Greetings CAEPV Members and Friends!
Did you know that according to the CDC, intimate partner violence victims lose a total of nearly 8.0 million days of paid work -- the equivalent of more than 32,000 full-time jobs -- and nearly 5.6 million days of household productivity as a result of the violence?
You can find information like this in the FACTS AND STATISTICS area on the CAEPV website. This particular statistic is from the "Workplace Statistics" area.
MEMBER NEWS -- CAEPV MEMBERS SUPPORT BROOKLYN FAMILY JUSTICE CENTER
Brooklyn, NY -- On July 20, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg opened New York City's first Family Justice Center located in downtown Brooklyn, cutting the ceremonial ribbon accompanied by Avon Foundation President Kathleen Walas, actress/producer and Avon spokesperson Salma Hayek and U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women Director Diane M. Stuart. At the Center, professionals from 37 community partners and nine government agencies will provide an array of necessary services to domestic violence victims. For example, with only one visit, victims may meet with a prosecutor, access social services, begin long term counseling, and meet with a clergy member - all in their native language. The Center anticipates helping approximately 7,000 adults and 14,000 children each year, and is the first of 15 centers to open nationwide as part of a U.S. Department of Justice initiative.
"This center is all about helping victims of domestic violence get a fresh start," said Mayor Bloomberg at the opening of the Family Justice Center inside Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes' office. Hynes knows about domestic violence firsthand. It is dedicated to Hynes' mother, Regina Drew, who was abused by Hynes's father. "I know that my mother must be very pleased that out of her suffering and pain came help for other victims," said Hynes at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
In the past, battered women in Brooklyn would have spent hours traveling across the city to meet with prosecutors, speak to therapists, and sign up for public housing or job training programs. But at the Brooklyn center, all services are together. Last year, the borough had 82,000 reported incidents of domestic violence, or about one-third of incidents citywide.
Victims who arrive at the Family Justice Center are first asked to fill out a form about their personal cases. Then, based on their needs, victims will meet with prosecutors to file a criminal case, if necessary, and talk to civil lawyers about restraining orders, immigration problems and custody issues.
Other counselors are on hand to help find emergency housing and apply for other city services, while therapists and clergy members are available to discuss other personal needs. "It's really pretty uncomplicated in a lot of ways, but it's also revolutionary because it brings together so many disciplines in one place," said Assistant District Attorney Wanda Lucibello, head of the domestic violence bureau.
The center also features a staffed playroom for children and real-time translators in more than 170 languages through a video link.
The Family Justice Center received a $725,000 grant from The Founders' Circle, a diverse group of foundations and corporate citizens who were the first to commit financially to the Center, including the following CAEPV Members: The Avon Foundation, Altria Corporate Services, Lifetime Television, and Verizon Wireless/New York Metro Region. Additional funding is provided through in- kind donations from the City and community partners, and more than $1.2 million in a Federal grant. (Sources: FPSNewswire and New York Daily News)
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER NEWS
At the 10th anniversary celebration of the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) on June 14 in Washington, DC, CAEPV National Advisory Board Member Debby Tucker received the Standing in the Light of Justice Award. The award is inscribed “for your leadership in forming NNEDV, for all the women and children who are safe because of your work and for inspiring us each and every day” and Debby says it will proudly be on display in her office. The event, with more than 300 guests, was sponsored by: CAEPV Member Altria Group, Inc.; CAEPV Member Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation; Allstate Foundation; Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, LLC; and Time Warner Foundation. Debby -- you inspire all of us as well!
IN THE NEWS -- VICTIMS OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE IN ALBANIA AT HIGHER RISK IF MORE EDUCATED
Albania -- Intimate partner violence affects women worldwide, but in Albania, more than a third of married women experience violence from their husbands during a year, and more empowered women are at greater risk, according to a study in this week's British Medical Journal. Researchers at the University of Tirana, the capital city of Albania surveyed 1039 married women aged 25-65 living in Tirana. Women were asked about their experience of being hit, slapped, kicked, or otherwise physically hurt by the husband. Information on other social and demographic characteristics was also collected.
More than a third (37%) of women had experienced violence. Risk was greatest among women aged 25-34, women with more than 12 years of education, women in white collar jobs, women with least educated husbands, and women married to men raised in rural areas. Women were also at higher risk if they were more educated than their husbands.
These findings, related to women’s and men’s status, are in keeping with theories that argue that violence is used to enforce gender hierarchies and, particularly, when men have a sense of powerlessness because their social position makes them feel “unsuccessful” as men, say the authors.
Research from other countries has often shown that the most educationally and socially empowered women gain a level of protection, but such protection is not seen among the women of Tirana, possibly because Albania is known to be a country with particularly conservative ideas about sex roles. Among the challenges for post-communist Albania, and it’s health professionals, is the need to reduce the prevalence of intimate partner violence, as well as to provide support for women who are in, or who have been in, violent relationships and to be aware of the ways in which intimate partner violence influences psychological and physical health, they conclude. For more information on this study, contact Genc Burazeri, Lecturer in Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tirana, Albania at gburazeri@yahoo.com. To view the full paper click here: http://press.psprings.co.uk/bmj/july/gp197.pdf
IN OTHER NEWS
Jackson, Mississippi -- A federal appeals court has ruled a lawsuit against Lockheed Martin over a workplace shooting that left six employees dead in Meridian, Mississippi, as a workers' compensation case. The designation, under Mississippi law, would limit damage awards to about $150,000 for each victim. The shooting victims and their families earlier sued the company, claiming Lockheed's management knew employee Doug Williams' racist views had created a volatile work environment but did too little to defuse the situation. The lawsuit sought unspecified damages. On July 8th, 2003, Doug Williams killed six co-workers and injured nine others before committing suicide. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigated the shooting and said Williams created a "racially charged atmosphere" at the plant. Lockheed Martin said its management had no way of knowing that Williams would go on a shooting spree, and asked the court to consider the case under workers' compensation guidelines. (Source: Associated Press)
BOOKMARK THIS!
http://www.endvaw.org/ -- This site was developed by the INFO Project to collect and share in one central location, information on the latest research, tools, project reports, and communication materials produced in the worldwide struggle to end violence against women. It is designed for researchers, health communication specialists, policy makers, and others.
AND DON'T FORGET:
Our website, http://www.caepv.org
is a great resource for links, news and current events—as well as tools
that can help you implement your own programs and policies. CAEPV members also
have complete access to the MEMBER CENTER section of our web site. If you've
forgotten the password, please contact us and we'll get it to you!
Finally, as a reminder, please feel free to call upon me if I can be of service to you or your company in any way—for a speech, training questions, policy issues, event planning, whatever. That's what your membership is all about!
Kim
Kim Wells
Executive Director
Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence
2416 East Washington Street, Suite E
Bloomington, IL 61704
309-664-0667 (Telephone)
309-664-0747 (Fax)
kwells@caepv.org (E-mail)
www.caepv.org (Web Site)
Visit CAEPV's award winning web site -- GIRLS ALLOWED! -- at http://www.girlsallowed.org