PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org
SAVE Unveils the Inclusive-VAWA Resource Center
WASHINGTON / April 3, 2013 – Following Congressional approval of the VAWA Inclusion Mandate, victim advocacy group Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) is unveiling a new Inclusive-VAWA Resource Center for abuse shelters and other domestic violence service providers. The VAWA Inclusion Mandate, which applies to all organizations receiving grants under the newly reauthorized Violence Against Women Act, bans discrimination on the basis of “race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability” (1).
The Inclusive-VAWA Resource Center features a variety of tools designed to help program directors comply with the new mandate. The Resource Center includes fact sheets, an inclusion checklist, special reports, a summary of legal requirements, and more. The fact sheets can be used by shelter managers to update information on websites and in training materials.
The Resource Center includes a sample Resolution for lawmakers who want to assure that under-served populations have equal access to services (2). These populations include African-Americans, American Indians, Asian-Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Immigrants, LGBT, Male Victims, and Persons with Disabilities.
SAVE also offers a consulting service to help domestic violence and sexual assault programs implement the VAWA Inclusion Mandate. This service can include phone consultations, trainings, website updates, and development of brochures and training manuals.
SAVE is recognizing abuse shelters with inclusive policies by listing them in the Resource Center.
“It’s exciting to see people standing up for these under-served victims,” says SAVE spokeswoman Kim Konash, “Thanks to the new VAWA Inclusion Mandate, no victim will need to fear being ridiculed or turned away.”
The Inclusive-VAWA Resource Center can be visited here: www.saveservices.org/inclusive-vawa/resources/.
For more information, contact inclusivevawa@saveservices.org.
Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org