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NEWS FROM THE HOMEFRONT |
FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION FUND |
| WINTER 1998 - 99 |
Contents |
Making a Difference:
Using State of the Art Technology to Educate Judges
"Making a Difference: Domestic Violence and the Role of the Court," offers judicial educators an unprecedented, cost-effective way to provide distance learning on domestic violence for judges. The "Making a Difference" curriculum includes four components: a video, hypothetical cases to apply new learnings, tools and checklists for judges, and a packet detailing how to use the materials.
"Distance learning is the wave of the future in terms of continuing education," says FVPF Managing Associate Director Janet Carter. "It's economical because it allows judges to hear from their peers, as well as from domestic violence experts, without requiring a lot of travel expense." The curriculum will be distributed this fall to judicial educators in every state.
"What makes the program unique," says Carter, "is that we isolated five key learning points that can help judges in assessing domestic violence cases. These points are demonstrated through realistic scenarios, followed by discussion by judges and domestic violence experts." The five learning points dramatized in the hour-long video are:
"Making a Difference" was created in partnership with the California Center for Judicial Education and Research (CJER) and funded by a grant from the State Justice Institute and CJER. It is the newest addition to the FVPF's judicial education curricula, which also includes domestic violence training information as it applies to criminal, civil, custodial, and visitation cases. An interactive, self-paced CD-ROM is also available.
"Judges share the same misconceptions and beliefs about domestic violence that the general public has. The difference," says Carter, "is that judges have the power to act on these beliefs. A judge who doesn't understand domestic violence can end up unintentionally contributing to the tragic consequences we read about. One who does," she adds, "can play a powerful role in stopping domestic violence, and can even save lives."
For information on how to order Making a Difference: Domestic Violence and the Role of the Court for use in educational programs for justice system personnel in your area, call (415) 252-8089.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Building on the Battered Women's Movement to Create Social Change
BY ESTA SOLER
Imagine a place where a battered woman could walk, where everywhere she turns she finds support -- at her workplace, from her friends and neighbors, in the courts, on the street. A place where perpetrators of domestic violence are shunned and condemned. Where jokes about abuse are frowned upon, and celebrities and star athletes convicted of abuse find themselves out of work for good. We're not there yet -- but we are on our way.
For the last three decades, the domestic violence movement has worked to bring the issue of abuse to the nation's attention. The service community's response to domestic violence in the United States has been an outstanding model of effective victim support. Through the efforts of thousands of individuals, criminal and judicial sanctions have started to take root. But the social atmosphere that allows abuse to continue still exists: public attitudes based in sexism still condone domestic violence. Too many people still hesitate to speak up on behalf of victims, and stand up against abusers. And every day, we hear stories of more women beaten and killed by the men who promised to love them.
But attitudes are starting to change. Across the country, communities are coming together in inspiring ways to condemn domestic violence, hold abusers accountable, and support victims, whether they are a co-worker, a friend, or even a stranger. In Long Island, NY a domestic violence group placed a newspaper ad listing the names of 100 men from the community under the headline, "These residents all believe that if you're a man who abuses women you're a despicable coward. And you will be held accountable."
In Philadelphia, a program is underway that gives step-by-step guidance on individual and community intervention in neighborhoods and workplaces, designed to make the entire city a "Domestic Violence-Free Zone" (see article pp. 4-5).
In Los Angeles, a program called "Court Watch" issues an annual report card on how well the Superior Court Judges who hear domestic violence cases serve battered women seeking justice from the judicial system.
Dedicated advocates continue to provide support, shelter, legal assistance, and other needed services to battered women and their children. It is time now to build on that strong network, and reach out and help concerned citizens from the whole community to become leaders in the fight against domestic abuse -- in their unions, places of worship, neighborhoods, workplaces, and schools. We know that domestic violence isn't a private matter. Domestic violence is everybody's business.
Domestic violence is a learned behavior, and it will only be unlearned when abusers have an incentive to change. A chorus of community voices speaking out against abuse, supporting victims and demanding change can be a powerful motivator.
Rx for Abuse Act
Helping Health Care Providers Prevent Domestic Violence
It has been well documented that battering is a leading cause of injury to women. A critical gap in services has also been noted, when victims of abuse turn to their health care provider for care and assistance, and are often discharged with only the presenting injuries treated, and the underlying cause of the injuries unaddressed.
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"No physician ever intends to discharge a patient with a preventable life-threatening condition without taking steps to treat the problem," says FVPF Executive Director Esta Soler. "However, most battered women who seek medical attention are sent home to the same unsafe situation that was the original cause of their injuries because their physicians lack the training and support to appropriately identify, treat or refer victims of domestic violence."
