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In Recognition of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, when we renew our commitment to the hundreds of thousands of Americans victimized by this brutal crime every year. Since 1984, OVC has been in the vanguard of efforts to assist victims of domestic violence and to raise awareness of a crime that tears apart families and respects no demographic boundaries. Although domestic violence remains a blight on our society, great strides have been made to assure that victims get the help they urgently need. In 2005, women in the United States experienced 552,000 victimizations by an intimate partner or relative, while men experienced 217,000 such crimes. Unfortunately, victimization may not end with the violence. Besides suffering physical and psychological trauma, victims may become isolated from family and friends, making them more vulnerable to poverty, homelessness, and other serious social problems. Domestic violence also harms the children who witness it-often resulting in immediate or long-term trauma. Charged with administering VOCA’s Crime Victims Fund, OVC supports the work of a multitude of agencies across the country whose staff members work tirelessly to meet victims’ and family members’ needs for safe shelter, counseling, and other assistance to help rebuild their lives. In 2006, $64.2 million of VOCA funds supported a broad range of projects and programs. Many OVC grantees collaborate to streamline services, as in Philadelphia , where four domestic violence programs are pooling resources to operate a single hotline for all victim services. Some agencies focus on the toll on families: PACT, in Hawaii , trains school staff to recognize and counsel affected children. OVC also provides training for allied professionals, such as the recent "Take a Stand Against Domestic Violence" workshop at Ft. Wainwright , Alaska , that addressed cases resulting from service members returning from combat zones. In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, OVC has collaborated with the Office on Violence Against Women and the Office of Justice Programs’ Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to host an OVC Web Forum, "Children Exposed to Domestic Violence." On October 25, 2006 , at 2:00 p.m. , Dr. David Finkelhor, Director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center, and Betsy McAlister Groves , Founder and Director of the Child Witness to Violence Project at Boston Medical Center , will answer questions about current research and promising practices for working with children exposed to domestic violence. During this month, all of us at OVC would like to extend our deepest gratitude to all those who have dedicated their lives to providing hope and help to victims of this crime that is so devastating and personal. We also pay homage to the survivors of domestic violence themselves, whose courage, tenacity, and commitment to reclaiming their lives remains the true inspiration for our work. John W. Gillis, Director |
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