"The Office on Violence Against Women joins in recognizing March 8 as International Women's Day and through its grant programs, awareness campaigns and ongoing communications with organizations in the U.S. and abroad, continues to support the advancement of women's safety, well being and economic opportunities throughout the world. For more information about International Women's Day please go to http://www.internationalwomensday.com/."

Cindy Dyer
Director
Office on Violence Against Women

President and Mrs. Bush Celebrate Women's History Month and International Women's Day

White House Proclamation- Women's History Month, 2008

"The United States Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) joins our partners throughout the world to bring the issue of violence against women into international focus.

Working together we can raise awareness, change attitudes and protect women against all abuse--physical, emotional, psychological or financial. OVW remains committed to continuing its work on behalf of all victims and those who struggle daily to end the violence."

Mary Beth Buchanan
Acting Director
Office on Violence Against Women
United States Department of Justice

More information available on http://www.state.gov/issuesandpress/
U.S. Department of State, International Women's Issues

The U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women's funding support to the New Orleans Family Justice Center (FJC) enables the center to provide or develop the following:

• centralized co-located services for victims of domestic violence;
• on-site child-care services to support victims through the intake and legal process;
• protocols, policies and procedures for FJC partners and provide best practices training;
• help for victims in navigating the court system through the incorporation of court advocacy services;
• a data collection and information sharing system to improve survivor safety and batterer accountability, including safety precautions to protect data and insure client confidentiality;
• a comprehensive volunteer program;
• a system assessment/audit and program evaluation; and
• one full time project coordinator and other professional staff.

1) President Bush Discusses Rebuilding Efforts in New Orleans, 8-29-07

2) Attorney General Announces New Funding to Assist Recovery Efforts in New Orleans, 8-28-07

3) Fact Sheet: Department of Justice Efforts to Rebuild New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina, 8-28-07

4) Prepared Remarks of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales at the Grand Opening of the Family Justice Center, 8-28-07

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, OVW Acting Director Mary Beth Buchanan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Jim Letten, and Director of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services for Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans. Mary Claire Landry gather for a tour of the new facility before the opening ceremony.

OVW Acting Director Mary Beth Buchanan delivers remarks to the audience during the opening ceremony for the New Orleans Family Justice Center.

On August 21- 23, 2007, the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) held a meeting for its Technical Assistance (TA) Providers in Washington, DC. OVW TA Providers are funded through the OVW Technical Assistance Program. TA Providers give direct assistance to grantees and subgrantees to enhance the success of local projects implemented with VAWA grant funds. The topics discussed during this meeting were: addressing the needs of older individuals experiencing abuse in later life, and providing accessible services to individuals with disabilities.

For more information about these topics please visit the following websites:

National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL): http://www.ncall.us

Accessing Safety Initiative: a partnership between the Vera Institute of Justice and OVW http://www.accessingsafety.org/

On July 26, 2006 OVW hosted the D.C. Metropolitan Regional Summit at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza in Washington, DC. The purpose of the Summit was to bring together STOP subgrantees from Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia to discuss cross-jurisdictional coordination in the response to violence against women. OVW Director Diane Stuart opened the summit by asking the attendees to both listen and learn from the day's activities. She discussed the necessity of the coordinated community response and the importance of applying it to the entire D.C. Metropolitan Area.

The keynote speaker was Lisa Spicknall, a Victim Advocate in the Prince George's County Sheriff's Department. In 1999, Ms. Spicknall's abusive husband killed their two children, Destiny and Richie. Ms. Spicknall now works with domestic violence victims to help them navigate the criminal justice system. Another featured guest was Yvette Cade. Ms. Cade's former husband walked into her place of employment, doused her with gasoline, and lit her on fire. She suffered third-degree burns over half of her body, including her face. Ms. Cade has become a "living witness" to the horrors of domestic violence and strongly advocates for battered women who find themselves in similar situations. Both Ms. Spicknall and Ms. Cade were honored by the Office on Violence Against Women with special "survivor" bracelets.

The lunch speaker was Sheriff Michael Jackson from Prince George's County Sheriff's Department. Since entering office, Sheriff Jackson has made domestic violence a priority for the County by initiating the Domestic Violence/Community Services Unit to provide expanded outreach and education throughout the county. Sheriff Jackson spoke about his department's commitment to the victims they serve. He discussed the protective order initiative in Prince George's County, where the sheriff's deputies have taken over the responsibility of serving domestic violence protection orders. This practice is currently operating in one of the County's districts, with implementation in other districts planned over the next several years.

Throughout the day, Summit participants were separated into small groups that were divided by discipline, jurisdiction, and subject matter. The topics of discussion included gaps in service, barriers to delivery of service, training issues, sharing protocols, and networking. By the end of the day, each jurisdiction made a commitment to convene regularly, form regional task forces, develop regional listservs for sharing information and explore more cross-jurisdictional training opportunities.