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- Overview of Domestic Violence
- Types of abusive behavior
- Warning signs of abuse
- Disclosing abuse
- Barriers to leaving
- Safety planning
- Impact of domestic violence on victims
- Impact of domestic violence on children
- Family & friends
- Domestic violence & animal abuse
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- CEU: June 18, 2009: Men's Rights Groups' Lawsuits Againste Battered Women's Shelters
- CEU: May 21, 2009: Expert Witnesses in Domestic Violence Cases: How They Can Assist Survivors
- Teleconference Handouts & Resources
- June 18, 2009: Men’s Rights Groups’ Lawsuits Against Battered Women’s Shelters
- May 21, 2009: Expert Witnesses in Domestic Violence Cases: How They Can Assist Survivors
- Mar 24, 2009: The Chris Brown/Rihanna Case
- Mar 5, 2009: GPS Technology: An effective tool to monitor High-Risk Domestic Violence Offenders
- Feb 9, 2009: The Impact of Our Economic Downturn on Domestic Violence and Homelessness
- Jan 15, 2009: 21st Century Strategies for Inspiring Men and Boys to be Allies in Gender Violence Prevention
- Dec 11, 2008: Understanding Domestic Violence through Complex PTSD
- Nov 13, 2008: The Growing Public Health Crisis of Domestic Violence by Returning Veterans
- Oct 16, 2008: Domestic Violence: A View from the Hill
- Sept 11, 2008: Preventing Sexual Assault And Intimate Partner Violence on College Campuses
- June 26, 2008: The 2008 Supreme Court Decisions Impacting DV
- May 15, 2008: Kids Caught in the Crossfire
- May 8, 2008: DV and People with Disabilities
- Apr 17, 2008: Teen Dating Violence
- Mar 20, 2008: Motivational Interviewing
- Mar 6, 2008: Men Who Abuse Women
- Feb 7, 2008: Children's Physical Health and Family Violence
- Jan 17, 2008: Danger Assessment
- Jan 10, 2007: Pet Abuse and Domestic Violence
- Dec 13, 2007: Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence in the Military
- Nov 1, 2007: Parental Alienation Syndrome
- Oct 11, 2007: Lethality Assessment
- Sept 20, 2007: Stalking Goes Hi-Tech
- About the National Alliance
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- June 2009 Articles
- Becoming an Expert Witness
- Envisioning Our Future
- Faiths and Nations Speak Out Together on Capitol Hill
- Partnerships & Resources
- Thank You for Helping Make a Mother’s Day!
- JWI Children's Libraries – New and Renewed, Nationwide
- Speaking from Experience: An Interview with Naomi Tucker
- Is Your Company Safe from Domestic Violence?
- Second Chance and JCADA: Collaborating to Combat Domestic Violence
- Linda and Rudy Slucker NCJW Center for Women Undertakes New Domestic Violence Support Initiatives
- Israel Professional Exchange
- More Than Words Needed
- The Agunah Problem: Thinking Outside the Box
- New Resource Teaches Women About Jewish Divorce
- You’re Never Too Old to Get Help
- Out of the Storm
- Excerpts from "Living in the Midst of Domestic Violence…"
- February 2009 Articles
- In Spite of Cautionary Economy, New Administration and Congress Spark Optimism for DV Advocates
- Jackson Katz Inspired National Alliance to Engage Men in Violence Prevention
- Building Partnerships That Go Beyond
- Early Bird Registration for JWI’s Conference on Domestic Abuse Ends Soon!
- Become a Partner in the Mother's Day Flower Project
- Share the Love of Reading with a Child in a Shelter
- Animal Abuse and Domestic Violence
- Battered Mothers and Custody in the U.S. Courts
- Before a Victim Takes the Stand
- Domestic Violence in the Military
- Men Combating Domestic Violence with Shalom Bayit, JCS Southern Florida
- American Humane Launches Pets and Women’s Shelters (PAWS)™ Program
- Sidran’s Shofar Coalition and Baltimore Rabbis Partner to Address Child Abuse
- Rose
- My Story
- Partnerships and Resources
- October 2008 Articles
- Through Darkness There is Light
- Sexism and Sexual Assault: A Meditation on Core Social Attitudes
- The 70s vs Today
- Trafficking Women Through a Jewish Lens
- Seeking Local Jewish DV Organizations to Participate in a National Grassroots Action Plan on Behalf of Agunot
- J-CHAI Sponsors DVAM Programs in Minnesota
- Florida’s Shelter for Abused Women & Children Holds DVAM Events
- Project S.A.R.A.H. Runs DVAM Campaign in New Jersey
- Changing Lives – Beyond the Shelter
- JFS of Broward County Domestic Abuse Program and KOLOT Coalition Fall Fundraiser L
- Sharing Artwork to Publicize DV
- Sofar Coalition Launches Baltimore Area Survey to Drive Community Outreach and Recovery
- For Victims of Domestic Violence, Economic Empowerment Means A Good Job
- Jackson Katz Programs in Florida
- The Child Victim’s Act of Delaware - One Year Later
- Halachic Prenuptial Agreements Validated by Israeli Rabbis
- The Ideological Battle between Parental Alienation and Domestic Violence - what is the real cancer?
