Category: Dating Violence

PR: New Sexual Assault Regulation Will Benefit Victims, For Numerous Reasons

Post author By saveadmin
Post date May 8, 2020

Contact: Rebecca Stewart

Telephone: 513-479-3335

Email: info@saveservices.org

New Sexual Assault Regulation Will Benefit Victims, For Numerous Reasons

WASHINGTON / May 8, 2020 – SAVE is today releasing an analysis that enumerates the many ways by which the newly released Title IX regulation will benefit victims of campus sexual assault. Title IX is the federal law that bans sex discrimination in schools. The new regulation was released on Wednesday by the Department of Education (1).

Titled, “Analysis: New Title IX Regulation Will Support and Assist Complainants in Multiple Ways,” the SAVE report identifies seven broad ways that the new federal regulation benefits victims and survivors:

Establishes a legally enforceable duty of universities to respond to such cases in a timely manner.
Requires the school to investigate allegations of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and harassment.
Requires the school to offer complainants supportive measures, such as class or dorm reassignments or no-contact orders, even if an investigation is not initiated.
Defines the procedures to properly investigate and adjudicate such complaints.
Promotes victim autonomy by allowing the complainant to participate in dispute resolution or withdraw a complaint if desired.
Ensures complainants are not required to disclose any confidential medical, psychological, or similar records.
Discourages minor complaints that tend to dilute the availability of resources and harm the credibility of future victims.

Nashville attorney Michelle Owens provides examples of lawsuits from her own practice that fall into the category of minor and trivial complaints:

A student who was charged under Title IX for allegedly touching a girl on her head. This was not on a date or in a romantic setting.
One client was charged for sexual misconduct for touching a student on her elbow at a dance because he was trying to move her out of the way of another person.
One male student was charged for giving an honest compliment to a friend on her outfit.

The new SAVE document identifies 28 legally enforceable provisions in the new regulation that will benefit and support victims. Three examples of these provisions are: “Complainants are assured that unwelcome conduct that is severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive will not be tolerated at their institution;” “Complainants are assured that respondents that are deemed an immediate threat to safety will be removed from campus;” and “Complainants must be provided an advisor free of charge to conduct cross-examination on their behalf.”

SAVE has identified numerous cases in which campus disciplinary committees, sometimes derisively referred to as “kangaroo courts,” have shortchanged victims (2). The Independent Women’s Forum argues that “Survivors should praise efforts to ensure that disciplinary decisions are not overturned by courts or regarded as illegitimate in the court of public opinion.” (3)

There is no evidence that the previous campus policies have succeeded in reducing campus sexual assault. A recent report from the American Association of Universities revealed an actual increase in campus sexual assaults from 2015 to 2019 (4).

The SAVE analysis is available online: http://www.saveservices.org/2020/05/analysis-new-title-ix-regulation-will-support-and-assist-complainants-in-multiple-ways/

Links:

Dating Violence VAWA Inclusion Mandate

Five Principles for Re-Thinking VAWA: A Bipartisan Approach

Post author By saveadmin
Post date January 22, 2019

E. Everett Bartlett, PhD

President, Coalition to End Domestic Violence

As we know, Congress only approved short-term extensions to the Violence Against Women Act in 2018.[1] It did not succeed in accomplishing the five-year reauthorization of the law.

In the Senate, a VAWA bill was never introduced, even though a hearing was held on March 21.[2] In the House, Rep. Jackson Lee did introduce a reauthorization bill, H.R. 6545.[3] But lacking Republican support, the bill never went before the Committee for a vote.

It is clear that the problem was not a lack of legislative interest or concern. The real issue lies with an evolving understanding of the nature of domestic violence, and especially a broad public concern over the problem of over-criminalization in our society.

The solution to this apparent impasse is to take a step backwards to better understand the contours of this evolving understanding. To accomplish this, I am proposing five principles for re-thinking VAWA. I believe all of these principles enjoy general bi-partisan support:

Rely on science, not ideology

In 2004, the National Academy of Sciences released a comprehensive analysis of VAWA, concluding that domestic violence programs are often “driven by ideology and stakeholder interests rather than plausible theories and scientific evidence of fact.”[4] By “ideology,” the NAS was referring to the prevailing model of “patriarchal control,” which posits domestic violence is a by-product of men’s abiding thirst for power and control over women.

