The following post appears courtesy of Susan B. Carbon, Director of the Office on Violence Against Women

January’s observance as national stalking awareness month gives me an opportunity to join with our federal, national, local and individual partners to once again focus on a crime that affects over one million adults in America every year.

The statistics reflect, but often do not measure, the toll that this crime takes on the emotional, professional, academic and personal lives of its victims. In fact, stalking is not limited to those over 18 and is experienced by many adolescents and teens.

Friends, families and communities are affected by this complex and often dangerous crime, sometimes mischaracterized as harmless or misinterpreted as expressions of concern and even love. Stalking is often hard to recognize. Sometimes, considered as bothersome and intrusive, it is ignored. Technological advances are an added tool used by stalkers to intimidate and control their victims. Many do not report their experiences to law enforcement because it is not immediately recognized as a crime. Some are unaware that it is defined as such in every state.

The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) believes that the motto to “KNOW IT, NAME IT, AND STOP IT” captures the focus of January’s awareness campaign. Emotional responses to stalking include feeling afraid, vulnerable, anxious, depressed, stressed, unsafe and confused. The Stalking Resource Center of the National Center for Victims of Crime —launched in 2000 in partnership with OVW —provides resources to victims and those who respond and support them. The awareness campaigns are a call to action to speak out about the crime, report it and engage others in an ongoing dialogue. Educating ourselves and each other is an important step to encouraging and supporting victims to report the crime and stop the abuse.

As President Obama said in his Stalking Awareness Month Proclamation, “Stalking affects too many Americans to remain a hidden crime, and a strong stand is required in order to both support victims and hold perpetrators accountable.”

We join with the President and the Attorney General in getting out the word about this serious crime and continuing our commitment throughout this month and the coming year.

For the first time in its history, the Department of Justice observed World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on Tuesday, June 15, 2010.  In ceremonial and educational events on both coasts, top Justice Department officials came together with workers in the field to raise awareness about the vulnerability of the elder population to abuse and violence.  The events were part of the Department’s year-long commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

World Elder Abuse Day, first celebrated in 2005, is organized by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse.  According to the best available estimates, between 1 million and 2 million Americans age 65 or older have experienced abuse; and for each reported case about five more cases go unreported.  To provide communities with training and resources to combat elder abuse and serve survivors in later life, the Department of Justice has provided more than $25 million in funding to 75 communities since 2002 through the Office on Violence Against Women’s (OVW) Abuse in Later Life Program, and more than $6.7 million to 20 programs funded by the Office for Justice Programs.         

In Anaheim, California, OVW Director Susan Carbon and Counsel to the Associate Attorney General Mala Adiga joined Anaheim Police Chief John Welter; the Anaheim Family Justice Center; UC, Irvine’s Elder Abuse Forensic Center; the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL) and victim service providers to discuss promising practices and community collaborations working with elder abuse survivors. 

Director Carbon outlined the stark realities faced by victims of elder abuse:

“Age or disability may increase the isolation of older individuals.  Victims may refrain from seeking help or calling the police due to shame or embarrassment… Myths about sexual assault – that only young women are raped, for example… can prevent medical and other professionals from recognizing indicators of sexual assault.”

Adiga referred to the VAWA 15 campaign, noting that:

“our goal is to do more than simply commemorate an anniversary. … This also means talking about things that may be uncomfortable.  The stories of elder Americans who have been abused and exploited at the hands of those closest to them are one of those topics.”

During the event, NCALL announced the release of the film, Walking in Our Shoes, an OVW-funded national training video.  The film is introduced by The View’s Barbara Walters, a member of the Justice Department’s “Join the List” campaign, a group of more than 100 celebrities who have lent their names to the Department’s effort to raise awareness.

 Also on June 15, the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS) sponsored a World Elder Abuse Awareness Day event in Washington, D.C.  This event brought together the contributions of experts in many fields, from law enforcement officials to long-term care administrators, to explore the best practices for increased detection of these crimes and improved response for victims.

