Read Attorney General Eric Holder's Remarks at the National Summit on the Intersection of Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment

Since 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has been the centerpiece of the Federal Government's commitment to combating domestic violence and other violent crimes against women. Its passage and reauthorization were a signal achievement in support of the rights of women in America. This landmark law filled a void in Federal law that had left too many victims of domestic and sexual violence without the help they needed.

The Honorable Patrick Leahy

In the months and years to come, we will engage in efforts that place accountability for the safety of women and girls on the community as a whole...I am constantly inspired by the extraordinary commitment of the women and men who have devoted their lives to ending violence against women. But our lives have most been changed by survivors - women like Gabrielle Union and Ann Burke - who have experienced the unthinkable and who have the courage tell their stories to advocate for change.

OVW Acting Director Catherine Pierce

The Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing entitled "The Continued Importance of the Violence Against Women Act" on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. with OVW Acting Director Catherine Pierce; actor and advocate Gabrielle Union; Karen Tronsgard-Scott, Director of the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence; Ann Burke, President and Founder of the Lindsay Ann Burke Memorial Fund; Collene Campbell, National Chair of Force 100; and Sally Wolfgang Wells, Chief Assistant in the Office of the Maricopa County Attorney. A webcast and additional information is available on the Senate Judiciary Committee's website.

Vice President Joe Biden visited the National Domestic Violence Hotline and www.loveisrespect.org, the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline, on Tuesday April 28, 2009 and toured the facilities. One of the drafters of the Violence Against Women Act as a U.S. Senator, Vice President Biden noted, "The whole purpose of this law is not just to help women right this moment, and we need to, but to change the psychology in this country about what is appropriate."

Read OVW Acting Director Catherine Pierce’s Remarks
National Domestic Violence Hotline
National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline
Texas Council on Family Violence

On March 11, 2009, President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order to establish the White House Council on Women and Girls. Led by the President's Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett and Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison Tina Tchen, the Council will provide a coordinated federal response to the challenges confronted by women and girls and to ensure that all Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies consider how their policies and programs impact women and families. In its first year, one of the main priorities of the Council will be to work "hand-in-hand with the Vice President, the Justice Department's Office of Violence Against Women and other government officials to find new ways to prevent violence against women, at home and abroad." Attorney General Eric Holder will be one of the inaugural members of the White House Council on Women and Girls.

Fifth National SART Training Conference
SART: Our Community, Our Investment
May 27 - 29, 2009
Seattle, WA
www.sane-sart.com
www.sartconference.com

OVW is co-sponsoring the Fifth National Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Training Conference scheduled for May 27 - 29, 2007 in Seattle. Washington.  The conference sponsor is the Sexual Assault Resource Service (SARS) at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, MN with funding awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice programs, U.S. Department of Justice, Grant Number 2006-VF-GX-K002.

Based on individual grant program requirements and Program Manager approval, OVW grantees are able to use their grant dollars towards attending the SART Conference.  If you are interested in attending, please speak with your Program Manager for additional details.

OVC anticipates that 1,000 SART professionals from across the nation will gather in Seattle for this unique multidisciplinary training conducted by leading experts from each of the SART disciplines. The three day conference will feature 57 workshops, five keynote addresses, an interactive improvisational presentation at the closing session,  and an exhibition hall of non-profit and corporate exhibitors. The conference will provide a valuable learning experience for law enforcement, sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) and other medical examiners, advocates, prosecutors and crime lab specialists.

The conference registration brochure is currently available for downloading at www.sane-sart.com or at www.sartconference.com.  Online registration is available at www.sartconference.com.

2006 Events and Meetings

2008 Events and Meetings