News

• "Violence and Human Rights" addressed by JAMA

ANNOUNCEMENTS

U.S. Senate and House Passes Violence Against Women Act

On October 4, 2005, the United States Senate passed the Violence Against Women Act of 2005 (VAWA). By an overwhelming, bipartisan 415 to four vote, the House of Representatives also passed its version of the Violence Against Women Act of 2005 on September 28. Included in both versions of the legislation were new programs focusing on prevention and the needs of children and youth. Also, for the first time, the Senate version of VAWA included key funding to address the health impacts of violence and improve the health care system’s response to domestic violence and sexual assault. Over the next few weeks, negotiators from the House and Senate will meet to negotiate the differences between the bills and we hope to see the health care provisions included in the final bill.

“The Senate passage of the Violence Against Women Act of 2005 puts the nation on its way to improving its response to domestic, sexual and dating violence, and stalking,” said Debbie Lee, Managing Director for Health Programs. “This bill offers hope for the millions of women and children who are victims of violence, and for future generations that will benefit from the groundbreaking prevention initiatives it will fund.

We thank Senators Joseph Biden (D-DE), Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) for their unwavering leadership on this issue. We also thank Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Representative John Conyers (D-MI) for their leadership, and all the Members of Congress who voted for the bill.”

“We urge lawmakers to correct flaws in the bills when it goes to conference,” Lee continued. “The final bill must include the key health provisions in the Senate bill and also must address the housing and immigration provisions that were left out. We also hope to restore targeting funding to address the often unmet needs of immigrant women and women of color.”

“Violence is a pervasive and costly problem in this nation, with women and children being beaten and killed every day,” Lee concluded. “Americans need Congress to finish its work and the President to sign the Violence Against Women Act of 2005 into law. There is no time to wait.”

For updates on the status of the Violence Against Women Act and for information on how you can get involved, please check our website: www.endabuse.org.

Health Cares About Domestic Violence Day
Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Join us for the seventh annual Health Cares About Domestic Violence Day (HCADV Day) next Wednesday, October 12, 2005!

This nationally recognized day involves thousands of health care providers, domestic violence advocates and other concerned individuals who organize events in their settings to strengthen the health care response to domestic violence.

This year’s effort focuses on organizing health professional students and faculty at various schools across the country.

Project Highlights in the works include:

* Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine
Students will set up a table during lunch to educate students and faculty about DV.

* Stanford University Medical School
A student will supply Pacific Free Clinic, a student-run health clinic, with posters, pins, and safety cards. She will also use the Physicians for Social Responsibility lunchtime elective to talk about the impact of DV.

* AMSA Chapter President at Eastern Virginia Medical School
Forty second-year medical students will take patient and provider tools to the 100 physicians whom they shadow, and stock bathrooms with cards and posters.

* Linda Winston, VA Department of Health, VA Commonwealth University, VA Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance
This collaborative project with the Medical College of Virginia, agencies from 3 surrounding counties, and schools of dentistry, nursing, and forensic nursing aims to provide materials/resources to patients and providers in the main building of the hospital all day.
In addition to these student-based efforts, HCADV Day events will take place in clinics, hospitals and within state government.  Some examples include:

* Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal issued a proclamation recognizing October 12, 2005 as HCADV Day.
* Mercy Hospital of Tiffin, Ohio is doing a collection drive with toiletries to donate to area domestic violence shelters; changing their hospital display to reflect workplace domestic violence resources; and providing a training for staff by showing the FVPF’s Screen to End Abuse video.
Want to get involved? It’s not too late! Our HCADV Day Organizing Packet provides strategies to strengthen the health care response to domestic violence.

To obtain an online copy of the Health Cares About Domestic Violence Day Organizing Packet visit http://endabuse.org/hcadvd or request that a packet be mailed to you by calling toll-free 888-RX-abuse, TTY: 800-595-4889.

Breaking the Silence: Children’s Stories

A powerful new PBS documentary, Breaking the Silence: Children’s Stories, chronicles the impact of domestic violence on children and the systemic failure of family courts across the country to protect them from their abusers. The documentary premieres on October 20, but airtimes and dates may vary, so check your local PBS listings. Beginning on September 28 and continuing throughout October, activists will circulate flyers about the documentary – with related information – in front of family courts in every state and U.S. territory to encourage the public to watch the program. For more information, check www.batteredmotherscustodyconference.org.

