federal initiatives to advance an “unprecedented and comprehensive approach to preventing and addressing sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, and other forms of gender-based violence.”   The Plan executes its objectives through seven strategic pillars; (1) prevention; (2) support, healing, safety, […]

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BWJP Congratulates Ms. Rosie Hidalgo on Confirmation as Director of the Office on Violence Against Women       

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  BWJP Congratulates Ms. Rosie Hidalgo on Confirmation as Director of the Office on Violence Against Women  St. Paul, Minnesota – July 11, 2023 – BWJP (Battered Women’s Justice Project) is delighted to announce and celebrate the confirmation of Ms. Rosie Hidalgo as the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women at […]

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A Statement of Support to Our LGBTQ+ Colleagues, Supporters, Donors and Survivors      

In honor and appreciation of #Pride month, BWJP highlights our core value of standing in strong support and solidarity with and for all members of the LGBTQ+ community. We are committed to transforming ourselves, our governance, and our operational structures to foster an environment of validation, recognition, education, and joy with our LGBTQ+ colleagues, peers, […]

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BWJP Announces the Award of the Firearms Technical Assistance Program by the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). 

BWJP will oversee training and technical assistance for OVW grantee communities to address domestic violence-related homicides and injuries committed with firearms.   St. Paul, Minnesota – June 1, 2023 – BWJP, the national non-profit organization dedicated to addressing systemic responses to gender-based violence, today announced they have been awarded a grant from the Department of Justice’s […]

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BWJP Welcomes Lumarie Orozco, MA, as the new Project Director, Firearms Technical Assistance Project  

Lumarie Orozco will serve as the Project Director, Firearms Technical Assistance Project.   BWJP has hired Lumarie Orozco, MA to be the Director of FTAP. Ms. Orozco comes to BWJP from Esperanza United where she served as the Director of Special Initiatives and provided strategic culturally responsive training and technical assistance on issues relevant to lethality […]

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BWJP Welcomes Rachel Graber, MA, MSW, as the new Deputy Project Director for the Firearms Technical Assistance Project (FTAP) 

Rachel Graber will serve as the Deputy Project Director for the Firearms Technical Assistance Project (FTAP).   She comes to BWJP from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), where she served as the Director of Public Policy and then the Director of Public Affairs after NCADV’s merger with the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Graber has […]

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Behind Closed Doors: Unmasking the Lethal Link Between Firearms and Domestic Violence

Taking Back Control Podcast | Season 3 | Episode 1 Did you know the risk of homicide increases by at least 500% when a firearm is present? This means that a woman is five times more likely to be killed by her partner when the partner has access to a firearm. June is National Gun […]

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Supporting Mothers Who are Survivors in the Workplace     

By Patrice Tillery  According to a study by the Society for Human Resource Management, 65% of HR professionals reported that domestic violence had affected their workplace, with issues including decreased productivity, increased absenteeism, and increased healthcare costs. The same study found that only 13% of HR professionals felt very confident in their ability to recognize […]

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Women’s History Month 2023- Patrice Tillery  

This month, in honor of Women’s History Month, we are honoring Rising Stars and Mothers of the Movement. This month, in honor of Women’s History Month, we are honoring Rising Stars and Mothers of the Movement. Today, we are highlighting Rising Star, Patrice Tillery. Patrice Tillery graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a degree […]

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Press Release: BWJP Joins Domestic Violence and Gun Violence Prevention Organizations to File Amicus Brief to Overturn USA v. Rahimi.     

Washington, D.C., April 20, 2023 – Today, a coalition of gun violence prevention and domestic violence prevention groups filed an amicus brief before the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) petition for certiorari in USA v. Rahimi. The brief urges the Court to take up the case in order to overturn the Fifth […]

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Women’s History Month 2023- Lupe Serrano

This month, in honor of Women’s History Month, we are honoring Rising Stars and Mothers of the Movement. Today, we are highlighting Mother of the Movement, Lupe Serrano as shared by our Chief Executive Officer, Amy J. Sánchez.______________________________________________________________ I met Lupe in 1997 when we were members of a Board of Directors together.  Lupe was the […]