The FVPF conceived of and developed the Rx for Abuse Act (S. 2395) to fill this serious gap in service provision. Introduced by Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) in the Senate, and by Rep. Nita Lowery (D-NY) as H.R. 4477 in the House, the bill would fund demonstration grants that will enable state and local teams to design and implement comprehensive responses to domestic violence. The Rx for Abuse Act would authorize ten grants of up to $2 million for statewide teams to develop four-year demonstration programs and ten grants of up to $450,000 for local teams to direct three-year local-level demonstrations.
State applicants that would be eligible to apply for the grants include state health departments, domestic violence coalitions, other domestic violence organizations, or the state medical or health association or society. Local health departments, nonprofit domestic violence organizations or service providers, and medical or health associations or societies would be eligible local level applicants. All grantees would represent a collaborative team of organizations.
To make sure this important legislation is passed, write your representative or senator and encourage them to support the Rx for Abuse Act. For more information, please contact Lisa Moreno in the FVPF's Washington, DC office, at (202) 624-9470.
Partners Come Together for Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Conference
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| Cedar Rapids' "Action Plan for a Healthy Community." |
This July, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation's Community Partnership for Protecting Children (CPPC) sites came together from Cedar Rapids, IA, Jacksonville, FL, Louisville, KY and St. Louis, MO for a conference called "Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment: Community Partnerships for Safe Families." More than 75 child welfare workers, domestic violence advocates, school-based program leaders, other community-based service providers, and neighborhood residents met to develop action plans for how best to work with families where both domestic violence and child abuse are occurring. Recent studies have shown there is an overlap between these two problems in approximately fifty percent of families referred to Child Protection Services. The FVPF has a grant from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation to provide technical assistance to these sites in their work with battered women and their children.
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| Jacksonville participants Marno Cook, Theresa Pringle, Joyce Watson, Veronica Horne, Al Walker, Fannie Green, Faye Johnson, and Verna Faine |
Workshops at the San Francisco conference focused on four cutting-edge issues the program sites face:
The work of the CPPC sites is providing a model for the rest of the country on how to keep children and their families safe when both domestic violence and child abuse exist.
Philadelphia: Let's Stop Domestic Violence!
A City United Against Domestic
Violence
Imagine a city with a zero tolerance policy on domestic violence. A city with successful partnerships between advocates and policy makers; with workplaces that assist victims and let perpetrators know that domestic violence is not condoned. A city where women facing abuse find widespread public support and abusers hear loud and clear that their behavior is not acceptable. Such a city is in the making -- in Philadelphia.
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| Community libraries across philadelphia have agreed to post materials condemning abuse in their lobbies, and Philadelphia: Let's Stop Domestic Violence! project volunteers stop by often to re-stock supplies. |
Philadelphia: Let's Stop Domestic Violence! is an exciting collaboration between the Family Violence Prevention Fund and four of Philadelphia's domestic violence service agencies -- Women Against Abuse, Women In Transition, Lutheran Settlement House, and Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc. -- designed to use media and organizing strategies to change social norms about abuse. A pilot project of the FVPF's There's No Excuse for Domestic Violence public education campaign, the multi-year demonstration project in Philadelphia is creating a model city for the nation -- a city united against domestic violence.
The initiative includes:
Lisa Nelson has first-hand experience with the energy being generated in Philadelphia. As Field Organizer for the project, she has recruited hundreds of volunteers and helped coordinate several large-scale events. "One of the most exciting elements of the Philadelphia project for me is the Community Ambassador program," she says. Community Ambassadors, Nelson explains, are lead volunteers who have made the commitment to work directly with Philadelphia: Let's Stop Domestic Violence! staff to develop a community action plan that suits the interests and needs of their neighborhood. They also pledge to mobilize their neighbors to create "Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence Zones," by supplying their local library with house signs, bumper stickers and information about abuse and organizing their neighbors to participate in activities that demonstrate their commitment to ending domestic abuse.
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| On October 1st, downtown Philadelphia came alive for the Market Street Blitz, and buses running along Market Street carried prominent advertisements featuring local leaders like Lou Freimiller speaking out against abuse. |
Why would someone take on such a large volunteer commitment? The decision, says Community Ambassador Gamela Young, was an easy one. "It feels good to be able to help people and give them the resources they need. It has been easy for me to recruit more volunteers, really. People want to make a difference in their neighborhoods, and they want to be a part of something good."
Lori Burns-Simms, Project Coordinator, and the rest of the Philadelphia team have been meeting with advocates, business leaders, community activists, policy makers, university staff, and concerned individuals to build far-reaching coalitions of support. "Philadelphia is launching an historic grassroots campaign to stop domestic violence," she says. "We're educating our friends and neighbors about abuse, and we're working together to help battered women and their children. We're joining together to say there is no room for domestic violence in this neighborhood or in this city."