A Domestic Violence Campus Organizing Guide for Health Professional Students and Faculty

Health professional students and faculty hold a particularly unique role in enacting change in response to domestic violence in medical practice and policy. Students can propose changes to their curriculum and educate their fellow classmates and practicing physicians about the most current evidence based medicine relating to domestic violence.

To support students in being part of the national push to improve health curricula in this area, a new organizing folio, A Domestic Violence Campus Organizing Guide for Health Professional Students and Faculty was co-created by Family Violence Prevention Fund staff and a second year medical student, and is co-sponsored by the American Medical Students Association and American Physical Therapists Association.

This folio identifies organizing strategies for professional health students and faculty to help raise awareness that domestic violence is a health care issue on campus and beyond. The folio provides recommendations on increasing student activism, curricular reform, on-campus trainings, community collaborations, faculty support, and provides examples of innovative approaches other professional health students have undertaken nationwide. The folio includes a domestic violence assessment card, national resources and referrals, and provides an overview of the associated health effects of domestic violence outlining the provider’s role.

To view and order the folio visit our store or call 888-Rx-ABUSE, TTY (800) 595-4889.

Turning Pain into Power: Trafficking Survivors' Perspectives on Early Intervention Strategies

With generous support from the World Childhood Foundation, the Family Violence Prevention Fund and its partners conducted groundbreaking research to examine the health care system as an ideal place to focus education and intervention efforts on victims of slavery. Building upon the work of domestic violence advocates in the field of health care, this research examined the hypothesis that the health care system might be an ideal place to focus education and intervention efforts on victims of slavery. Human trafficking is without question a health-care issue: victims of trafficking suffer a host of health related problems and are at high risk of injury, illness and even death from the circumstances of their forced treatment and bondage. Through interviews with trafficking survivors themselves, we hear their recommendations on how to direct future intervention and policy efforts and initial steps than can enable the health care community to respond more effectively.

To download the document or to order a hard copy click here.

Human Trafficking Miniseries

Tune-in to Lifetime Television to watch Lifetime’s two-part original miniseries, Human Trafficking, starring Mira Sorvino, Donald Sutherland and Robert Carlyle. The program will air on October 24th at 9 PM eastern and pacific time, and conclude on October 25th at 9 PM eastern and pacific time. Human Trafficking is a tough, uncompromising drama about the brutal realities behind the international trafficking of women and children for sex and the battle to rescue its victims enslaved in America.

2005 - 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Theme Announcement: "For the Health of Women, For the Health of the World: No More Violence"

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence campaign, now in its fifteenth year, is an international campaign originating from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute sponsored by the Center for Women's Global Leadership. This 16 day period from November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and December 10, International Human Rights Day, has been used as an organizing strategy by individuals and groups around the world to call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women by raising awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international levels, establishing a clear link between local and international anti-violence work, providing a forum in which organizers can develop and share strategies, demonstrating the solidarity of women around the world organizing against gender-based violence, and creating tools to pressure governments to implement promises made to eliminate violence against women.

If you would like to join the 16 Days listserv or receive a 2005 Take Action Kit which includes 16 Days campaign information including history and mission, a list of participating organizations, resources, suggested actions, and other supplementary materials, please contact the Center for Women's Global Leadership by email at cwgl@igc.org or visit http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu.

Leading Child and Family Research Analysts Awarded Grant to Establish New Early Childhood Information and Policy Initiative

In August 2005, The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health was awarded a five-year cooperative agreement from the National Bureau of Maternal and Child Health within the federal department of Health and Human Services to create Project THRIVE: Linking Policies for Child Health, Early Care and Learning, and Family Support. Collaborating with state and other leaders in the field, THRIVE will increase awareness and provide policy analysis that helps states strengthen and expand early childhood systems to ensure that young children and their families have access to high quality health care, developmental services, and parenting supports.

THRIVE will place special emphasis on providing information that can be used to reduce health disparities. Building on NCCP’s expertise, it will also focus on policy strategies to help vulnerable children and families, including children with special health care needs and children in families affected by depression, substance abuse, and domestic violence and other risks to effective nurturing.