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Women’s History Month 2023- Maritza Valdez Fagin, M.P.A

This month, in honor of Women’s History Month, we are honoring Rising Stars and Mothers of the Movement. Today, we are highlighting Rising Star, Maritza Valdez Fagin, M.P.A. by  ______________________________________________________________ Maritza Valdez Fagin, M.P.A., is currently the Director of Operations at BWJP. She specializes in organizational development, capacity building, nonprofit management, sustainability, and grants management and compliance. Previously […]

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Women’s History Month 2023- Dr. Shamita Das Dasgupta

This month, in honor of Women’s History Month, we are honoring Rising Stars and Mothers of the Movement. Today, we are highlighting Mother of the Movement, Dr. Shamita Das Dasgupta. by Sujata Warrier ______________________________________________________________ I will always remember my first meeting with Shamita in 1988 when I moved to New Jersey and attended the monthly Manavi meeting. […]

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BWJP Congratulates the New Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services

BWJP is excited to congratulate the Biden Administration for the creation the Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services (OFVPS), under the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Formerly known as Family Violence Prevention & Service’s Act Program (FVPSA), the elevation of this Office will enhance […]

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Women’s History Month 2023- Ellen Pence  

This month, in honor of Women’s History Month, we are honoring Rising Stars and Mothers of the Movement. Today, we are highlighting Mother of the Movement, Ellen Pence, as shared by our Director of Policy and Practice, National Center on Legal Approaches to Prevent Family Violence, Kristine Lizdas Esq. ______________________________________________________________ Most of what we learn comes not […]

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Women’s History Month 2023- Tracy Shoberg  

This month, in honor of Women’s History Month, we are honoring Rising Stars and Mothers of the Movement. By Patrice Tillery This month, in honor of Women’s History Month, we are honoring Rising Stars and Mothers of the Movement. Today, we are highlighting Rising Star, Tracy Shoberg. Tracy Shoberg is the Deputy Director of the National Legal […]

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Women’s History Month 2023- Cynthia Mabry-King  

This month, in honor of Women’s History Month, we are honoring Rising Stars and Mothers of the Movement. By Christina M. Jones, Esq. Black people make up 5% of lawyers in America. Black women attorneys occupy an even smaller slice of that 5%. As a young Black woman entering law school, I knew that I was […]

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NCPOFFC: Tools and Resources for Attorneys and Advocates  

By the National Center on Protection Orders and Full Faith & Credit The process of obtaining a protection order and getting it enforced across jurisdictional lines can be daunting and complicated for a survivor. It is imperative that advocates and attorneys understand the laws that apply to these processes so that they can properly advise […]

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Women’s History Month – Kesimy Medina  

This month, in honor of Women’s History Month, we are honoring Rising Stars and Mothers of the Movement. Today, we are highlighting our first Rising Star, Kesimy Medina. By Patrice Tillery Kesimy Medina graduated magna cum laude from Methodist University, also receiving the Rebecca Woodward Wendelken History Writing Award and David G. Wilson Community Service Award. […]

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BWJP Welcomes Jennifer Waindle as the Project Director of the National Center on Improving Community Supervision Responses    

BWJP Welcomes Jennifer Waindle as the Project Director of the National Center on Improving Community Supervision Responses  Jennifer Waindle joins BWJP with extensive experience in domestic violence prevention and law enforcement. She has spent more than 17 years in various leadership roles in DeKalb County in metro Atlanta, helping protect victims and investigate and prosecute offenders while […]

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BWJP Reacts to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s Disappointing Ruling Undermining Federal Firearms Prohibitions for Persons Who Have Committed Acts of Domestic Violence     

ST. PAUL, MN – A federal court has ruled disarming people who have domestic violence protection orders against them does not “fit within our Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.” The court further wrote that the ban under 18 USC § 922(g)(8) is an “outlier that our ancestors would never have accepted.” This reckless interpretation […]

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Have We Been Desensitized to Stalking?     

By Bailey Skeeter and Patrice Tillery    Some people would rather be in jail than alone. Relationships can be emotional, meaningful, and complicated, but should never be dangerous. One way a relationship can become dangerous is through the crime of stalking.    The National Domestic Violence Hotline defines stalking as a pattern of behavior directed at a […]

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Human Trafficking isn’t just a Global Issue. It’s a Local Issue too.     

