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Speech
Washington
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In meetings and conversations with stakeholders and survivors during the past several years, the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) has learned that people across the country are eager to explore different possibilities for how to increase options available to support survivors of domestic violence, dating violence and sexual assault.
While there remains a strong commitment to improving the criminal justice system for survivors who turn to it for help, there is also growing recognition that a significant percentage of survivors do not contact law enforcement, and OVW stakeholders have expressed an interest in alternative options to pursue safety, accountability and well-being and to increase community engagement in these efforts.
During the past year and a half, OVW has sponsored a number of roundtable discussions to bring stakeholders together to explore options and highlight promising practices and policy and programmatic recommendations. The roundtables have had a concerted focus on addressing the needs of marginalized and underserved populations.
A recurring theme has emerged: Being survivor-centered means listening to victims and providing them with meaningful choices. Several of these roundtable reports, plus a solicitation for a new demonstration initiative, are now available.
Additionally, OVW released a new solicitation on Jan. 13, 2017, for phase one of the Restorative Justice Response to Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence and Dating Violence on Campus Demonstration Initiative, which will support the development of a restorative justice framework as an option for survivors in campus communities who want to redress the harm they have experienced. Phase two of the initiative will be the subject of a later solicitation and will allow up to six demonstration campuses to pilot the framework by integrating restorative practices into their existing strategies to prevent and respond to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking on campus. Piloting of the framework will include in-depth technical assistance for each site and rigorous evaluation of the framework.
The presenters and participants at this roundtable discussed policy recommendations and new initiatives to reduce or eliminate the harm that domestic violence or sexual assault victims may experience in the criminal justice system. They also identified new initiatives, frameworks, promising practices and policy recommendations that create a continuum of options for safety and well-being to better meet the needs of survivors from African-American communities. The roundtable report, The Impact of Incarceration and Mandatory Minimums on Survivors: Exploring the Impact of Criminalizing Policies on African American Women and Girls also provides a summary of related actions that OVW has taken in the past year that have provided opportunities to advance the ongoing commitment on the part of OVW to address the critical issues raised at this roundtable.
The discussion illustrated the complexity of the issues around mediation in domestic violence cases. Participants conveyed concerns about victim safety but also recognized the challenges victims currently face across the country when trying to access the court system, particularly when they do not have legal representation, irrespective of the potential risks associated with mediation. Participants agreed that mediation can potentially meet the needs of domestic violence victims if it is voluntary, informed and includes strong safeguards as described in the report, Judicial Roundtable Discussion: Mediation,” which is now available from Futures Without Violence. Participants universally agreed that appropriate screening and comprehensive training on the mediation process are essential.
We are very thankful to the many roundtable participants who shared their time, talents and visionary spirit to collectively advance the dialogue on these critical issues. It is our hope that these documents will be helpful to further the dialogue and encourage continued collaboration to strengthen a coordinated community response that includes expanded choices and opportunities for survivors, their families and their communities to seek safety, accountability, healing and well-being.