Source: United States Department of Justice
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery
Good morning! I want to thank Jan Langbein and Becky Park for their amazing dedication and for bringing us all together for this important conference. I want to extend my deep gratitude to each of you here today for your hard work and service and the commitment to continue learning from one another.
And I want to thank you, Pam, for your dedication and partnership and for the leadership of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in preventing and addressing firearms-related domestic violence.
I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) at the Justice Department and collaborate with so many individuals and organizations dedicated to furthering our nation’s commitment to ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and other related forms of gender-based violence.
OVW is tasked with overseeing the implementation of key parts of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), landmark bipartisan legislation first enacted by Congress in 1994. One of the hallmarks of VAWA is fostering a Coordinated Community Response, or CCR. The Crimes Against Women Conference is a wonderful forum to amplify the importance of collaboration across all sectors, to strengthen a multi-disciplinary approach to supporting survivors and their children. The response of each person a survivor encounters is critical to how — or even if — that survivor finds safety, justice and healing.
As we prepare to commemorate the 30th anniversary of VAWA this September, it is an opportunity for all of us collectively to reflect on the substantial progress that has been made. Fortunately, there have been significant paradigm shifts in society’s perceptions of these crimes and our responses to them. Individuals and organizations — including all of you here today — have worked tirelessly to bring these issues out of the shadows, support survivors and hold offenders accountable.
However, as you undoubtedly know, we still have much further to go. Many survivors still encounter significant challenges navigating complex systems and accessing critical resources and support that are trauma-informed and survivor-centered and that meet their unique circumstances.
As has been mentioned, there are important laws to prohibit those convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from purchasing or possessing firearms. However, we know that for laws to be effective, it requires collaboration across sectors to ensure implementation, and to provide critical support for survivors at increased risk of serious injury or death.
OVW has been funding 12 sites across the country through our Firearms Technical Assistance Project (FTAP) to help communities implement policies and promising practices to reduce DV homicides and injuries committed with firearms. I had an opportunity recently to visit one of those sites in Birmingham, Alabama, to see firsthand the difference it is making in strengthening community collaboration to implement the firearms prohibitors and reduce both domestic violence and community violence.
Through these projects we have seen how important it is to develop tools to support a better understanding of these laws and how to implement them to increase victim safety.
As Pam mentioned, the reference card that has been shared with participants today and will be distributed nationally is a product of ongoing collaboration within the Justice Department. We hope this reference tool is something you can bring back and share out in your community to help in the investigation and prosecution of these cases.
OVW is also pleased to fund a National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms, which is led by the Battered Women’s Justice Project. Their staff is here at the conference and will lead a workshop to provide additional training on these issues, along with the FBI.
Additionally, this afternoon, OVW’s Deputy Director of Policy, Linda Phan, will be co-presenting with FBI, ATF and the Northern District of Alabama on federal resources to support your work in addressing firearms and domestic violence.
Another great example of this collaboration can be found right here in Dallas, where U.S Attorney Leigha Simonton for the Northern District of Texas has partnered with local authorities and victim services to federally prosecute these cases.
We are committed to build these partnerships and work with our federal colleagues, as well as state and local prosecutors, law enforcement and victim advocates. When we work together on behalf of survivors, we can save lives and help create communities free from violence.
And that’s why I’m particularly proud to share with you another collaborative effort. As the result of our close collaboration with state and federal prosecutors, OVW is releasing today a new resource for prosecutors: a Framework for Prosecutors to Strengthen Our National Response to Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence Involving Adult Victims.
This guide is designed to complement similar guidance for law enforcement that then-Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta announced at this very conference two years ago when she announced the updated guidance on “Improving Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence by Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias.”
This new guide for prosecutors provides a blueprint for building provable cases in a trauma-informed manner that treats victims with humanity and ensures due process for defendants. It sets out five principles that, if implemented, will lead to better outcomes for victims, safer communities and greater accountability for perpetrators of gender-based violence.
These principles are designed to address myths and misconceptions that often derail investigations and prosecutions of credible allegations. We are also launching a webpage to house additional resources to assist prosecutors in implementing the principles.
This guide was written by prosecutors for prosecutors. We began by partnering with our colleagues at the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) to convene an initial roundtable of prosecutors from around the country with expertise in prosecuting sexual assault and domestic violence.
One of our attorneys at OVW, who has previously served as a prosecutor for two decades, then spearheaded the effort to develop the guide. She also got input–from more than 120 state, Tribal, military and federal prosecutors, as well as advocates, academics and investigators who have dedicated their careers to addressing sexual assault and domestic violence. We are grateful to those who contributed to the development of the guide, including many of you who are here at the conference.
We are proud to announce these two new resources today from the Department of Justice. Your experiences, expertise and advocacy are what contribute to the development of these resources as we continue to learn from one another and strengthen collaboration.
As we mark VAWA’s 30th this year, we are reflecting on how each VAWA reauthorization has been an opportunity for stakeholders and policy makers to identify what is working well that we can continue to scale up, as well as identify gaps and barriers that need to be addressed, ensuring that these efforts are rooted in the voices and lived realities of survivors.
And each time VAWA has been reauthorized, most recently in 2022, it has allowed us to expand and enhance the ways in which we can do this important work. OVW grants and cooperative agreements provide critical resources to support a broad array of services across all U.S. states, territories and many Tribal nations. Since 2021, funding for VAWA implementation has increased by over 35%, with fiscal year 2024 appropriations reaching $713 million. Additionally, as a result of new provisions in the reauthorization of VAWA in 2022, OVW has launched several new grant programs and initiatives this year to continue to broaden pathways to justice, safety, healing and well-being for survivors.
With that said, I hope you will join me tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. for an OVW listening session. As we commemorate the 30th anniversary of VAWA, we want to hear directly from you — what are the strengths and promising practices that need to be scaled up; what are the challenges and barriers that victims face; how can we improve our partnership and strengthen a coordinated community response; and, ultimately, how can we strengthen prevention efforts and increase access to justice, safety, healing and well-being for survivors and their families.
Thank you again for allowing me the opportunity to be here and for all that you do.