Related Federal Cases
- White Supremacist Extradited: Rally Violence Case Heats Up · California
- SC Man Admits to Racist Terror Act Against Neighbor · South Carolina
- Rage on the Runway: Passenger Attacks Flight Attendant · Alaska
- Anchorage Bank Robbery: Feds Seek Suspect · Hawaii
- Alaska’s Missing: FBI Pledges More Than Words · Alaska
Violence Against Women: DOJ Unveils New Initiatives
WASHINGTON—In a move aimed at combating the devastating impact of domestic and sexual violence, the White House has highlighted unprecedented coordination and cooperation across the entire government to provide services for and protect victims of these crimes.
‘It has been this administration’s commitment to ensure law enforcement has the resources necessary to combat violence against women and bring offenders to justice,’ said Attorney General Eric Holder. ‘These crimes devastate lives, families and communities, but I’ve never been more hopeful about our ability to make meaningful progress in ending violence against women.’
As part of this effort, the White House highlighted several initiatives, including the Defending Childhood Initiative, which was launched by Attorney General Holder on September 23, 2010 to protect children from the harmful consequences of experiencing and witnessing violence.
The initiative aims to prevent children’s exposure to violence as victims and witnesses, mitigate the negative effects experienced by children exposed to violence, and develop knowledge about and increase awareness of this issue.
Another initiative, the Sexual Assault Kit Backlog Action Research Project, is working to eliminate the backlog of untested sexual assault kits that have not yet been submitted to a crime laboratory. This project will award up to $200,000 to action research teams in up to five jurisdictions with a backlog of 500 or more untested kits.
The project will also award up to $4 million to sites to implement their plans in the second phase. Today, the Office on Violence Against Women is launching a new virtual resource for employers, Workplaces Respond to Domestic and Sexual Violence: A National Resource Center, which provides information, resources, tools, and technical assistance to employers and labor organizations to facilitate and encourage safer and more effective responses to employees who are victims of domestic, sexual and dating violence or stalking.
Finally, Attorney General Holder announced that he has re-chartered the National Advisory Committee on Violence Against Women, which will provide advice and recommendations to the government on how to improve the nation’s response to violence against women, with a specific focus on successful interventions with children and teens who witness and/or are victimized by domestic violence or sexual assault.
The committee includes highly regarded advocates, justice system and child welfare professionals who will provide expert advice to the government.
RELATED: Berryman Gets 17.5 Years for Brutal Tulsa Assault
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