Assistant Attorney General Tony West spoke of ways that the Department fights more subtle and insidious crimes against the elderly, by nursing home operators and drug manufacturers, for example.  Noting that he now oversees the Department’s efforts to protect seniors from financial and health care fraud, he described the horrific neglect of elderly residents in five nursing homes in Missouri, remarking that, “We know that the character of a society is often reflected by how it treats those at the dawn and in the sunset of life.”

Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Mary Lou Leary directly addressed the need for the Justice Department’s programs:

“We know that the best way to help our nation’s seniors is by assisting the professionals who are…fighting a largely silent crime where victims and perpetrators are often closely related, and even seemingly dedicated caregivers engage in abuse or neglect.”

Also participating in the Washington, D.C. event were HHS Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary on Aging Cindy R. Padilla; Kathleen Quinn from the National Adult Protection Services Association; King County (Washington State) Prosecutor Page Ulrey; and Bob Blancato from the Elder Justice Coalition.

In September 2009, the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched a year-long initiative to commemorate the 15th Anniversary of the passage of the Violence Against Women Act, and to raise awareness about violence against women and its effects on communities across the country.  In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April 2010), Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli and eight members of DOJ’s leadership traveled to 11 college campuses around the country in March 2010.  The visits to public, private and faith-based institutions and a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) included a series of events aimed at raising awareness about sexual assault in university settings.

The following post appears courtesy of Susan Williams, Associate Director, and Latinisha Felli, Program Specialist, Office on Violence Against Women.

Among college students, sexual violence is experienced at a disproportionately high rate, with an estimated 1 in 4 college women becoming a victim of sexual assault by the time she graduates.
 
Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division Tony West, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division Ignacia Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legislative Affairs Ronald Weich, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Laurie O. Robinson, Acting Director of the Office for Victims of Crime Joye Frost, and Director of the Community Oriented Police Services Program Bernard K. Melekianmet with students, faculty, law enforcement and community partners to learn about the various strategies being implemented by campuses to address sexual assault, relationship violence and stalking, and to talk about the department’s commitment to working with institutions of higher education to promote innovative ways of responding to violence against women on campus. 

Many of the campuses are recipients of the department’s Office on Violence Against Women’s “Grants to Reduce Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking on Campus Program.”  The program is intended to develop and strengthen victim services in cases involving domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking on campuses.  Grants are designed to encourage colleges and universities to adopt comprehensive, coordinated responses to violent crimes against women on campuses, creating partnerships among campus entities and with community-based victim services organizations and criminal and civil justice agencies. 

The following are two highlights from the campus tour:
 
East Central University (Ada, Oklahoma)

Acting Director for the Office of Victims of Crime Frost, visited East Central University (ECU) to participate in two events that highlighted their campus coordinated response and its impact on student victims.  On the day of our visit, both the Governor of Oklahoma and Mayor of Ada signed proclamations celebrating the 15th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act.  ECU has developed collaborative relationships with not only campus and community partners, but have enhanced their training and response by partnering with tribal leaders from the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations, the Council on Law Enforcement and Education Training Academy (CLEET), and the Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic And Sexual Violence. 

The impact of ECU’s coordinated community response was evident in the remarks made by two survivors who spoke about how their healing was supported by the campus and community advocates’ collaborative efforts to provide necessary resources and the work of the campus leadership to ensure that their education was not interrupted. 

Additionally, ECU understands that law enforcement response is critical to addressing violence against women and has partnered with CLEET to provide their new campus officers with their 15-week academy trainings that include the dynamics of domestic violence and sexual assault.  During our visit, Frost spoke to approximately 60 new cadets, including sheriffs, campus, municipal, and tribal police, about the importance of their work and the challenges they face when responding to these crimes and providing resources to victims with limited services. 

University of Michigan

At the University of Michigan, campus administrators, faculty, staff and students are tackling the issue of sexual assault and relationship violence on several fronts through a multi-faceted comprehensive campus-wide response. 

