Civil Legal Rights & Protections Content Topic Results

In this first-ever U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, the Federal Government advances an unprecedented and comprehensive approach to preventing and addressing sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, and other forms of gender-based violence.

The seeds for this survey were planted in the months following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Like the advocates at our member programs, ODVN wanted to better understand how survivors—women of color, specifically, along with other marginalized groups—experience law enforcement and other parts of the response system. We surveyed 505 survivors across the state to get some answers.

More than half of all American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime; one in three have experienced rape. The US government continues to fail to adequately prevent and respond to such violence. This report details some of the factors that contribute the high rates of sexual violence against Indigenous women, and the barriers to justice that they continue to face.

By providing U‐visa certifications and T visa declarations, law enforcement and prosecution officials add to their arsenal of crime fighting tools when immigrant victims feel safer coming forward to report crimes. This document provides a wide variety of background information on the U‐visa and T visa programs.

While courts may implement general court security best practices, domestic violence cases present uniquely dangerous risks towards courthouse safety, for both litigants and court staff. This document describes specific safety concerns with domestic violence cases, as well as practical strategies and lessons from the field for maintaining a secure courthouse environment.

Going to the courthouse and participating in hearings can be confusing and intimidating for anyone, but domestic violence survivors often face extra barriers. This checklist suggests strategies regarding safety while traveling to/from the courthouse, while inside the courthouse and courtroom, and during virtual hearings.

This toolkit from the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms, a project of the Battered Women's Justice Project, provides advocates with tools for engaging conversations, both locally and on the state level, on the impact of firearms on domestic violence victim-survivors, particularly during periods of wide-spread crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

This webpage from the National Immigrant Women's Advocacy Project features a variety of resources that may be helpful for law enforcement officials. Resources include information on working with limited English proficient victims, as well as forms of immigration relief such as U and T visas and VAWA self-petitions.

Immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, and human trafficking face unique challenges when accessing and maintaining safe housing, many of which have been exacerbated by COVID-19. In the October 2020 TA Question of the Month, authors clarify some misconceptions about immigrant survivors’ eligibility for housing and homeless assistance, as well as provide resources and tools with more detailed information supporting advocacy on behalf of immigrant survivors.