VAWnet News Blog

by Ali Mailen Perrotto of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center

“We have taken action to strengthen our criminal justice system, uphold the civil rights of victims and survivors of sexual assault, and ensure that all people can live free from sexual violence.  Now in its second year, the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault is helping schools live up to their obligations to educate st

Its been 20 years since the Violence Against Women Act was signed into law. To honor that anniversary, officials from the Department of Justice are visiting outreach programs across the nation. Monday, they made several stops in Ouachita and Morehouse parish.

“All of you in this room who are doctors, nurses, researchers, social workers from all across the country, the fact that we are talking today about domestic violence as a public health epidemic is because of you,” he said.

In our nation, a woman is beaten every nine seconds. One in four women will experience severe physical abuse in their lifetime. Annually 10 million children witness their mothers being beaten inside their own homes. Approximately three women are murdered every day by those who promised to love them.

Teen dating violence is a pattern of controlling and abusive behavior used by one partner to gain power over the other. Such behavior includes physical, sexual, emotional, and/or psychological abuse. Tragically, research shows that too many of our young adults are in such relationships.