Assistant Attorney General Moreno participated in two events highlighting the university’s commitment to preventing and addressing violence against women.  The first featured the university’s coordinated community response to sexual and intimate partner violence on campus, with presentations from 12 different on- and off- campus collaborators, including the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Dean of Students, the Office of Student Conflict Resolution, the Director of Residence Education of University Housing, and the Director of Department of Public Safety.  At the center of this collaboration is the University’s Sexual Assault Prevention & Awareness Center (SAPAC), a campus-based organization that provides educational and supportive services for the campus community related to sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, stalking and sexual harassment. 

Moreno had the opportunity to speak about her first experience working on the issue of sexual assault while employed in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and talked about the critical need for addressing this issue in a comprehensive way within the university setting. 

The campus visit culminated with an evening event at the Michigan Student Union at the opening of “REVOLUTION: Making Art for Change,” the 5th annual art exhibit celebrating artwork pertaining to issues of sexual violence, gender, sexism and empowerment.  Moreno had an opportunity to tour this powerful and moving event and provide reflective comments to an enthusiastic crowd of approximately 200 students, faculty and community members.

Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli discusses violence against women as part of the department's Campus Tour to raise awareness at school's nationwide.

On campuses, students face unique challenges. A victim of dating violence, domestic violence, or sexual assault may continue to live in danger if the perpetrator resides in the same dormitory or attends the same classes. On smaller campuses, a victim may wish to remain anonymous but may find this to be virtually impossible in such a small environment.

Similarly, stalking victims may find it difficult to escape their tormentors, because the stalker may have a seemingly “legitimate” reason for remaining in contact with or in proximity to the victim, like studying in the library. The fear and anguish suffered by rape victims may continue if they attend the same classes or live in the same dormitory as the perpetrator.

We know that when young people witness or are victims of violence, they pay the price for many years to come. That is why this month, nine department leaders will visit 11 college campuses across the country to meet with students and faculty to discuss how to fight sexual and intimate partner violence on campus, and to train young people about how to prevent and report this type of activity. The campus tour is part of a year-long campaign by the Department of Justice to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act.

Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli kicked off the tour on Monday, March 8 at Harvard University. Later in the week, Assistant Attorney General Tony West participated in awareness events at Stanford University and Pacific Lutheran University, and Assistant Attorney General Ignacia Moreno spoke at University of Illinois- Chicago.

Associate Attorney General Perrelli noted:

“Violence against women and children is an issue where I believe that we are at a critical point to make a real and significant difference. Intimate partner and sexual violence can be found on college campuses across this nation. None of us are above the reality of this issue, and it is incumbent upon all of us to stand up and take responsibility. We are committed to working with federal, state, local, tribal and campus partners to ensure that all communities are given the resources and support they need.”

Assistant Attorney General Tony West speaks on a panel discussion about violence against women at Pacific Lutheran University.

Since its inception 15 years ago, the Justice Department, through the Office on Violence Against Women, has awarded over $4 billion in grants to provide communities with resources to address sexual assault and violence against women. For 2011, President Obama requested over $460 million be allocated for this purpose.

Many of the campuses that were part of the tour have demonstrated a strong commitment to ending this type of violence. At Stanford University they are working with non-profit, non-governmental partners including the Silicon Valley YWCA Rape Crisis Center, and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s office, as well as bolstering victim assistance services, support and advocacy. Together, students and campus leaders make a critical difference in collective efforts to end intimate partner and sexual violence.

Pacific Lutheran University, a faith-based institution, runs a program called “Voices Against Violence” that has assisted over 100 victims of sexual relationship or stalking violence and has become a model initiative. They work with non-profit agencies and non-governmental partners like the Sexual Assault Center of Pierce County, Wash., and collaborate with criminal justice partners like the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and Prosecutor’s office. These partnerships help to bolster victim assistance services, support and advocacy; and enhance education and prevention programs around the campus.

The Department of Justice applauds the efforts of these universities. For more information on grants to prevent violence against women on your campus, click, here. If you, or someone you know, is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or dating violence please know that help is available. Visit http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/hotnum.htm for more information.

On Monday, March 8, Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli will kick off a nationwide college campus tour by top department officials to raise awareness of violence against women. The tour is part of the Justice Department’s year-long commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). At 12 universities around the nation, Justice Department officials will speak with students about ways to prevent violence against women on college campuses, and the role that federal, state and local government, working with university staff, faculty and students, should play.