But six years later, the Centers for Disease Control released the results of its NISVS survey. This historic survey found female-on-male partner violence was more common than male-on-female violence.[5] Even more surprising, the survey found the highest rates of violence were found in lesbian same-sex relationships.[6] The “patriarchal control” model obviously doesn’t fit with these well-documented facts.

Both liberals and conservatives believe in the need for truth, and embrace the role of science to elucidate the truth.

Avoid over-criminalization

The United States has the highest rate of incarceration of any country of the world. University of Maryland law professor Leigh Goodmark recently noted, “scholars have argued that the turn to criminal law to address intimate partner violence contributed to mass incarceration.”[7] Goodmark urges use of a more balanced approach that views domestic violence as an economic, public health, community, and human rights problem.

Last year, the FIRST STEP Act was approved with strong bi-partisan majorities in Congress.[8] For the first time, Congress acted to reverse the decades-long process of creating new crimes, expanding definitions of existing crimes,[9] reducing due process protections, and increasing punishments.

Clearly, the goal of reducing over-criminalization enjoys the support of both Republicans and Democrats.

Address waste, fraud, and abuse

Last March the Washington Post published a report titled, “Mice in the couches, mold on the walls: Years of problems at this government-funded shelter.”[10] The problem at the Safe Passages Shelter was not a lack funding, because its annual budget was $1.3 million. Rather, the problem was a lack of programmatic and financial accountability. Eventually, the shelter had to be temporarily closed.

This was not an isolated problem. Department of Justice audits of 47 VAWA grantees found that 34 of them were “Generally Non-Compliant.”[11] In other words, 72% of the grantees flunked the audit.

Both conservatives and liberals are troubled by accounts like the Safe Passage Shelter. Surely, all persons can support measures to prevent closures of abuse shelters and to prevent the pilfering of funds designed to stem partner violence.

Recognize the problem of false allegations

By any measure, we now experiencing an epidemic of false allegations of domestic violence. One survey found that 9.7% of American adults report they have been falsely accused of domestic violence, sexual assault, or child abuse.[12]

One online petition states, “Laws enacted to protect the victims of the vile crime of domestic violence are being misused by both citizens as well as law enforcement, and in this process innocent men’s lives are being destroyed.”[13] This petition currently has over 39,000 comments.

False allegations not only ruin the lives of the falsely accused, they also undermine the credibility of future victims. That’s a concern that liberals and conservatives alike can relate to.

Involve a broad range of stakeholders

For years, a group known as the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence has controlled the VAWA reauthorization process. But if you visit the NTF website,[14] there is no listing of staff names, addresses, phone numbers, or member organizations.

As one observer concluded, “U.S. public policy on domestic violence is being controlled by an organization that is utterly secret. We neither know…what the NTF is, what it does, who funds it, who is affiliated with it, or whether it violates federal law.”[15]

To address this problem, the 40 members of the Coalition to End Domestic Violence have requested that they “have a seat at the table as full and frequent participants in the drafting process.”[16]

Inclusiveness is implicit in the American ideals of democratic decision-making and citizen involvement. “Inclusiveness” is a goal that both liberals and conservatives can support.

Recommendations

Given the difficulty in accomplishing the VAWA reauthorization, we are now making two recommendations:

A contract will be made with an external, independent, and scientifically based organization to do a thorough assessment of the Violence Against Women Act. This assessment will be similar in scope to the one conducted in 2004 by the National Academy of Sciences. The report would contain legislative recommendations. This likely would entail a two-year process.
During this period, Congress will pass a two-year extension of the existing VAWA law with straight-line appropriations.

In short, viewing domestic violence as a human problem, rather than as an ideological crusade, will allow us to move forward with this vitally important piece of legislation.

Citations:

[1] https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/10/vawa-at-risk-of-lapsing/

[2] https://www.c-span.org/video/?442853-1/officials-testify-violence-women-act-reauthorization

[3] https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/6545

[4] https://www.nap.edu/catalog/10849/advancing-the-federal-research-agenda-on-violence-against-women

[5] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2010 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, Atlanta, Georgia. Tables 4.7 and 4.8. http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/NISVS_Report2010-a.pdf

[6] NISVS: 2010 Findings on Victimization by Sexual Orientation. Tables 6 and 7.

[7] Leigh Goodmark. Decriminalizing Domestic Violence: A Balanced Policy Approach. 2018. Page 3.

[8] https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/5682/text

[9] https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/414099-violence-against-women-act-diminishes-the-seriousness-of-domestic-violence

[10] https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/mice-in-the-couches-mold-on-the-walls-years-of-problems-at-this-government-funded-shelter-for-abused-women/2018/03/21/a7933ec4-f4ca-11e7-a9e3-ab18ce41436a_story.html

[11] http://endtodv.org/pr-violence-against-women-act-7-out-of-10-grant-recipients-flunk-audits/

[12] http://www.saveservices.org/dv/falsely-accused/survey/

[13] https://www.petition2congress.com/ctas/stop-false-allegations-domestic-violence

[14] http://www.4vawa.org/

[15] https://nationalparentsorganization.org/blog/23940-secret-organization-controls-u-s-domestic-violence-policy

[16] http://endtodv.org/statements/organizations/

Dating Violence Domestic Violence Press Release Research VAWA Inclusion Mandate Violence

PR: White House Dating Violence Proclamation Mocks the Truth, SAVE Charges

Post author By saveadmin
Post date February 21, 2014

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

White House Dating Violence Proclamation Mocks the Truth, SAVE Charges

WASHINGTON / February 21, 2014 – A leading victim-advocacy group charges a recent White House Proclamation provides a misleading and dishonest portrayal of the dating violence problem. Stop Abusive and Violent Environments calls on the Obama Administration to revise its flawed Proclamation and reaffirm its commitment to evidence-based policies.

February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. In observance of the event, the White House issued a Proclamation on Dating Violence that states, “girls and young women ages 16 to 24 are at the highest risk” for dating violence. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/01/31/presidential-proclamation-national-teen-dating-violence-awareness-month-

This statement is false. It’s young boys who are at decidedly greater risk, says the Centers for Disease Control. According to the CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey, high school boys were more likely than girls to have experienced dating violence during the past 12 months. This gender disparity was found when the survey was administered in 2007, 2009, and 2011: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/youthonline/App/Default.aspx

A second CDC-funded study interviewed young adults aged 18 to 28 years. The survey found the sex disparity was even more pronounced in this older group: “women were the perpetrators in more than 70% of the cases,” the researchers concluded: http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2005.079020

The cases of Jodi Arias of Arizona and Crystal Mangum, notorious false accuser in the Duke U. lacrosse case, reveal that female-perpetrated partner violence is a serious problem in the United States. Both Arias and Mangum were convicted in 2013 for the brutal slayings of their intimate partners.

“President Obama promised his Administration would base its policies on science, not ideology,” notes SAVE spokesperson Sheryle Hutter. “But repeatedly, we have seen White House pronouncements on domestic violence that reveal at best a dubious relationship to truth or verifiable fact.”

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

Abuse Shelter Dating Violence Discrimination Domestic Violence Press Release Victims Violence Violence Against Women Act

PR: SAVE Applauds Growing Number of Inclusive Abuse Shelters

Post author By saveadmin
Post date April 16, 2013

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

SAVE Applauds Growing Number of Inclusive Abuse Shelters

WASHINGTON / April 16, 2013 – SAVE, a national victim-rights organization, welcomes the growing number of abuse shelters and other domestic violence service providers that now provide inclusive services. These services are required under the new VAWA Inclusion Mandate (1), a series of anti-discrimination provisions included in the newly reauthorized Violence Against Women Act.

The anti-bias measures were included in the Violence Against Women Act due to documented discriminatory practices against lesbian/gay (2), male (3), and other (4) victims of abuse. The Violence Against Women Act reauthorization, signed into law on March 7, 2013, now bans discrimination on the basis of “race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.”

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments – SAVE – has compiled a listing of inclusive shelters that features over 50 domestic violence providers located around the country (5). Examples include:

1. Peaceful Paths, based in Gainesville, Fla., provides a crisis line, emergency shelter, advocacy, support groups, and transitional housing to LGBTQ, male, and female victims of partner abuse.

2. Located in Lebanon, New Hampshire, WISE offers a 24-hr crisis line, emergency shelter, counseling, legal advocacy, referrals to all victims – LGBTQ, female, or male.

3. First Step in Fostoria, Ohio, First Step offers a shelter for male victims of domestic violence and programs to build healthy relationships, learn parenting skills, manage stress effectively, and develop life skills.

Many shelters, such as South Valley Sanctuary in Murray, Utah, also offer their inclusive services in both English and Spanish. Some groups, such as the Domestic Violence Program of Asian Americans for Community Involvement in San Jose, Calif., target their services to specific ethnic groups.

“After years of exclusion, it’s thrilling to see so many shelters now expanding their services so no survivor of domestic violence becomes revictimized by the system,” notes SAVE spokesperson Sheryle Hutter. “And for shelters scrambling to come into line with the Inclusion Mandate, SAVE’s Inclusion Resource Center should be a great help.”

SAVE offers a range of resources to shelters working to assure compliance with the VAWA Inclusion Mandate, including an Inclusion Checklist, fact sheets, research summaries, and population-specific information (6). Domestic violence providers who wish to be considered for inclusion in the Listing of Inclusive Shelters should send a request to inclusivevawa@saveservices.org. There is no charge for the listing.

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

http://www.saveservices.org/inclusive-vawa/legal-provisions/
http://www.avp.org/resources/avp-resources/136
http://www.saveservices.org/downloads/Domestic-Violence-Programs-Discriminate-Against-Male-Victims
Tricia Bent-Goodley. Perceptions of Domestic Violence: A Dialogue with African American Women. Health and Social Work, Vol. 29, No. 4. 2004.
http://www.saveservices.org/inclusive-vawa/shelter-listings/
http://www.saveservices.org/inclusive-vawa/resources/

Bills Dating Violence Discrimination Domestic Violence False Allegations Law Enforcement Press Release Research Restraining Order Victims Violence Violence Against Women Act

PR: Leading Scientists and Organizations Urge Reforming the Violence Against Women Act: SAVE Calls for Prompt Congressional Action

Post author By saveadmin
Post date February 5, 2013

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Leading Scientists and Organizations Urge Reforming the Violence Against Women Act:

SAVE Calls for Prompt Congressional Action

WASHINGTON / February 5, 2013 – A group of scientists, victim advocates, and 15 leading organizations have endorsed a series of reforms to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a law that is currently up for reauthorization in Congress. The endorsers include many of the acclaimed scientists who have elucidated the causes and dynamics of intimate partner violence.

The VAWA Reform Principles are endorsed by the Independent Women’s Forum, National Coalition for Men, Washington Civil Rights Council, 60 Plus Association, Able Americans, and many others. The endorsing organizations collectively represent the interests of a majority of the American public.

The Reform Principles address a range of documented deficiencies with the nearly 20-year-old federal law, including the need for greater emphasis on programs to address substance abuse, marital instability, and emotional disorders. The principles suggest a greater emphasis on partner reconciliation when it is safe to do so.

The principles highlight how VAWA has placed excessive attention on criminal justice measures such as restraining orders, which lack proof of effectiveness. The reforms call for the elimination of policies that mandate arrest in the absence of probable cause, an unconstitutional policy that was found in a Harvard University study to increase partner homicides by nearly 60%.

The Principles address other shortcomings with existing domestic violence programs. These include the need for programs to afford priority to victims of physical violence, for disseminating accurate abuse-reduction information to the public, and for instituting stronger accountability measures.

“For far too long, domestic violence programs have been based on gender ideology, resulting in programs that have been ineffective, unresponsive, and even dangerous to victims,” explains SAVE spokesperson Sheryle Hutter. “We urge lawmakers to include these reforms in the Violence Against Women Act bills currently being considered in Congress.”

The complete list of Principles and endorsers can be seen here: http://www.saveservices.org/pvra/vawa-reform-principles/

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

Accusing U. Campus Dating Violence DED Sexual Assault Directive False Allegations Press Release Sexual Assault

PR: Former Federal Attorney Calls Dept. of Education Sex Directive ‘Unlawful’

Post author By saveadmin
Post date October 29, 2012

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Former Federal Attorney Calls Dept. of Education Sex Directive ‘Unlawful’

WASHINGTON/ October 29 — A former federal attorney has accused the U.S. Department of Education (DED) Sexual Assault directive as being unlawful and unconstitutional. Civil rights attorney Hans Bader notes the Department’s sexual assault order “illegally legislated through administrative fiat and undermined due-process safeguards.”

The new directive not only overturns decades of campus procedures for dealing with claims of sexual impropriety, but contradicts numerous decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court, Bader asserts. Bader’s legal analysis, Education Dept. Unlawfully Changes Burden of Proof in College Sexual Harassment Cases, can be viewed here: http://www.cotwa.info/2012/09/univ-of-north-carolina-rides-roughshod.html

Under the mandate, sometimes referred to as a “Dear Colleague Letter,” all colleges that receive federal funding must weaken their due process protections for any student charged with sexual impropriety. Universities must now judge the accused according to the lowest standard of evidence in American law – preponderance of evidence – or risk losing its federal funding.

In Ohio, Xavier University basketball star Dezmine Wells was recently expelled under the new standard, despite the fact that a local prosecutor who investigated the case called it one that “wasn’t even close.” The grand jury agreed with the prosecutor’s conclusion, but Wells was still banned from the school, with Xavier U. citing the federal directive as the reason.

“The Department of Education’s policy places the burden of proof on the accused and diminishes the presumption of innocence,” notes SAVE spokesman Steve Blake. “The DED directive turns institutions of higher learning into modern day Star Chambers in which conviction becomes nearly a foregone conclusion.”

The Sexual Assault Directive has been strongly criticized in over 80 editorials: http://www.saveservices.org/camp/ded-directive/ded-editorials/

Cornell law professor Cynthia Dawson notes the federal mandate is “not an administrative regulation, has not been subjected to notice and comment, and thus does not have the status of law.”

For more information, see SAVE’s Special Report, “An Assault on Our Civil Rights:” http://www.saveservices.org/wp-content/uploads/SAVE-Assault-Civil-Rights.pdf

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

Abuse Shelter CAMP Dating Violence Domestic Violence Press Release Research Victims Violence

PR: Dishonest Portrayals by the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence

Post author By saveadmin
Post date August 7, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Phone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Dishonest Portrayals by the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence

WASHINGTON / August 7, 2012 – Women commit half of all partner abuse, but the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence (MCEDV) all but ignores the widespread problem of female-initiated partner aggression. SAVE, a national victim-advocacy organization, calls on the Maine Coalition to present balanced and truthful information to legislators and to the public at large.

Male high school students in Maine are more likely to be hit, slapped, or physically hurt by their girlfriends. According to the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey, 11.6% male secondary students have been a victim of dating violence in the past 12 months, compared to only 10.6% of female students (1).

Female-perpetrated abuse is even more worrisome among young adults. According to a national Centers for Disease Control survey, 70% of one-way abuse is committed by women, while only 30% of abuse is perpetrated by men (2).

Homicide statistics provide a sobering perspective, as well. According to the 2012 report of the Maine Domestic Abuse Homicide Review Panel, women committed 5 out of 13 domestic violence homicides in recent years (3).

Last year Roxanne Jeskey of Bangor admitted to killing her husband Richard. A detective’s report detailed the injuries: “These included nose fractures, loss of an eye, rib fractures, rectal incised wounds, and internal hemorrhage from an instrument(s) pushed through his scrotum into his abdomen. Further, Mr. Jeskey was strangled with sufficient force to break the hyoid bone of his neck.” (4).

Despite disturbing media accounts, the website of the Maine Coalition repeatedly implies that only men are abusive (5). These are a few of many examples:

What is domestic violence and abuse: “The difference lies in the batterer’s belief system regarding women and children.”
Its Dating Bill of Rights includes, “Say, ‘I think my friend is wrong and his actions are inappropriate.’”
A Friend in Need of Help: “ten ways to support female victims”

The Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey shows that among 11^th and 12^th graders, females are more than twice as likely as males to perpetrate dating violence (1). But the MCEDV home page advertises that the Young Adult Abuse Prevention Program “is seeking an educator to conduct classroom presentations on dating violence. The applicant must convincingly portray a teenage female in a theater piece.”

“Domestic violence is too important an issue for persons to spin and mutilate the truth,” explains SAVE spokesman Philip W. Cook. “If the Maine Coalition wants to bring an end to the cycle of domestic violence, it needs to stop ignoring half the cycle.”

Female-initiated aggression is the leading risk-factor for women becoming injured by an intimate partner, according to a research summary by Sandra Stith, PhD (6).

Citations:

1. http://maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/population-health/inj/documents/miyhs-highschool-2011.pdf, page 8.
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17395835
3. http://www.maine.gov/ag/dynld/documents/Working_Together_to_End_Domestic_Violence_04-11-12.pdf, page 11.
4. http://www.truecrimereport.com/2011/06/roxanne_jeskey_viciously_murde.php
5. http://mcedv.org/
6. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359178903000557

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner abuse: www.saveservices.org

Dating Violence Press Release Violence

PR: Tell the Truth about Partner Abuse: SAVE’s New Year’s Resolution

Post author By saveadmin
Post date January 4, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard

Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Tell the Truth about Partner Abuse: SAVE’s New Year’s Resolution

Washington, DC/January 3, 2012 — As persons start 2012 intending to make good on their New Year’s resolutions, Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) is encouraging everyone to strike a blow against domestic violence by resolving to TELL THE TRUTH about partner abuse.

Over 280 scholarly studies show men and women are equally likely to slap, hit, or shove their partners: http://csulb.edu/~mfiebert/assault.htm. But some persons continue to be abuse deniers, downplaying the problem of female-initiated abuse, SAVE notes.

In September, Vice President Joseph Biden appeared on The View to discuss dating violence. Government studies show teenage girls are more likely than boys to be the aggressors: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss5905.pdf. But when co-host Whoopi Goldberg asked the vice president to “remind the women that the way to get a man’s attention is not to hit him,” Mr. Biden turned to his usual talking points.

In some cases, male victims of domestic violence have found themselves the butt of public ridicule.

This past July, Catherine Becker of Garden Grove, Calif. drugged her husband, lashed him to a bed, severed his penis, and threw it into a garbage disposal. Sharon Osbourne of ABC’s The Talk described the incident as “hysterical” and boasted to her national audience, “It’s quite fabulous.” “When you cross a woman, all is fair,” remarked TV personality Wendy Williams.

Lesbian and gay victims are often ignored, as well. A LGBT Domestic Violence Fact Sheet issued by the Center for American Progress concludes, “barriers to equal treatment for same-sex couples remain.”

Abuse reduction efforts that are based on untrue assumptions are destined to be biased and ineffective. Said SAVE spokesman Philip W. Cook, “Our success in countering abuse misinformation this past year gives us hope for all domestic violence victims in 2012. That’s why we want to encourage persons to keep their New Year’s resolutions to tell the truth about domestic violence.”

Columnist Barbara Kay recently decried the continuing denial of mutual partner aggression: “By now there is no excuse for the failure of governments at all levels to follow through on — or at least acknowledge — the settled science of bilateral violence….Who will have the courage to bell this politically correct cat? When will revenge end and fairness begin?”