- Become an Agent of Change: Support JWI’s Campaign for Domestic Violence Awareness Month
- JWI’s Fourth International Conference on Domestic Abuse- Register Now for Early Bird Rates
- JWI Challenges Parties to Make Domestic Violence a Priority
- JWI’s National Training Institute - Upcoming Programs in Your Community
- JWI is Seeking Jewish DV Coalitions to Join Network
- Become a Charter Member of the National Alliance to End Domestic Abuse- Discount Ends October 1st
- June 2008 Articles
- JWI's NTI Brings Training to Your Area
- JWI’s National Alliance Hosts June Teleconference
- JWI Releases New Youth Curricula
- Faith-Based Communities and DV Report Released
- Voice on the Hill
- More Than a Few Good Men in Florida
- Loving Our Children
- Surviving DV in the LGBTQA Community
- Forgiveness Helps Us Heal
- Ohio Salon Professionals Learn to Recognize Abuse
- Seminar Equips Professionals to Protect Divorcing Women in Israel
- Faces of Domestic Abuse -- Around the Seder Table
- Addressing Dating Violence Among Florida’s Homeless Teens
- Buffalo LGBT Advocacy Program Brings Help and Hope
- Illinois & Oklahoma to Use GPS with Restraining Orders
- Kol Isha of Boston Welcomes New Director
- A Million Voices to End Domestic Violence
- Dr. Rachel Light Publishes New Book on Jewish Domestic Violence
- “Opening Closed Doors” in Australia
- “Relationship Drama” Educates Teens and Parents in Philadelphia
- Strong Girls in West Niagara
- Safe In Our Faith
- Maryland Public Schools Bring Healthy Relationships to Class)
- Weinberg Elder Abuse Shelter Casts a Broader Safety Net
- February 2008 Articles
- JWI’s Mother’s Day Flower Project Marks 10 Years -- and Thousands of Smiles
- Richmond’s Child Advocacy Task Force Prepares for First Conference This February
- Cornerstone Advocacy Service to Host Second Annual Conference in Edina, MN
- What Does Zero Tolerance for Violence Against Women Mean?
- Charlotte Temple Adopts Resolution on Domestic Abuse
- “Gentle”men Against Domestic Violence Forming at Naples, FL, Shelter
- Guidance Counselor Helps Students Prepare for Relationships
- Artist Donates Art Therapy Tools for Use in Women’s Shelters
- Charlotte, NC Teens Get a Firsthand Lesson in Spotting Unhealthy Relationships
- SAFEHOME Uses Grant for Community Outreach
- Twin Cities Training Creates a Dozen New Jewish Community Advocates
- Join 7,500 Global Participants in JWI’s National Alliance to End Domestic Violence
- England Faces Prevention of Get-Refusal
- JCADA Co-Sponsors Day of Study in Washington, DC
- JWI Teams Up With South Florida Jewish Agencies to Present “Flowers Aren’t Enough”
- JWI’s Strong Girls, Healthy Relationships Mini-Curriculum Now Available
- Anti-Abuse Film Moves and Educates at Jewish Alliance to End Domestic Abuse’s January Meeting
- Progress Made But Domestic Violence Persists in Rural Sierra Leone
- An Essay on Domestic Violence in the Israeli Ethiopian Communities
- Foundations of Change: A Statewide Summit to Create Strategies for the Future
- June 2009 Articles
- Overview of Domestic Violence

Advocacy Initiatives
JOIN US FOR INTERFAITH ADVOCACY DAY IN JWI works in partnership with a broad base of national secular and religious organizations to be a strong advocacy voice on the issues of domestic violence, reproductive choice and gun violence. Our partners include the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) and a myriad of other organizations who lend support to the JWI mission of safe homes. healthy relationship. strong women. Recognizing that domestic violence survivors often turn to their religious leaders and houses of worship for support, guidance and refuge during times of abuse, JWI convened the Interfaith Domestic Violence Coalition to unite the collective energies and visions of the faith communities to work together in promoting national domestic violence legislation to protect women and children. This first of its kind national faith coalition represents millions of Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Presbyterian, United Methodist, United Church of Christ, Seventh-day Adventist and Unitarian Universalist congregants and is ever growing in number and impact. Our coalition works collaboratively with national secular domestic violence organizations creating a powerful and dynamic partnership. The Interfaith Domestic Violence Coalition hosted a Capitol Hill breakfast briefing in February 2008 on advancing domestic violence legislation, submitted testimony to the DNC and RNC Platform Committees in the 2008 presidential election, testified before the DNC National Platform Committee in Cleveland, Ohio in August 2008, and in partnership with the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), lobbied members of Congress on the importance of fully funding the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and appropriately funding the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) fund. Our coalition continues to be active on advancing and fully funding legislation to help battered women and their children lead safer and healthier lives. JWI, in partnership with our Interfaith Domestic Violence Coalition, looks forward to hosting our Interfaith Advocacy Day in Learn more about the Interfaith Domestic Violence Coalition. Violence Against Women Violence against women is a crisis of epidemic proportions, affecting women in the One in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime, one