By Maria Jose Fletcher, Esq.  There are cruel people who take advantage of our most vulnerable for profit, pleasure, or both. We often think it is happening in areas that are foreign to us. But often, it happens right in our own communities.    Trafficking in human beings is rooted in cultural, social, political, and economic […]

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BWJP Welcomes Julia Weber Esq. MSW, as the Director of the National Center on Gun Violence in Relationships and the Project Director of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms.   

BWJP Welcomes Julia Weber Esq. MSW, as the Director of the National Center on Gun Violence in Relationships and the Project Director of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms.  Julia obtained her combined degrees in law and social work from Washington University in St. Louis and has worked for almost 30 years […]

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A Q&A with External Relation Intern Bailey

Bailey Skeeter College: Loyola University Maryland  Graduation Year: May 2023  Major: Psychology, Minor African American Studies From a psychological perspective, gender-based violence can have serious and lost-lasting effects on the mental health and well-being of survivors as rates of gender-based violence disproportionately impact women of color. Research has shown that women of color, particularly Black […]

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Why is it so hard to believe Black women?

Published by: Patrice Tillery, and Christina M. Jones, Esq. “Why did she lie?” “But she had sex with him.” “Her story has changed several times.”  As a victim of intimate partner violence, there are so many things that go through your mind while you are processing the situation. Like any other traumatic event, many people […]

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BWJP Welcomes Two New Staff Members – Patrice Tillery and Kesimy Medina

Patrice Tillery is BWJP’s new Development Coordinator.   Patrice Tillery is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park with over 15 years of experience in sales. She is excited to use her skill set to develop relationships that further the BWJP mission. She will assist the development team and help to shape strategies to […]

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BWJP Welcomes Kenneth Noyes, JD, Director of the Gender-Based Violence Initiative

Ken represented survivors in family courts and in the DC child welfare system for many years, which inspired his pursuit for social justice. Ken has considerable non-profit leadership experience having served as the Executive Director of the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence and as Chief Operations Officer of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. He worked […]

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BWJP Welcomes Maria Jose Fletcher,JD, Director of Our Newest Center, the National Center on Systems Change and Advocacy.

María José Fletcher, JD, is the Director of BWJP’s newest center, the National Center on Systems Change and Advocacy. María José, a migrant from Uruguay and then Peru, understands the struggles associated with leaving one’s home in search of safety. Witnessing firsthand the violence perpetrated against women and girls compelled her to dedicate her life […]

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BWJP Welcomes Rebecca Henry, JD, MA, our new Chief Program Officer

Rebecca has been working to mitigate gender-based violence for 25 years, representing female inmates harassed by guards, litigating complex custody cases with survivors, developing training and technical assistance for victims’ attorneys, and providing expert consultation to legislative staff. Most recently, Rebecca was Chief Counsel to the Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence (CDSV) at the […]

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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH 2022

OCTOBER 1 TAKING BACK CONTROL PODCAST EPISODE RELEASE: AN OPEN SECRET OCTOBER 11 CRITICAL ISSUES FORUM: COURT WATCH MONTGOMERY OCTOBER 12 TAKING BACK CONTROL PODCAST EPISODE RELEASE: COERCIVE CONTROL WITH WASHINGTON STATE COALITION OCTOBER 12 WEBINAR: SAFETY FOR NATIVE WOMEN POST CASTRO-HUERTA OCTOBER 17 TAKING BACK CONTROL PODCAST EPISODE RELEASE: CODIFYING COERCIVE CONTROL OCTOBER 17 […]

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BWJP Advocates for Solutions to the Gun Violence Epidemic

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  May 25, 2022  MEDIA CONTACT: Victoria Taylor, Communications Manager, BWJP | communications@bwjp.org   ST. PAUL, MN — The slaughter of innocent lives with a firearm happened again yesterday in the community of Uvalde, Texas. Just as it happened last week in Buffalo, New York, and Southern California, and as they have occurred 693 times in 2021 […]

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