Major employers in Philadelphia, in partnership with the program, are creating innovative workplace responses to domestic violence. Many employers are disseminating information through company newsletters, training sessions, and displays of awareness materials. Other examples of business leadership include:
This October 1, to kick off National Domestic Violence Awareness month, downtown Philadelphia came alive for what was called the Market Street Blitz. The day began with a rally at which Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell and actress Holly Robinson Peete spoke, and hundreds of volunteers wearing bright blue identifying aprons fanned the area distributing materials condemning domestic violence. Flags lining the street proclaimed the message that "There's No Excuse for Domestic Violence." The Market Street Blitz volunteer activity was complemented by a strong media component, with radio shows airing advertisements, anti-abuse materials hanging in storefronts, and posters displayed on commuter train platforms and buses depicting leaders and everyday citizens proclaiming, "There's no room for domestic violence in our city!"
"We are making Philadelphia: Let's Stop Domestic Violence! the model for the nation in terms of grassroots organizing to stop domestic violence," says FVPF Associate Director Marissa Ghez. "We have learned that if given the tools and knowledge, people will step forward to help stop abuse. Today, we are providing Philadelphians with these tools."
JAPAN - The Associated Press reports that one-third of Japanese women responding to a survey said they had been battered by their husband or partner. When the Tokyo government conducted follow-up interviews with some respondents, women said they tried to endure the abuse in order to avoid shame before their neighbors or officials.
POLAND - Kazimierz Kapera, Poland's minister for family affairs, recommended that the scarce money for family services not be spent on programs for battered women but rather on programs that strive to keep families together. Kapera has also criticized a recent nationwide campaign against family violence, stating that it tarnishes the image of Polish men. The campaign portrays the Polish male "as an alcoholic, a wife abuser, a primitive pervert raping her (his wife) and sexually abusing children," Kapera's office charged in a report.
NATIONAL - On April 16, members of the National Task Force on Violence Against Women (a coalition of groups concerned with women's issues) protested outside Eric Clapton's live performance in Washington, D.C. The demonstration was held to protest the lyrics of a new song, "Sick & Tired:" "I'm gonna get me a shotgun, baby, and stash it behind the bedroom door. I may have to blow your brains out, baby. Then you won't bother me no more." Clapton, a popular singer and guitarist, co-wrote the song with Simon Climie. In a San Francisco Examiner op-ed (June 8, 1998) about the Clapton song, FVPF Executive Director Esta Soler wrote: "It is time to draw the line, to refuse to support the musicians, record companies and others who want to profit at the expense of our lives and our futures." Produced by Reprise Records, Clapton's new CD is entitled Pilgrim.
ALABAMA - On April 8, 1998 Alabama Governor Fob James issued a proclamation encouraging state employees to put There's No Excuse for Domestic Violence bumper stickers on 10,000 government and law enforcement vehicles in Alabama. Governor James also issued the Alabama Governor's Challenge Against Domestic Violence, challenging the 49 other state governors to follow his lead. Florida Governor Lawton Chiles became the first governor to take up the challenge, hosting his state's own kickoff event on June 17, 1998. Several other states have expressed interest in taking up the challenge. Advocates who are interested in organizing this event in their state can contact the Family Violence Prevention Fund at (415) 252-8900.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - USA Today reports that Judge Ralph Turco was chosen as one of The National Law Journal's ten most injudicious judges this year when he "knocked his wife down in church while arguing over who would carry Christmas gifts from the car." Turco, who has since been removed from the bench, claims that he accidentally pushed his wife while gesturing and she fell because she was wearing high heel shoes.
ARIZONA - For three weeks, Laura Muñoz repeatedly contacted the nine domestic violence shelters in her area, trying to find one that could house her and her six children. Due to lack of space, all nine shelters were forced to turn her away, providing other assistance such as special phones she could use to dial 911. On February 11, Muñoz's common-law husband stabbed her to death in front of her children. Muñoz had obtained a protective order three weeks before her death but the papers were never served. Local shelter directors say the lack of space in Phoenix-area shelters has reached crisis proportions.
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| At the recognition ceremony, Liz McLoughlin, Associate Director and Director of Programs at the Trauma Foundation, hands Esta Soler her Public Health Hero award. |
FVPF Founder and Executive Director Esta Soler has won the 1998 Public Health Heroes Award from the University of California School of Public Health. One of four honorees, Soler was recognized for her "significant contributions and exceptional commitment to promoting and protecting the health of the human population." The award was created to foster better understanding of the public health field in honor of its heroes.
At the recognition ceremony, Liz McLoughlin, Associate Director and Director of Programs at the Trauma Foundation, hands Esta Soler her Public Health Hero award.