Aiming to promote better integration of child health and early care and learning strategies, THRIVE will carry out analyses of data related to issues of critical concern to the states. Through a “virtual” policy-sharing network, it will also facilitate the sharing of information among state early childhood leaders. Reports on emerging topics and strategies will be available to state leaders and family advocates. For more information, visit http://www.nccp.org/.

Intimate Partner Violence as a Mental Health Concern and Patient Safety Issue Free Online Continuing Education

Developed by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic, Community Care Behavioral Health this training targets psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health and other health professionals who care for individuals who are at risk or victims of intimate partner violence. The content of this module is particularly targeted to those who practice within Allegheny County, Pennsylvania but the general concepts are relevant to those who work in other geographic areas.

Course objectives include: defining the scope and impact of intimate partner violence; development of strategies for identifying individuals who are at risk or victims of intimate partner violence; and, recommendation of appropriate referral resources for clients.

The course was developed by Patricia Cluss, PhD, Chair of the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic Intimate Partner Violence Task Force.

The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Center for Continuing Education in the Health Sciences designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.50 Category 1 credit toward the AMA Physician's Recognition Award. Each physician should claim only those credits that he/she actually spent in the educational activity. Health care professionals are awarded 0.15 continuing education units (CEU’s), which are equivalent to 1.50 hours of instruction.

Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic is certified by the Pennsylvania Certification Board (PCB) to provide Certified Addition Counselor (CAC) continuing education credits for those participants attending the entire program. 2.0 PCB hours have been approved for each session in this series.

2.0 hours of continuing education is provided through co-sponsorship of the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, a PA-approved provider of social work continuing education for each program in this series. These credit hours satisfy requirements for LSW renewal. For information of social work continuing education, call (412) 624-3711.

To access the course, go to: https://cme.health.pitt.edu, click on Psychiatry, click on Intimate Partner Violence as a Mental Health and Patient Safety Concern, create a new account, log in, and proceed to complete the training. Continuing education credit information is given at the end.

Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Health Guidelines

The West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence has developed a four page laminated brochure Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Health. The document highlights the impact of trauma in responding to the mental health needs of intimate partner violence and includes guidelines for domestic violence advocates and mental health providers. For more information contact the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence at 304-965-3552.

 

NEWS

"Violence and Human Rights" addressed by JAMA

JAMA's August 3, 2005 issue focused on addressing violence and human rights research. "Family Violence Research: Lessons Learned and Where From Here?" written by Harriet L. MacMillan and C. Nadine Wathen highlights the past and future of family violence and child abuse research (pp. 618-620). "Modern Slavery a Hidden Crime in the US" by Dr. Thomas B. Cole highlights human trafficking and the role of the health care provider in addressing this problem (pp. 541-542).

Trafficked persons are many times isolated from the public, according to the Campaign to Rescue and Restore Victims of Human trafficking of the US Department of Health and Human Services. Trafficking survivors may be able to escape their captors if physicians can recognize their situation. The agency suggests that clinicians ask persons who do not seem to be able to move to a different location or change jobs, who appear fearful or depressed, lack identification documents, or seem reluctant or unable to speak for themselves the following questions: What type of work do you do? Are you being paid? Can you leave your job if you want to? Can you come and go as you please? Have you or your family been threatened? What are your working and living conditions like? Where do you sleep and eat? Do you have to ask permission to eat/sleep/go to the bathroom? Are there locks on your doors/windows so you cannot get out? Has your identification card or documentation been taken from you?

The Campaign to Rescue and Restore Victims of Human trafficking recommends that clinicians who suspect that they may have encountered a survivor of human trafficking should call the Trafficking Information and Referral Hotline at (888) 373-7888. This hotline is set up to identify trafficking survivors and connect them with local social services organizations that can help them begin the process of restoring their lives.

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Health e-News is a monthly electronic news digest focusing on health care and domestic violence policy, research, prevention and advocacy. Health e-News is available in both text and html formats. To subscribe Click Here.

We encourage you to use Health e-News to share news, views, and experiences concerning your projects and activities on addressing domestic violence as a health care issue. To post an announcement or ask a question, send an e-mail to HealthE-News@endabuse.org. The digest is monitored by Anna Marjavi, Senior Program Assistant with the Family Violence Prevention Fund.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to end domestic violence!

Be sure to visit our website http://endabuse.org/health to learn more about our programs, products, and campaigns!

This publication is funded in part by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau.