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, and well-being; (3) economic security and housing stability; (4) online safety; (5) legal and justice systems; (6) emergency preparedness and crisis response; and (7) research and data. Utilizing a breadth of guiding principles as the foundation for the plan’s development and implementation.
As an early supporter of the Plan, BWJP applauds the inclusion of funding through the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) for our National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms to “provide training and promote the effective implementation and enforcement of federal, state, and Tribal firearms prohibitions in domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking cases.” An investment that directly aligns with BWJP’s projects to address the increased lethality to survivors when firearms are present, and the general prevention of GBV nationwide.
In alignment, The Plan seeks to alleviate the criminalization of survivors through expanding options for survivors to seek safety and justice. The inclusion of criminalized survivor services illustrates a commitment to best practices as demonstrated by The National Defense Center for Criminalized Survivors.
Further, the Plan effectively engenders awareness of BWJP’s SAFeR approach to nationally train family court practitioners. The SAFeR framework is designed by the National Legal Center on Children and Domestic Violence to help gather, synthesize, and analyze information about the context and implications of domestic abuse in order to improve informed decision-making for advocates supporting survivors of GBV whose lives are being adjusted by the family court system.
BWJP is grateful to have informed the Plan by providing resources and insight into opportunities for supporting survivors of and advocates against GBV.
We remain committed to supporting the Biden Administration in advancing survivor-centered solutions and support, especially for those individuals and communities impacted most by systemic barriers within integral socioeconomic systems.
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About BWJP
BWJP is the National non-profit leader at the intersection of gender-based violence (GBV) and the law. BWJP is organized as a dynamic collection of national policy and practice centers that provide support, education, best practice, and innovation to advocates, systems professionals, community leaders, and policy experts. BWJP works with jurisdictions across the country to improve access to systems while paying attention to not causing further harm and injustice to historically marginalized communities. BWJP will continue this critical work to inform and keep survivors safe while supporting thriving families and communities. Find out more about BWJP at bwjp.org.
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