Why are we visiting college campuses? According to a study done by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the percentage of completed or attempted rape victimization among women in higher educational institutions is as high as 20 to 25 percent. The chance that a rape will occur on campus is greatly exacerbated late at night. On campus, more than half (51.8 percent) of completed rapes took place after midnight, 36.5 percent occurred between 6 p.m. and midnight, and only 11.8 percent took place between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The majority of sexual victimizations, especially rapes and physically coerced sexual contact, occurred in living quarters. Almost 60 percent of the completed rapes that occurred on campus took place in the victim’s residence, 31 percent occurred in other living quarters on campus, and 10.3 percent took place in a fraternity. These are stunning and frightening statistics.

On campuses, consistency in policies that deal with violence against women is also crucial. A 2005 NIJ study found that schools across the country are complying with federal laws unevenly.  Anonymous reporting, which encourages victims to come forward, is an option at just half of America’s colleges and universities. Schools also provide basic resources unevenly.  Fewer than half the schools studied inform students how to file criminal charges. This has to change now.

The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is working with schools across the country to provide the resources necessary to tackle this problem. Since 1999, OVW has distributed approximately $87 million to 300 institutions of higher education. OVW Campus grantees include public and private institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), territorial institutions, Hispanic Serving institutions, community colleges, faith-based and tribal institutions and technical colleges.

The Justice Department announced in early February that President Obama’s FY2011 budget request provides $461 million for OVW to provide communities with resources to combat sexual assault and violence against women – including women on college campuses.

Fifteen years after VAWA passed, there is still much work to be done to combat domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, particularly on campuses nationwide. However, the most progress is made when federal, state, local, tribal and campus authorities work together to curtail violence against women. The campus tour schedule is below; if you’re near one of these campuses, come join us to discuss how best to end violence against women on campus.

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The following post appears courtesy of journalist and producer, Paula Zahn. Ms. Zahn is one of the many celebrities who has partnered with the Department of Justice to raise awareness of issues around violence against women.

In my 30 years in journalism, I’ve covered issues of violence against women all too often and I’m proud to join the Department of Justice’s effort to raise awareness and work to decrease this problem.

Several people have asked me why I chose to join this effort now. For the first time, I’m executive producing my own television series – for Investigation Discovery (ID) – and in the course of researching cases to include, I’ve been deeply moved by the courageous stories of survivors and the devastating effects on the families of victims.

Despite the gains made in reducing stalking incidents, I am alarmed by the number of victims who are simply falling through the cracks, who are let down by the very system that is in place to protect them.  And, as a mother, the issues that the Department is helping to address are vitally important to me personally, so I thank them for allowing me to join their effort.

I am also especially honored that the Department chose me to moderate their discussion highlighting National Stalking Awareness Month.

Awareness months serve as a marker to bring attention to issues that plague our society and they provide an opportunity to challenge practitioners and the public to work harder for progress on a particular issue.

Stalking is a particularly insidious form of violence against women – one which is largely misunderstood by the public. Yet it impacts so many people. In a 12 month period, the DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that an estimated 3.4 million persons ages 18 and older were victims of stalking. And the most alarming figure I’ve come across is this: 76 percent of domestic violence homicides were preceded by stalking.

Stalking is difficult to recognize, investigate and prosecute, so I commend those in law enforcement, the judicial system, and in advocacy and victims rights organizations who are making a difference. We must also engage the public, who can play a critical role in ending stalking and other forms of violence against women.

As a journalist, I understand first hand the critical role and responsibility the media plays in helping shape public understanding on issues, which is why I’m proud that my boss at ID, president and general manager Henry Schleiff, has also pledged the network’s support to help shine a spotlight on the 15th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act.

I hope that media across the country will partner with their communities, the government, advocates and survivors in helping the public understand the pervasiveness and severity of this crime and that together we can work toward an end to all forms of violence against women.

Paula Zahn is executive producer and host of On the Case with Paula Zahn on ID: Investigation Discovery.