Campus Civil Rights Dating Violence Press Release Sexual Assault Violence Against Women Act

PR: Senator Drops Controversial VAWA Campus Sex Provision, But Civil Rights Violations Remain

Post author By saveadmin
Post date November 14, 2011

Contact: Teri Stoddard

Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Senator Drops Controversial VAWA Campus Sex Provision, But Civil Rights Violations Remain

Washington, DC/November 14, 2011 — As a result of criticism from Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) and other groups, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has dropped the controversial “preponderance of evidence” standard from his proposed Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization bill. “Because of the feedback he has received concerning this proposal, he does not plan to include it in the bill he later will introduce,” according to Erica Chabot, spokeswoman for the Senate Judiciary Committee (1).

Language in the draft bill would have required federally funded universities to apply a lower standard of proof — a 51% “preponderance” of evidence rather than the usual “clear and convincing” evidence — in cases of alleged sexual assault or domestic violence.

SAVE is thankful that the Senator decided to drop this section from his proposed bill, but other parts of the measure still contain troubling civil rights concerns:

Due Process Violations:

Allows for the continued funding of mandatory arrest policies, which a Harvard study found to increases in partner homicides of 60 percent.
One false allegation can be used to tear apart a family: VAWA is an engine for the growth of single-parent households and the demand for welfare services.

Equal Protection Violations:

Provides legal assistance to accusers, and at the same time, denies it for the accused.
Perpetuates sex-based discrimination through biased predominant aggressor policies and continues due process violations.
Does not distinguish between those simply making allegations and those with probable-cause evidence of violence or abuse.

These civil rights problems are explained in SAVE’s Special Report, Are Domestic Violence Policies Respecting our Fundamental Freedoms? (2).

Violations of citizens’ civil rights cannot be justified by resulting reductions in partner abuse. The Department of Justice has acknowledged, “We have no evidence to date that VAWA has led to a decrease in the overall levels of violence against women.”

SAVE spokesman Philip W. Cook says, “We congratulate Senator Leahy for removing the unacceptable ‘preponderance of evidence’ language from his bill. It shows that he is responsive to well-documented civil rights concerns. We hope that he and other Senators will now take the necessary steps to ensure that the many other problems with the proposed legislation are also addressed.”

(1) http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20111111/NEWS03/111111020/Leahy-scraps-provision-upcoming-bill-following-complaints?odyssey=nav%7Chead

(2) http://www.saveservices.org/downloads/SAVE-Assault-Civil-Rights

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner violence: www.saveservices.org.

Dating Violence Domestic Violence Press Release

PR: On Partner Abuse, President Obama Flubs his Facts

Post author By saveadmin
Post date October 4, 2011

PRESS RELEASE

On Partner Abuse, President Obama Flubs his Facts

Washington DC (Oct. 4, 2011) – Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) is calling on President Obama to correct false information in the Domestic Violence Proclamation he issued Monday. At a time when victims are demanding accuracy and accountability, the declaration features misleading statements and inaccurate facts.

The presidential proclamation, issued for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, makes the claim that “One in four women and one in 13 men will experience domestic violence in their lifetime.” But multiple studies show that men and women abuse each other at similar rates.

The Center for Disease Control’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey reveals males are being victimized at a higher rate than females: 10 percent of teenage males versus 9 percent of teenage females report dating violence. In the American Journal of Public Health, a second CDC study of young adults revealed a dramatic gap for one-way violence: in 71 percent of cases, females were the aggressors.

The Obama Proclamation also states, “Young women are among the most vulnerable, suffering the highest rates of intimate partner violence.” But the President did not mention that the most important risk factor for female victimization is a woman striking the first blow with a slap, punch, or other form of physical aggression.

This follows Vice President Biden’s recent visit to The View (ABC) where he only addressed the problem of male-on-female abuse. The Vice President also side-stepped Whoopi Goldberg’s direct question about women hitting men.
The Presidential Proclamation follows a string of high-profile media reports of women harming, or threatening to harm men:
Duke lacrosse accuser Crystal Mangum stabbed her boyfriend Reginald Daye to death in April. In July, Katherine Becker of California drugged her husband, tied him to a bed, and sliced off his penis. Later, actor Daniel Baldwin filed for a restraining order against his wife writing, “My wife has claimed over 10 times in the last two months that she will stab me, slash me or slit my throat in my sleep. I am truly fearful for my life.”

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner violence: www.saveservices.org .