According to the 2007 National Crime Victimization Survey of the United States, approximately 623,000 violent crimes–554,000 against female victims–were committed by an intimate partner and approximately 248,300 rape/sexual assault victimizations occurred in 2007. The 2007 BJS Report on "Homicide Trends in the U.S." revealed that about one-third of female murder victims were killed by an intimate [partner]. A study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that about 10% of students report being physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend in the last 12 months. Lastly, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics Supplemental Victimization Survey on Stalking, an estimated 3.4 million persons age 18 or older were victims of stalking during a 12 month period. Service providers and victims of
domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking
living in rural jurisdictions face unique barriers to giving and
receiving assistance. These include geographic isolation, economic
structure, strong social and cultural pressures, and lack of available
resources.
Program Overview
The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) currently
administers 18 grant programs authorized by the Violence Against
Women Act of 1994 and subsequent legislation. These grant
programs are designed to develop the nation’s capacity to
reduce domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and
stalking by strengthening services to victims and holding offenders
accountable for their actions.
The Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault,
and Stalking Assistance Program (Rural Program) was
established by Congress in 1994. The Violence Against Women
Act of 2005 (VAWA 2005) expanded the scope of the Rural
Program to include sexual assault and stalking and modified
the eligibility criteria as well as the statutory purpose areas
under which projects must be implemented.
The primary purpose of the Rural Program is to enhance the safety
of children, youth, and adults who are victims of domestic violence,
dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by supporting projects
uniquely designed to address and prevent these crimes in rural
jurisdictions.
The Rural Program encourages collaboration between victim advocates,
law enforcement officers, pre-trial service personnel, prosecutors,
judges and other court personnel, probation and parole officers,
and faith- and/or community-based leaders to overcome the problems
of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking
and ensure that victim safety is paramount in providing services
to victims and their children.
The Rural Program is required to set aside no less than 25 to
40 percent of funds, depending on annual appropriations, for activities
that meaningfully address sexual assault.
In Fiscal Year 2008, the Rural Program funded 59 projects,
totaling more than $23 million. Since its inception, the Rural
Program has funded 887 projects, totaling more than
$348.5 million, for grantees addressing violence against women
in rural communities.
Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants are States, Indian tribes, local governments,
and nonprofit, public, or private entities, including tribal nonprofit
organizations and faith-based or community organizations.
For the purpose of the Rural Program, a rural area or community
is defined as (a) any area or community, respectively, no part
of which is within an area designated as a standard metropolitan
statistical area by the Office of Management and Budget; or (b)
any area or community, respectively, that is (i) within an area
designated as a metropolitan statistical area or considered part
of a metropolitan statistical area; and (ii) located in a rural
census tract.
Technical Assistance Providers
Since 1995, OVW’s Technical Assistance Program has provided
OVW grantees with the training, expertise, and problem-solving
strategies they need to meet the challenges of addressing domestic
violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. The following
organizations have been identified and funded by OVW to provide
training and resources to grantees on issues related to violence
against women in rural areas:
Resources
For a complete list of OVW grant awards by state, visit the State
by State section of OVW’s Web site.
If you have additional questions, contact the OVW Rural Unit
at OVW.Rural@usdoj.gov or
call OVW at (202) 307-6026.
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