Appreciating the Board
The Family Violence Prevention Fund Board of Directors honored and said goodbye to three departing members at its Board Appreciation Night on June 19.
Pictured (l to r): Judge Ronald Adrine, Paulette Meyer, Beckie Masaki, Irene Agnos (Chair), Christina Benitez-Wilcox (departing Vice Chairperson), Valerie Edwards (departing member), Esta Soler (Executive Director), Sunny Fischer, and Jacqueline Campbell. Not pictured: Yolanda Alindor (departing member), Ellen Friedman, and Arnold Perkins. Also not shown are new board members Jamie Kalven, author and Executive Director of Neighborhood Conservation Corps in Chicago; Felicia Lynch, President and CEO of Women and Philanthropy in Washington, DC; San Francisco-based author Richard North Patterson; and Linda Spears, Director of Child Protection at the Child Welfare League of America in Washington, DC.
TAKE ACTION!
New Kits Make Intervention Easy
Three new Action Kits are available as part of the FVPF's There's No Excuse for Domestic Violence campaign. There's No Excuse is a multi-faceted educational program designed to let people know that domestic violence is everyone's responsibility. The Kits, the campaign's newest initiative, give people the tools and resources they need to make it easy for them to reach out and take action. Piloted in Philadelphia as part of the FVPF's Philadelphia: Let's Stop Domestic Violence! project, the Kits contain three components that enable neighbors, employees and domestic violence survivors to make a real difference in their communities.
Neighbor to Neighbor Domestic Violence Action Kit
The Neighbor to Neighbor Domestic Violence Action Kit contains materials to help turn city blocks into Domestic Violence-Free Zones. It includes a house sign that proclaims, "There's NO ROOM for domestic violence in this neighborhood!", a step-by-step guide for bringing neighbors together to address domestic violence, activities neighbors can take on to raise awareness about abuse, a sample letter to the media, a list of popular films and books on the issue with discussion points, and a video that can be used to jump-start discussions about abuse. The video, Speaking Up: Ending Domestic Violence in Our Communities, dramatizes one woman's struggle to escape from violence, along with expert discussion of the dynamics of abuse, and tips on how to use the Kit's organizing materials.
Worker to Worker Domestic Violence Action Kit
This Kit is designed to give co-workers the tools they need to help address domestic violence as it affects their workplace. Much like the FVPF's Work to End Domestic Violence Kit in theme and content, this Kit is intended for employees (rather than employers) who want to make a difference at their workplaces. Employees can use the Kit themselves, or share it with their Human Resources Department. It contains educational materials such as step-by-step instructions on how to hold a brown bag seminar on the topic, with a special handout that can be distributed at the event and an audiocassette that can be used to begin the meeting. Like the Work to End Domestic Violence Kit, the Worker to Worker Kit also includes a checklist of company policies, as well as posters, talking points for how to approach co-workers facing domestic violence, and victim safety cards.
Person to Person Domestic Violence Action Kit
The Person to Person Domestic Violence Action Kit is designed for survivors and witnesses of domestic violence who want to help others who are facing abuse. Developed with the notion that survivors are the best spokespeople for the issue, this Kit shows women who have faced abuse and children who grew up watching it how their experiences can make a difference. It contains tips on how to talk with a friend, co-worker or family member who may be experiencing abuse, and ways to raise community awareness about the problem.
Made possible by a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation, these new Kits combine educational materials with easy-to-use tools that enable people to speak out. Each carries the message that domestic violence is wrong, it is not a private matter, and it is never acceptable.
For information on ordering these materials, call (415) 252-8089 (Neighbor to Neighbor Kit $25.00; Worker to Worker Kit $20.00; Person to Person Kit $2.50, plus shipping and handling).
New Resources Available
Community Organizing Materials for Advocates
Ending Domestic Violence: Report from the Global Frontlines is an exciting new publication of the FVPF which shares the inspiring stories of activists and advocates from eight countries as they break new ground in their efforts to educate the public and prevent domestic violence. The strategies that are highlighted -- which are drawn from diverse political and social contexts -- can give insight and ideas to domestic violence advocates everywhere on ways to organize communities against abuse. Countries featured include: Brazil, Cambodia, China, India, Ireland, Russia, South Africa, and the United States. $15 plus shipping and handling.
Victim Safety Cards are now available in six languages: English, Spanish, Russian, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Lao. Small enough to fit in a pocket, these cards contain vital and potentially life-saving information to help victims of abuse plan for their safety. Leave them in places where they can be picked up discreetly -- public restrooms, locker rooms, employee lounges, and hospital exam rooms. 50 cards for $6, plus shipping and handling. Call (415) 252-8089 for information on how to order these new resources.