OVW joins the nation in recognizing February as National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month (TDVAM).  In his Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Month Proclamation President Obama called on all Americans “to stand against dating violence when we see it.”  At a time when an estimated 1 in 10 teens will experience dating violence we all must take this opportunity to amplify our efforts and shine a spotlight on this important issue. 

 Teen dating violence is violence committed by a person who is or has been in a romantic or intimate relationship with the victim.  It can include physical, sexual, emotional, and verbal violence or abuse, financial control and stalking.  Teen dating violence has negative effects on the mental and physical health of youth, as well as on their school performance.  It can also be a predictor of intimate partner violence and sexual violence perpetration or victimization in later life.  1 in 5 women and nearly 1 in 7 men who have experienced domestic violence first experienced this kind of violence when they were between 11 and 17 years old.  And, we know that if we intervene early, we can often prevent perpetration and victimization in the future. 

 I would like to share some concrete ways that youth and adults can participate in raising awareness about teen dating violence in your community.  By engaging youth, we can prevent the destructive cycle of abuse and promote safe, healthy relationships among young people.  I am excited to announce the release of innovative new tools created by OVW technical assistance providers.  These remarkable resources can be used throughout the month of February – and beyond. 

•  Safety Planning Guide – a project of Break the Cycle and the National Dating Abuse Helpline.  The interactive planning guide allows youth to create a personalized safety plan for work, school, home and while out with a partner.  It also provides tips, local resources, and a pocket-sized personalized safety checklist.   
•  teenDVmonth Toolkit – a brand new toolkit released by Break the Cycle just in time for TDVAM.  The toolkit provides adult allies with resources to engage communities, especially youth, in a discussion about healthy relationships. 
• What’s Real Tool Kit – The Idaho Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence’s Center for Healthy Teen Relationships’ new toolkit has an array of resources for use year-round as well as during TDVAM.  It includes a youth-led positive social marketing campaign; posters, stickers, bookmarks, and other materials to engage both youth and adult influencers; and reproducible materials you can use to engage youth online. 
•  That’s Not Cool Ambassador Program – the Ambassador Program is a unique opportunity for teens to raise awareness with friends, family, and the community at large.  By completing monthly challenges, That’s Not Cool Ambassadors contribute their unique voices to this national initiative while helping to raise awareness about digital dating abuse in their schools and local communities.  All teens and tweens across the country are invited to join this Futures Without Violence initiative. 

 There are countless programs, organizations and dedicated individuals who are tireless in their efforts to prevent abuse in dating relationships, and I applaud all of your efforts. 

 OVW’s youth-serving grantees tell us that everyone can make a difference by reaching out to young people in simple ways.  As we interact with teens in our work or personal lives each of us can act on President Obama’s call to stand against teen dating violence by:

•  Discussing the warning signs of dating abuse (all kinds, not just physical abuse). 
•  Creating a positive connection to the issue – talk about the characteristics of healthy teen relationships, not just abusive ones – and use statistics sparingly. 
•  Talking about how the media portrays healthy and unhealthy relationships.  For example, many popular movies, TV shows, commercials, books, and magazines portray stalking as romantic or harmless when it is actually very dangerous. 
•  Getting involved even if you don’t have a lot of resources – an information table, classroom discussion, or school announcement can get the conversation started. 

 Anyone can participate in TDVAM!  Visit TeenDVmonth.org – an online hub for national activities and promotion of TDVAM.  The website offers resources for youth, adults and communities that want to plan awareness-raising activities in February. 

 Consider one of the following activities:

• Request a TDVAM proclamation from your state or local government, such as this example from Minnesota.
• Register your local school for the National School Announcement.
• Ask local school teachers to include a discussion about healthy relationships in their February lesson plans.
• Write an op-ed in your local newspaper.
• Support youth-led events and projects.

The staff at OVW and I are excited to dive into the month of February and make the increased focus on teen dating violence the new norm as we welcome 2013 – A year that we hope will mark progress and positive change in the field of domestic, sexual  and teen dating violence prevention.

Every morning at the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), as one of our first items of business, my staff and I check the headlines related to violence against women – many of those stories involve stalking. On just one day, I read about a murder suspect who was arrested for stalking a witness; a man who was found guilty by a federal jury of stalking his estranged wife and taking her across the state line; and a man who pled guilty to stalking a 13-year-old boy. This small sample illustrates just how complex, misunderstood, and highly underestimated the crime of stalking is in communities across our nation.

Stalking is more prevalent than many people realize, affecting more than six million people a year. One in 6 women and 1 in 19 men have experienced serious stalking victimization at some point during their lifetime. As the headlines suggest, anyone can be a victim of stalking, but females are nearly three times more likely to be stalked than males, and young adults have the highest rates of stalking victimization.

Unfortunately, stalking is still not widely recognized as a dangerous crime that is often a precursor for serious violence, including rape and homicide, and a terrifying aspect of domestic violence. The media too often trivializes it – portraying stalking as romantic or comedic rather than traumatizing and potentially lethal. We can all picture advertisements, songs and movies that send young people the insidious message that stalking is a way to express love. However, many of us are working to counteract these negative messages and speak out on behalf of victims in our communities.

This Administration is focused on the issue of stalking and has expressed its commitment to developing a strong criminal justice response and providing victims with the appropriate services and supports they need. As the President stated in his proclamation of January as National Stalking Awareness Month, the last year has seen remarkable efforts and marked progress in communities that are tackling this issue.  I’d like to take a moment to recognize some of the exceptional work that is taking place nationwide:

• In Palm Beach County, Florida, victim service and criminal justice professionals formed an Anti-Stalking Multidisciplinary Collaborative. They received national and state training on stalking issues and developed an anti-stalking toolkit as a resource for all victim service professionals throughout Palm Beach County.
• The Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence secured a grant to develop kits to help victims document stalking. The kits include logs, digital recorders, and other resources to assist victims in substantiating the stalking behaviors they experience.
• The University of Iowa organized a group of stakeholders to enhance campus policies that address stalking, including the student code of conduct, anti-violence policies and anti-sexual harassment policies.
• The Iowa Attorney General’s Crime Victim Assistance Division along with other agencies including the Law Enforcement Academy, Medical Examiner’s Office, Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and the Departments of Public Health and Public Safety teamed up to conduct a series of multi-disciplinary conferences on responding to victims of stalking.
• The University of Kentucky Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History and OutrageUs launched “The Stalking Project,” a series of videos and other resources designed to educate and shine a spotlight on one of the nation’s most misunderstood areas of partner violence. The Stalking Project hopes to give voice to the often silent victims of stalking.
• Florida and Arizona strengthened their stalking statutes by amending their laws to include any contacts or threats made by electronic communication.

OVW has played an active role in educating and raising awareness about the crime of stalking. We fund both formula and discretionary grant programs that address the crime of stalking. The OVW-supported National Center for Victims of Crime Stalking Resource Center has provided training to tens of thousands of victim service providers and criminal justice professionals throughout the United States on stalking dynamics, legal remedies, multidisciplinary efforts, practitioner-specific practices, and the use of technology to stalk. I encourage you to visit their Stalking Awareness Month website to learn more about stalking and what you can do to stop it.

During Stalking Awareness Month, please take a few minutes to learn more about programs and initiatives like the ones I list above. Spread the word about the dangers of stalking and let your friends, colleagues, social networks, campuses, and communities know that this is a serious issue with a direct correlation to violence and homicide. We need your help to raise the nation’s awareness and put stalking prevention, intervention, and prosecution front and center. We cannot prevent violence against women until we make ending stalking a priority.

This month, we celebrated two important and globally recognized awareness days: World AIDS Day, observed on December 1st, and Human Rights Day, observed on December 10th.

In the Proclamation that President Obama issued to commemorate World AIDS Day 2012, he highlighted the Administration’s pledge to prevent the spread of AIDS, to rid our nation of the stigma that people with HIV/AIDS often encounter, and, ultimately, to end this destructive epidemic. The President’s commitment to address HIV/AIDS among the most vulnerable populations led to the creation of the White House Working Group on the Intersection of HIV/AIDS, Violence Against Women and Girls, and Gender-related Health Disparities. The intersection of HIV/AIDS and violence against women is a priority that is of great concern to OVW, and I am honored to participate in this White House Working Group with the White House Advisor on Violence Against Women and the Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy.

At the end of 2010, it was estimated that out of the 34 million adults worldwide living with HIV and AIDS, half were women. This epidemic has had a unique impact on women. Women are at greater risk of heterosexual transmission of HIV, and in the U.S., women of color, particularly African-American women, have been especially affected. Women of color represent the majority of new HIV/AIDS cases among women, and are the majority of women living with this disease. We know that nearly 1 in 4 women report being subjected to severe physical violence by an intimate partner, nearly 1 in 5 women in the U.S. have been raped at some time in their lives, and that rape increases vulnerability to contracting HIV.

World AIDS Day helped to shine a spotlight on the fact that the intersection of gender-based violence and gender-related health disparities cannot be ignored when addressing the public health threat of HIV/AIDS. These are complex issues and OVW staff recognizes the need to reach out to and engage a wide variety of communities, especially traditionally underserved communities, in order to address these issues. As we move forward with the commitment, leadership, and full support of this Administration, coupled with organizations working on violence against women issues partnering with HIV/AIDS service organizations, I believe we will better understand and be better positioned to address the intersections, overlaps, and impacts of HIV/AIDS and violence against women. It is clear that we have started to address these issues, but there is much more that needs to be done.

For Human Rights Day, President Obama issued a powerful proclamation that reinforced the rights and dignity of all people worldwide. This year, Human Rights Day shined a spotlight on the rights of all people — women, youth, minorities, persons with disabilities, the LGBT community, indigenous people, the poor and marginalized — and asserted the need to make their voices heard in public life and political decision-making. At OVW, we recognize our responsibility to reach out to and engage all communities and are working to ensure that our initiatives and grant programs speak to this commitment.

Immediately following Human Rights Day, I participated in the UN-Women Stakeholders’ Forum at the United Nations headquarters entitled “Preventing and Eliminating Violence Against Women.” The Stakeholders’ Forum was a precursor to the 57th United Nations Convention on the Status of Women which will take place in March 2013. I spoke about the need to ensure leadership, coordination, and to meet resource challenges to end violence against women. My remarks focused on the significant strides our nation has made in developing effective community responses to violence against women. A core lesson from our efforts is that individual communities, guided by the voices of victims, must come together to develop specific coordinated responses that work for that particular community and for the diverse groups that make up the community. While individual community responses will necessarily differ, a successful response will include two core elements. First, attitudes, practices and policies that condone violence and blame victims should be replaced with (1) an appropriate criminal justice response that holds offenders accountable, (2) provision of services to victims, and (3) public education. Second, victims need holistic services to encourage and provide psychological, physical, spiritual, and economic healing.

The fundamental goal of our work at OVW is to support communities in meeting the needs of all victims. In order to meet this goal, we must identify the vast array of needs and develop tailored approaches to ensure the safety of all survivors. We know that employing tools and developing resources for the criminal justice system and providing culturally-appropriate community-based services strengthens a community. World AIDS Day and Human Rights Day remind us that if we want to succeed in these efforts, we need to listen to and learn from the diverse and traditionally underrepresented voices of all of our constituents.

I am pleased to announce the completion and release of the Final Report of the National Advisory Committee on Violence Against Women (NAC).  When Attorney General Holder re-chartered the NAC in 2010, his interest was in learning more about solutions to protect children from the harmful consequences of experiencing and witnessing violence in the home.  Developed and written by some of the leading experts in the field, this report provides recommendations for developing innovative and successful interventions with children and teens who witness or are victimized by domestic violence, dating violence and sexual assault.

 Protecting these children is extraordinarily important to my staff and me. One of the key ways we currently support children exposed to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking is through child-centered prevention and intervention projects that augment community-based efforts and evidence-informed practices. Grant programs through the Office on Violence Against Women support prevention strategies that involve community organizing, public education and the mobilization of men as mentors and partners in this work.

 My staff and I look forward to learning from the recommendations of this esteemed NAC and have been enriched by our association with this group over the past two years.  The recommendations will not only influence OVW’s work but will be discussed and considered throughout the Department of Justice, at the Department of Health and Human Services, and at the Department of Education.

 I want to publicly thank the NAC members for their collaboration, matchless dedication, and productivity. We were fortunate to have guidance and expertise from the best and brightest in the field. I would also like to thank former OVW Director Susan Carbon for the vision and leadership she showed as the first designated federal official for the NAC.

 I have confidence that this Final Report will truly inspire and help strengthen the federal government’s work alongside many people and organizations in the field who share the goal of protecting children and ending the scourge of violence against women.

Last month I was honored to chair the Department of Justice’s 7^th Annual Government-to-Government Consultation on Violence Against Native Women. During the consultation I had the opportunity to hear from tribal leaders from across the nation who share the department’s commitment to the safety of Native American women and children. The tribal leaders shared stories of devastating violence and inspiring resilience, and I am humbled and honored to be a partner in our joint effort to keep their communities safe. This month OVW joins the President Obama and the Department of Justice in celebrating Native American Heritage Month.

 Native America Heritage Month gives us an opportunity to reflect on the significant contributions made by Native Americans, the unique relationship between tribal nations and the federal government, and the contemporary challenges confronting many tribal communities.

Domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking occur at crisis levels for Native women. Rates of domestic violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women are now among the highest in the entire United States. And although we know there is a need for more and better data, what we do know is startling to even the most seasoned prosecutor, police officer, or advocate.

• Nearly half of all Native American women– 46 percent– have experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner.
• One in three Indian women will, at some point in her life, experience the violence and trauma of rape.
• On some reservations Native American women are murdered at a rate more than 10 times the national average.

Recognizing that this cycle of violence must end, Attorney General Holder has launched a department-wide initiative on public safety in tribal communities, with a particular focus on combating violence against women. The Department of Justice is committed to providing the necessary resources to enhance the federal response to these crimes and to support tribes in their efforts to ensure safety for Native women. Through this initiative, the department has undertaken a series of activities aimed at improving the response to violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women:

• On January 11, 2010, the Deputy Attorney General sent a memo to the United States Attorneys whose districts include Indian Country directing them to work closely with law enforcement to pay particular attention to violence against women in Indian Country and make these crimes a priority.
• The department added 28 new Indian Country Assistant United States Attorneys in FY 2010 to increase prosecution of serious crime.
• The department has created a Violence Against Women Federal/Tribal Prosecution Task Force. Task Force membership includes Assistant United States Attorneys and prosecution representatives from tribal governments.  The Task Force is assisting the department in the development of best practice recommendations and resource materials concerning the prosecution of violence against women crimes in Indian country.
• OVW has established a national clearinghouse on the sexual assault of Native women. This project will offer a one-stop shop where tribes can request free on-site training and technical assistance on a host of topics related to sexual assault.
• In FY09, OVW provided funding for a project to address the issue of collecting and preserving sexual assault evidence in rural and geographically isolated tribal communities. The SAFESTAR Project features a novel approach to this issue by highlighting the use of community-based lay health care providers, such as traditional midwives, medicine people, and community health aides to collect and preserve forensic evidence in sexual assault cases.
• The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) provides support to enhance American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities’ capacity to provide high-quality multidisciplinary services and support for adult and child victims of sexual assault through the AI/AN Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE)–Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Initiative.
• OVW recently released a solicitation for the National Tribal Protection Order Registry Initiative. This initiative will provide timely access to accurate data for Indian tribal governments related to individuals who are the subject of a criminal or civil protection order issued by tribal courts. The registry will also provide participating tribes with the opportunity to share information about alleged domestic violence offenders with other tribal jurisdictions nationwide. For any interested applicants, this solicitation closes December 18, 2012.
• In June OVW announced the selection of four tribes for a Violence Against Women Tribal Special U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) Initiative. The OVW Tribal SAUSA program, based on successful programs initiated by U.S. Attorneys across the country, will train eligible tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violence against women criminal offense is prosecuted in tribal court, federal court or both.  The program enables tribal prosecutors to bring violence against women cases in federal court and to serve as co-counsel with federal prosecutors on felony investigations and prosecutions of offenses arising out of their respective tribal communities.

In addition to these activities the Justice Department recognizes that the legal framework for criminal jurisdiction in Indian country is complicated and undermines safety for Native women. This is why the Department formally and publicly recommended to Congress new Federal legislation intended to fill gaps in our criminal-justice system, and to better protect women in tribal communities from violent crime. The proposed amendments to VAWA consist of three components – reaffirming tribal criminal jurisdiction over certain non-Indian offenders who commit acts of domestic violence or violate protection orders; clarifying tribal civil authority to issue and enforce protection orders regardless of the race of the offender; and bringing Federal criminal offenses more in line with state domestic violence laws.

The overarching theme of this three-part legislative package is to focus on the seriousness and dangerousness of the violence, not the racial identity of an alleged perpetrator. A tribe’s ability to protect its citizens from violence should not depend on the race of the assailant, but rather on one of the most basic and fundamental functions of any government – the responsibility to protect its people.

As we reflect on the devastating impact violence against Native women has throughout tribal communities we have reason to hope. We are optimistic because we know we have federal leaders who are committed to addressing this issue. We have strong partnerships with tribal governments. And, we have a shared vision of a future where all tribes thrive as prosperous, vibrant, and safe communities.  OVW has made the safety of Native American and Alaska Native women a top priority. We will continue to work with tribal communities to decrease the number of Native American women who fall victim to violence; to strengthen the capacity of tribal governments to respond to violent crimes; and to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.

 In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy,  recovery efforts continue throughout the Northeast region, especially in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Over the past several days, OVW staff has been in contact with our grantees and state coalitions to better understand the challenges you are facing and the pressing needs of your programs.

 Last week I issued a statement easing reporting requirements for OVW grantees in the major federal disaster areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Since then FEMA has declared Rhode Island a major federal disaster area and as such I have directed the following:

1. Grantees in the major federal disaster areas – currently New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island – whose grants were scheduled to end on October 31, 2012, will be granted an automatic no-cost extension of 30 calendar days in order to provide them with additional time to request a further extension or begin the closeout process.
2. Grantees in the major federal disaster areas – currently New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island – who were unable to meet the Financial Status Reporting deadline of October 30, 2012 and as a result have had their funds frozen, will have access to their funds restored and be granted an automatic 30-day extension to submit the required reports for the last quarter of fiscal year 2012. If you anticipate a further delay and are unable to submit your Financial Status Reports by November 30, 2012 you can request an additional 30-day extension by contacting OVW GFMD at 1.888.514.8556 or OVW.GFMD@usdoj.gov.
3. Grantees in the major federal disaster areas – currently New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island – are allowed to use OVW grant funds to pay overtime pay without prior approval when necessary to cope with emergencies resulting from natural disasters.

New Jersey, New York and Connecticut grantees have already been granted extensions, and OVW anticipates these changes to be in effect for Rhode Island by the end of the week. Please be assured that our staff is available should you need to request additional support.

We are committed to ensuring that our partners, stakeholders, and grantees impacted by this disaster can focus their time and energy on rebuilding their communities, and we hope these actions will allow you to focus on recovery and rebuilding. Our thoughts are with everyone during this difficult time. 

Sincerely,

Bea Hanson

Acting Director