Welcome to the OVW Website

Welcome to the homepage for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW)! OVW is committed to raising awareness and supporting training and services responding to incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. Our office currently administers 12 grant programs to communities that are developing programs and policies aimed at ending these crimes and providing help to victims. I encourage you to learn more about the grant programs, policies, and services offered by OVW as you navigate the website. By clicking on the navigation bar to the left, you can view the latest grant program solicitations, updates on special initiatives, newly-created fact sheets, resources, and other helpful information to improve our country’s capacity to reduce violence against women, both at home and abroad. Thank you for taking the time to visit!

Cindy Dyer
Director, Office on Violence Against Women

**IMPORTANT NOTICE**
2008 TRIBAL CONSULTATION POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

The 2008 Tribal Consultation in Hollywood, Florida scheduled for Monday, September 8 and Tuesday, September 9 is POSTPONED until further notice due to the arrival of Hurricane Ike. We will reschedule the Tribal Consultation as soon as possible.

Please check OVW's website and the OVW Tribal Consultation website regularly for updates on the new date. We sincerely regret the inconvenience.

Task Force on Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women Convenes in Washington, DC

The Task Force on Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women convened for the first time on August 20-21, 2008 at the U.S. Department of Justice.  OVW Director Cindy Dyer served as the Designated Federal Officer for the Task Force Federal Advisory Committee. OVW Director Dyer was joined by Associate Deputy Director for the Office of Research and Evaluation at the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Dr. Angela Moore, and OVW’s Deputy Director for Tribal Affairs Lorraine Edmo.

To read more about the Section 904 Task Force mandated by the Violence Act Against Women Act of 2005, please visit our Safety for Indian Women section.

OVW Director Cindy Dyer's Statement on the Supreme Court's Decision in Giles v. California

A recent Supreme Court decision affects the admissibility of evidence in domestic violence prosecutions when the victim is unable or unwilling to testify as a result of the defendant’s wrongful conduct.

The Supreme Court in Giles v. California clarified the elements of the forfeiture-by-wrongdoing exception to the Confrontation Clause. The ruling holds that forfeiture applies when a prosecutor shows that the defendant wrongfully caused the victim’s absence and did so with the purpose of preventing the victim’s testimony or cooperation. This opinion establishes a constitutional minimum for admission of unconfronted prior statements of the victim under the forfeiture-by-wrongdoing doctrine. While the Court rejected the view that merely causing the witness’ unavailability was sufficient to establish forfeiture, it offered guidance for inferring the necessary intent in the domestic violence context. The Court recognized that "[a]cts of domestic violence often are intended to dissuade a victim from resorting to outside help, and include conduct designed to prevent testimony to police officers or cooperation in criminal prosecutions," and that such acts may support an inference of "intent to isolate the victim and to stop her from reporting abuse to the authorities or cooperating with a criminal prosecution-rendering her prior statements admissible under the forfeiture doctrine." Two concurring justices added that "the element of intention would normally be satisfied by the intent inferred on the part of the domestic abuser in the classic abusive relationship."

Domestic violence cases can and must continue to be aggressively pursued, and the forfeiture-by-wrongdoing doctrine is an important tool in these prosecutions. The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) will collaborate with key partners, experts in the field, law enforcement and others in the criminal justice system to address this new development so that offenders are held accountable.

Press Release