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Home > A-Z Health Topics > Violence Against Women > Government in action on violence against women

Government in action on violence against women

• About our programs
• Domestic Violence Awareness Month (October) – 2011 OWH Events
• HIV/AIDS-related Services for Survivors of Domestic Violence
• End violence against women on college/university campuses
• Project Connect: A coordinated public health initiative to prevent violence against women
• Special projects and pilot initiatives

About our programs

Team leaders:
Frances E. Ashe-Goins, R.N., M.P.H.
Aleisha Langhorne, M.P.H., M.H.S.A.

The Office on Women's Health (OWH) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) works to stop violence against women and girls in our country and around the world. It does this through both programs and policy work.

OWH coordinates partnerships within the department and with other federal, state, and local agencies. We do this in part through our coordination of the HHS Steering Committee on Violence Against Women and our staffing of the presidentially-appointed National Advisory Committee on Violence Against Women.

We also serve as the point of contact for HHS on violence against women issues. In that role we direct citizens, colleagues, and organizations to the appropriate office or agency to respond to inquiries and provide resources.

Through the work of our Regional Women's Health Offices, we have had an impact on domestic violence, sexual assault, and violence against girls throughout the country. The Regional Women's Health Coordinators have done groundbreaking work on the issues faced by women in prison, tribal women, and women in the U.S. territories. Learn more about regional activities on violence against women.

In past years, some of our work has focused on how violence affects women with disabilities, men as partners in prevention of violence, and enhancing college and university curriculums to include domestic violence and sexual assault issues.

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Domestic Violence Awareness Month (October) – 2011 OWH Events

Engaging Men in Stopping Violence Against Women Regional Town Halls

Vice President Joe Biden's commitment to ending violence against women has been unwavering. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that he authored has reshaped the way the United States responds to domestic violence and sexual assault by enhancing law enforcement practices, improving the criminal justice system, and creating a network of services for victims.

Even though there has been a tremendous amount of progress made, young women between the ages of 16-24 still experience high rates of sexual assault, stalking, and relationship violence. One in five women will be sexually assaulted while in college, and one in four women will be a victim of domestic violence in her lifetime. Vice President Biden recognizes that in order to change these statistics, it is imperative to involve men and boys in the effort to cease violence against women. Most males are not violent towards women, and we need to create opportunities for this silent majority to speak out.

In response to the Vice President's call to action and youth initiative, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development are collaborating to hold ten regional town hall events throughout the country during the last week of October 2011 on the topic of Engaging Men in Ending Violence Against Women.

Find an event near you.

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HIV/AIDS-related Services for Survivors of Domestic Violence

Team leader: Aleisha Langhorne, M.P.H., M.H.S.A., Health Scientist

Under this project, organizations develop and implement programs to address the connection between domestic violence and an increased risk of HIV/AIDS. The project primarily targets female survivors and victims of domestic violence. It trains domestic violence counselors to incorporate HIV/AIDS risk reduction strategies into their service delivery. The organizations providing services under this project title are:

• ENSYNC Diversified Management Services, Inc.
  Christine McMillon
  225 Waymont Court - Suite 111
  Lake Mary, FL 32746
  Email: ensyncdms@aol.com
• Messages of Empowerment Productions
  Quinn M. Gentry
  280 Highland Lake Trace
  Atlanta, GA 30349-3916
  Email: QuinnGP@aol.com
• Susan B. Spencer, Inc.
  Susan B. Spencer
  8016 Flourtown Avenue
  Wyndmoor, PA 19038-7920
  Email: sbspencer@comcast.net
• The Wright Group
  Amelia J. Cobb
  1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW - Suite 600
  Washington, DC 20004
  Email: acobb@twgstrategies.com
  Website: http://www.twgstrategies.com

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End violence against women on college/university campuses

Team Leader: Aleisha Langhorne, M.P.H., M.H.S.A.

This project has become a core component of OWH's Health and Wellness Initiative for Women Attending Minority Institutions.

The mission of the program is to develop and implement programs and policy to address violence against women (VAW) on college/university campuses across the United States

Objectives:

• Educate and engage students in the primary prevention of VAW
• Educate faculty, staff, and campus security and police concerning critical issues associated with VAW
• Establish on-campus task forces to enhance the sustainability of the program
• Develop and implement policy standards and protocols to address the specific needs of the college/university related to VAW

Under this project, organizations will develop and implement programs to address VAW on college/university campuses. The project targets female and male students of all ages and will train faculty, staff, and campus security/police concerning critical issues associated with VAW. This project is designed to ensure programs adequately and specifically address the needs of college/university women. There is also a parallel project component around men's support of women's health.

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Project Connect: A coordinated public health initiative to prevent violence against women

In collaboration with the Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF), OWH identifies and partners with statewide teams to improve the health and safety of women and children. Project connect: A coordinated public health initiative to prevent violence against women (called "Project Connect") is funded by the Office on Women's Health. It finds new ways to identify, respond to, and prevent domestic and sexual violence, and promotes an improved public health response to abuse. Project Connect funding stems from the health provisions in the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2005.

More than half the project's funds are directed to 10 geographically and ethnically diverse sites that will create comprehensive models of public health prevention and intervention that can lead to improved health and safety. Each site works with family planning, adolescent health, home visitation, and other maternal child health and perinatal programs to develop policy and public health responses to domestic and sexual violence. Project Connect grantees also provide basic health and reproductive health services in domestic and sexual violence programs.

The FVPF, in collaboration with OWH, provides technical assistance and monitors the grantees selected for Project Connect. Ten grantees were selected through a competitive process and were awarded $200,000 for implementation. The selected grantees are:

Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence Allie Bones, M.S.W. Executive Director 301 E. Bethany Home, Suite C-194 Phoenix, AZ 85012 Phone: 602-279-2900 x213 Fax: 602-279-2980 Email: execdir@azcadv.org Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence Jan Christiansen Associate Director 114 New Street, Suite B Decatur, GA 30030 Phone: 404-209-0280 x13 Fax: 404-766-3800 Email: jchrsitiansen@gcadv.org Nicole Lesser, L.C.S.W. Executive Director Phone: 404-209-0280 x14 Fax: 404-766-3800 Email: nlesser@gcadv.org Iowa Department of Public Health Binnie Le Hew, M.S.A. Project Director 321 E. 12th Street Des Moines, IA 50319-0075 Phone: 515-281-5032 Email: blehew@idph.state.ia.us Juli Montgomery Phone: 515-242-5933 Email: jmontgom@idph.state.ia.us K'ima:w Medical Center Marilyn Powell, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N. Outreach Manager P.O. Box 1288, 1200 Airport Road Hoopa, CA 95546 Phone: 530-625-4261 x289 Email: hupanurse@yahoo.com Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Kelly Jackson Project Coordinator 286 Water Street Augusta, ME 04330 Phone: 207-287-5136 Email: kelly.jackson@maine.gov Michigan Department of Community Health Jessica Grzywacz Director, Rape Prevention and Education Program P.O. Box 30195 Lansing, MI 48909 Phone: 517-335-8627 Fax: 517-335-9669 Email: grzywaczj@michigan.gov

Ohio Domestic Violence Network Nancy Grigsby Economic Empowerment Director 4807 Evanswood Drive, Suite 201 Columbus, OH 43229 Phone: 614-781-9651 Fax: 614-781-9652 Email: nancyg@odvn.org Rebecca Cline, L.I.S.W.-S, A.C.S.W. Prevention Programs Director Phone: 330-725-8405 Fax: 330-721-2472 Email: rclineodvn@aol.com, rebeccac@odvn.org Southern Indian Health Council Charity White Voth, M.S.W. Kumeyaay Family Services Director 4058 Willows Road Alpine, CA 91901 Phone: 619-445-1188 x383 Fax: 619-659-9782 Email: cwhite@sihc.org Jacqueline Manley, M.A. Domestic Violence Coordinator Phone: 619-445-1188 x206 Email: jmanley@sihc.org Texas Council on Family Violence Gloria Aguilera Terry President, Texas Council on Family Violence P.O. Box 161810 Austin, TX 78716 Phone: 512-794-1133 Fax: 512-794-1199 Email: gterry@tcfv.org Virginia Department of Health Laurie K. Crawford, M.P.A. Medical Outreach Coordinator, Division of Injury and Violence Prevention 109 Governor Street, 8th Floor Richmond, VA 23218 Phone: 804-864-7705 Fax: 804-864-7748 Email: laurie.crawford@vdh.virginia.gov

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Special projects and pilot initiatives

Women of Faith Advocacy Initiative

In 2009, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Women's Health (OWH) launched the Women of Faith Advocacy Initiative to explore how faith-based organizations (FBOs) can better serve victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Each participating organization is taking a unique approach to helping churches foster and practice greater advocacy for individuals affected by violence against women.

• Ann Arbor Community Center, Inc.
  Yolanda Whiten, M. Div.
  Executive Director
  625 North Main Street
  Ann Arbor, MI 48104
  Phone: 734-662-3128
  Fax: 734-662-1099
  Email: ywhiten@aacc1923.org
  Website: http://www.annarbor-communitycenter.org
• Alabaster Place, Inc. (Training and Development Center)
  Arlene Crump Peebles
  CEO and Executive Director
  Mailing Address: P. O. Box 73
  Winston-Salem, NC 27102-0073
  Physical Address: 4265 Brownsboro Road – Suite 206
  Winston-Salem, NC 27106
  Phone: 336-896-1367
  Email: alabasterplace@gmail.com
• Garden of Hope, Inc. Community Development Center
  Sharon D. Houston, M.S.W.
  Deputy Director
  1317 E. Brambleton Ave
  Norfolk, VA 23504
  Phone: 757-622-0760
  Fax: 757-662-1099
  Email: Sharon.Houston@gcfbaptistchurch.org

Content last updated June 8, 2011.

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