What’s New, What’s Happening

Read the U.S. Department of Justice Press Release:

Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta announced at a webinar today two new training and technical assistance (TTA) resources from the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW): the National Violence Against Women Law Enforcement Training and Technical Assistance Consortium (LETTAC) and the Domestic Violence Resource for Increasing Safety and Connection (DV RISC).

Did you know that nearly half of female murder victims and one in 13 male murder victims are killed by intimate partners? For more than two decades, the Center for Court Innovation (CCI) has worked in New York and across the country to strengthen court and community responses to domestic violence. But for so many victims, the response comes tragically too late. During Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2021, CCI launched DV RISC, a survivor-centered initiative to reduce risk and prevent homicide in intimate partner violence cases. Funded by the U.S. Department of Justice‘s Office on Violence Against Women, the DV RISC strategy includes a new website providing resources and support for those working to reduce risk and prevent homicide in intimate partner violence.

On November 15, 2021, the White House released the Executive Order on Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People. As noted by President Joseph Biden in the order, “The safety and well-being of all Native Americans is a top priority for my Administration. My Administration will work hand in hand with Tribal Nations and Tribal partners to build safe and healthy Tribal communities and to support comprehensive law enforcement, prevention, intervention, and support services. … My Administration understands that Native American people, particularly the survivors of violence, know best what their communities need to make them safer. Consistent engagement, commitment, and collaboration will drive long-term improvement to public safety for all Native Americans.”

On Tuesday, October 5, 2021 Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Reauthorizing the 1994 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). In her testimony she highlighted OVW’s priorities for the VAWA reauthorization bill.

The Justice Department joins law enforcement partners, victim services professionals, advocates, and communities across the country in observing October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and announces more than $476 million in Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) grants. The funding supports projects that meaningfully address the needs of underserved and marginalized survivors, improve access to justice, enhance survivor safety, hold accountable those who have caused harm, and provide training and technical assistance to an array of professionals and systems working to address sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking in every state and territory, as well as dozens of tribal communities.