in six women has experienced an attempted or completed rape, and one in twelve women will be stalked in her lifetime. Teens and young adults are particularly impacted by intimate partner violence – individuals ages 16-24 experience the highest per capita rate of violence and one in five high school girls reports physical or sexual abuse from a dating partner. Furthermore, an estimated 15.5 million children are exposed to domestic violence each year. Domestic violence is a human rights violation that frequently involves beatings, torture, false imprisonment, psychological abuses including threats to harm or kill the victim and/or her children and many other crimes. The case of Jessica Gonzales v. United States, currently before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, involves a domestic violence victim whose three children were killed after police refused to enforce a restraining order against her estranged husband. Ms. Gonzales’s (now Jessica Lenehan) petition to the Inter-American Commission alleged that the Key Pieces of Legislation • Economic Stimulus Package On February 17th, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law which includes $325 million in critical funding for the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) -of which $175 million is dedicated for Stop Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program (STOP) grants and $50 million is for Transitional Housing – as well as an additional $100 million for the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Fund. Collectively, this money will create and sustain thousands of jobs for victim advocates and specialized law enforcement officers specifically trained in issues of domestic violence and sexual assault. Although the final number is $25 million less than what was originally passed by the Senate, it is still a victory in that the bulk of this critical money was preserved during these dire economic times. • Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is a landmark piece of legislation that seeks to improve criminal justice and community-based responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking in the VAWA was first passed in 1994 and reauthorized in 2000, adding important services for Native American, immigrant, rural, disabled, and older victims. VAWA was again reauthorized in 2005 (signed into law January 5, 2006) extending the legislation for five years and increasing funding by 20 percent to $3.9 billion. VAWA 2005 increased the authorization for STOP programs to $225 million for each of the fiscal years 2007-2011. Also included in the reauthorization were new purpose areas to address important unmet needs:
Important Amendments to VAWA 2005 included:
JWI was proud to be an active national coalition partner in the reauthorization process of 2005 and we look forward to working with our national partners to advocate for reauthorization of VAWA in 2010. Look this legislation up on THOMAS •International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) The International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) is a historic and unprecedented effort by the In the 110th Congress, the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) was introduced in both the House (H.R. 5927) and Senate (S. 2279) but was not passed. JWI will continue to work with our coalition partners to help pass this legislation through the 111th Congress. This critical legislation will commit the •Human Trafficking - The buying and selling of women and children into forced labor or sexual slavery is one of the most profitable businesses worldwide. It is estimated that up to 20,000 people are trafficked in the On December 10, 2008, the House and Senate passed the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) and the bill was signed into law on December 23, 2008. The Act reauthorizes funding for the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 from 2008-2011 and makes many significant amendments to reduce the demand for commercial sex, especially for minor victims. Look this legislation up on THOMAS •The National Domestic Violence Attorney Network Act Thousands of domestic violence victims in the Look this legislation up on THOMAS •The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA), enacted in 1984 as Title lll of the Child Abuse Amendment and reauthorized and amended in 2003 as the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act, provides public awareness and prevention of family violence, services for domestic violence victims and their children, and training and resources to local agencies addressing this issue. FVPSA funds the life-saving services provided by domestic violence programs including: emergency shelters, hotlines, transitional housing, counseling, legal services and many other vital services. As the success of the Violence Against Women Act programs increase the number of victims who are referred to local programs for emergency services, the demand for FVPSA services has steadily risen. JWI’s Interfaith Domestic Violence Coalition has been Congress to reauthorize FVPSA (which is currently expired but funded by the Continuing Resolution until March 6, 2009) and fully fund this legislation so that all victims and their children can receive the lifesaving services they need to stay safe from further abuse. In FY09, FVPSA was funded at $125 million, a $2.4 million increase over FY08 and this money still needs to be appropriated. JWI is working in coalition with our national partners including the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) to assure reauthorization and full funding of FVPSA. •Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) established a fund to provide victims of crime with critical services that help them recover from the physical, emotional and financial consequences of criminal activity. VOCA money comes from fines and other penalties collected from criminal offenders and deposited into the Crime Victims Fund exclusively to support victims’ services. No taxpayer dollars are needed to maintain a stable funding level for state victim assistance grants. In recent years, caps on the amount of money that can be added to this fund, as well as appropriations bill earmarks that take money out of this fund, have diminished the extent to which victim organizations can reach and support victims of crime. JWI – through its coalition partnerships - has supported efforts to prevent additional cuts to Victim Assistance grants made with VOCA Fund dollars and has lobbied members of the House and Senate and signed on to letters to Congress to increase the VOCA cap. In FY09, in the House, VOCA Fund received a $60 million increase raising the cap to $650 million. In the Senate, VOCA Fund received a $45 million increase, raising the cap t0 $635 million. This money still needs to be appropriated. While this is encouraging news for victims, we need to ensure that the cap on the fund continues to be increased to meet the needs of victims in FY10. Look this legislation up on THOMAS Women’s Economic Security •Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive Act (Growth Act) Women are a vital part of the global economy and their share of the labor force is increasing all over the world. Women farmers produce 60-80% of the food in most developing countries, yet tend to work in the lowest paid sectors, have less stable incomes, work longer hours, have less education and training than men and do not enjoy the same economic opportunities as men. The GROWTH Act introduced in the 110th Congress (S. 2069/H.R. 2965) was an innovative bill that would make the U.S. a leader in reducing poverty and promoting opportunities for women and families around the world through policy initiatives that would help women start and grow their own businesses, help women attain land and property rights, and increase women’s wages and working conditions among other initiatives. JWI is proud to have endorsed this important legislation and looks forward to working in coalition to get this legislation re-introduced in the 111th Congress. Look this legislation up on THOMAS Reproductive Rights Public policies supporting women’s reproductive rights ranging from comprehensive sex education, to family planning, emergency contraception to abortion services have been eroding over the last several years. JWI is strongly committed to reproductive choice and is working in coalition with secular and religious organizations such as Planned Parenthood and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) to ensure that women’s reproductive rights are protected and strengthened. JWI, in coalition with other national faith based groups has created a transition document on reproductive rights for President Obama’s administration. View the transition document. Global Gag Rule Repealed On January 23, 2009, President Obama repealed the Global Gag Rule (also known as the Mexico City Policy) which ends eight years of policies that have blocked access to basic health care for women worldwide. The Global Gag Rule required all foreign non governmental organizations (NGO’s) that received federal funding to refrain from dispensing information, counseling and/or performing abortion services (except in cases of rape and incest)as a method of family planning in countries outside of the United States. The highly controversial policy was called the “gag” rule because it stifled free speech and public debate on abortion-related issues and forced foreign NGO’s to make the difficult decision to accept U.S. funding to provide essential health services but with restrictive provisions that threaten the health and safety of patients or reject the policy and lose vital U.S. funds. Look at Executive Order repealing the Global Gag Rule
•Comprehensive Sex Education Research shows that comprehensive sex education programs are effective in promoting abstinence as well as other protective behaviors, whereas there is no empirical evidence to support that abstinence-only programs –which currently receive over $1.5 billion dollars in federal money - actually delay the onset of sexual activity among teens. Currently, no federal dollars are allocated for comprehensive sex education despite studies that indicate this type of education would be more effective. Strong advocacy on this issue needs to be undertaken so our youth are educated and knowledgeable about their sexuality and reproductive health. JWI strongly believes that comprehensive sex education programs are critical to ensure that teens are healthy and safe. JWI joined other national and faith based organizations to endorse the Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act (S. 972/H.R. 1653) in the 110th Congress to support responsible, comprehensive and medically accurate sex education in public schools and lobby on this important issue. In the 111th Congress, the House re-introduced the bill on January 13, 2009 as H.R. 263 and the Senate is expected to introduce a similar bill in the coming weeks. JWI will continue to work with its national and faith based partners to help insure passage of this legislation. Look at this Legislation on Thomas
•Family Planning Family planning reduces maternal deaths, deaths of infants and children, unintended pregnancies, improves the health of mothers, and helps prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. Ultimately family planning can help conserve vital natural resources and minimize food insecurity. Since January 2007, more than 3 million college students and hundreds of thousands of low income women have lost access to affordable birth control because of a provision in the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) which unintentionally ceased college and university health centers and hundreds of safety-net providers from access to low cost drugs. For many students and low-income women, access to birth control is not financially feasible. Recently, the House introduced The Prevention Through Affordable Access Act of 2009 (H.R. 398), a bipartisan piece of legislation that will provide a no-cost technical fix to restore eligibility for college health centers and safety-net providers to obtain low cost birth control for college students and low-income women. The Senate introduced the Prevention First Act (S.21), a bill to reduce unintended pregnancy, abortion and improve access to women’s health care, which also includes a provision to restore access to affordable birth control. Look this legislation up on THOMAS •Contraception The Obama Administration recently took action to rescind a harmful Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rule that went into effect on January 20, 2009 in the final days of President Bush’s Administration. The HHS rule, commonly referred to as the provider conscience regulation, was widely criticized as undermining patients’ access to vital health care services and information for a range of reproductive and other healthcare issues, including contraception, abortion services, treatments for infertility, depression, drug addiction, HIV/AIDS, and more. JWI, in conjunction with our secular and faith based partners, activated our members and supporters to write to HHS and voice opposition to this rule. HHS received over 200,000 comments on this highly controversial rule. On February 27, 2009 the White House issued a notice to rescind the rule. A new notice of proposed rulemaking rescinding the Bush Administration’s rule will be published in the Federal Register in the near future and the Administration will accept and consider comments on the proposed rescission. For more information and analysis of the HHS rule, visit: http://www.nwlc.org/details.cfm?id=3333§ion=ReproductiveChoices Gun Violence On February 24, 2009, the United States Supreme Court in a 7-2 ruling in United States v. Hayes, rejected arguments by the gun lobby and convicted wife beater Randy Edward Hayes that federal law allowed Hayes to possess firearms, upholding the broad federal ban on gun possession by people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence offenses. Instead, in citing arguments made by the • Anti-Genocide and Hate Crimes •Save Save Darfur is an international human rights campaign to bring awareness and resources to the genocide occurring in
PAST ADVOCACY ISSUES Violence Against Women •The International Marriage Broker Regulation Act (IMBRA) seeks to safeguard the rights of foreign born women who are brought to the Look this legislation up on THOMAS Reproductive Choice March for Women’s Lives: This March in JWI was a proud coalition partner co-sponsoring a Capitol Hill briefing in March 2007 for International Women’s Day championing The Focus on Family Health Worldwide Act of 2007 H.R. 1225 supporting family planning measures worldwide. The Bill is currently before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The United States Supreme Court in 2007 – in upholding the federal abortion ban in Gonzales v. Carhart and Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood - delivered one of the largest blows to date to abortion rights. Following this landmark decision, JWI supported the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) of 2007 (S. 1173) to protect women’s reproductive rights by preventing government interference with a woman choosing to bear a child or terminate a pregnancy. The Bill is before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Gun Violence Federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB) was a provision of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, a federal law that was created to stop the sale of semi-automatic weapons manufactured after the ban was enacted. President Clinton signed the ban into law on September 13, 1994 and it was set to expire on September 13, 2004. JWI signed on to a Roll Call Advertisement organized by the Look this legislation up on THOMAS Hate Crimes Legislation The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2005 (LLEEA) S. 1145 sought to adequately address the significant problems of hate crimes, including hate crimes based on disability, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation but unfortunately did not pass. Get (Jewish Divorce) |
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