FROM NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL MEMBER

Julissa Ferreras
CHAIR, Womens Issues Committee PRESS RELEASE
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** March 14th, 2012
Tarik Coles, Special Projects, Council Member Ferreras 212.788.6862/646.599.5208 Alex Florez, Communications Director, Council Member Dromm 646-831-9835

New York City Council Approves Resolution Co-Sponsored by Council Member Ferreras and Council Member Dromm Calling on the U.S. Congress to Renew the Violence Against Women Act
Boxer Sergio Martinez, the third best pound for pound boxer in the world and outspoken advocate against domestic violence, joins Council Members in call to Congress
(New York City) On Wednesday March 14th, the New York City Council approved Resolution 1064-A, cosponsored by Council Member Julissa Ferreras and Council Member Danny Dromm, which calls on the U.S. Congress to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). With this vote, the Council adds its voice to the chorus from around the nation calling for the speedy reauthorization of VAWA. Prior to the vote, Council Members Ferreras and Dromm, joined by Staten Island District Attorney Daniel M. Donovan Jr., boxer and anti-domestic violence advocate Sergio Martinez, and advocacy groups working to end domestic and sexual violence, appealed to Congress to reauthorize this important legislation. VAWA, first enacted in 1994, is a critical piece of federal legislation that has redefined the way law enforcement and service providers address victims of domestic, sexual, dating, and stalking violence. It provides vital resources and support to domestic violence and sexual assault service providers here in New York City and in communities around the nation. The bill currently pending in the U.S. Senate, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2011 (S.1925), would make significant improvements to past versions, such as explicitly stating that LGBTQ survivors of violence are eligible for services, providing additional protections for immigrant survivors, and provisions addressing elder abuse and violence against Native and Alaska Native women. There is currently no VAWA reauthorization bill pending before the U.S. House of Representatives and partisan politics in Washington D.C. threaten the timely reauthorization of VAWA. At a time when women's rights are being attacked in so many ways on a federal level, I would expect that at the very least there would be bipartisan support for the renewal of VAWA. That we can't be sure that legislation that funds programs to help victims of domestic violence will be renewed is a 1

disappointing commentary on the current tenor of congress, stated New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. Failing to reauthorize VAWA would result in a significant loss of funding to the nonprofits, law enforcement, District Attorneys, and government agencies that rely on the Act to support their antiviolence work, said Council Member Ferreras, Chair of the Committee on Womens Issues. We cannot allow politics to turn back the clock on the advances we made under VAWA. I am proud to co-sponsor Reso. 1064-A with Council Member Dromm, urging Congress to reauthorize this important legislation to continue saving lives, assisting victims in need, and aiding law enforcement in eradicating acts of violence against women. "The reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act should not be controversial. It renews our commitment to preventing domestic violence across the country and helping the countless women who have been victims," said NYC Council Member Daniel Dromm, the resolutions main sponsor. "For 17 years, VAWA has provided invaluable services and resources to curb the incidents of sexual assault and it is clear that we must continue to support this landmark piece of legislation if we are to succeed in our effort to break the cycle of violence." A large and varied group of New York City District Attorneys, non-profits, and advocacy organizations joined Council Members Dromm and Ferreras in their appeal to Congress to reauthorize one of the most effective pieces of legislation ever enacted to combat domestic and sexual violence. The VAWA has dramatically changed how those of us in law enforcement respond to domestic violence. It has helped us provide the services and support for women who are struggling to overcome abusive situations and gives us the tools we need to successfully prosecute their abusers, said Staten Island District Attorney Daniel M. Donovan Jr. I hope our representatives in Congress will see that despite the reservations they may have, this legislation has been extremely effective in helping to break the cycle of violence against women. The Violence Against Women Act has given prosecutors an expanded toolbox to support victims of intimate partner violence and their children. It has allowed us to forge deep relationships with community organizations in Brooklyn and to support these critical allies with funding, stated Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes. If VAWA is not reauthorized, the most vulnerable victims will endure greater and more profound isolation and danger. We as a society cannot afford to let that happen. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., said: I fully support the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which is rooted in the belief that a coordinated response between law enforcement, service providers, nongovernmental organizations, and community partners is essential to achieving our shared goal of reducing violence against women. Since January 2010, there have been 23 domestic violence homicides in Manhattan. That is 23 too many. The stark reality is that every single domestic violence call is a potential homicide, and the failure of Congress to reauthorize VAWA could result in a loss of critical funding to support the activities of Domestic Violence and Sex Crimes Offices in New York City and across the country. 2

I've seen firsthand how domestic violence hurts families and children. The Violence against Women Act protects women, saves lives and strengthens our communities. This bill means hope for so many, and we should work to reauthorize it, stated Legal Momentum is delighted that the City Council Members have taken initiative with Resolution 1064A and called upon the U.S. Congress to reauthorize The Violence Against Women Act. Silda Palerm, Executive Vice President and Legal Director said, I applaud the City Council for passing this resolution and urge the U.S. Congress to act swiftly to reauthorize VAWA, beginning with the passage by the Senate of S. 1925. Legal Momentum worked closely with then-Senator Joseph Biden to draft and pass VAWA eighteen years ago. Since VAWAs inception in 1994, Legal Momentum has been at the forefront of the implementation of the law and its subsequent reauthorizations. The new VAWA bill contains vitally important improvements, provisions, and clarifications for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. Legal Momentum stands with Council Members Ferreras and Dromm in asking that VAWA be reauthorized. The New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP) knows that domestic and sexual violence occurs as frequently in LGBTQ communities as in any community - in 25-33% of relationships. Yet LGBTQ survivors have far fewer resources for support and safety, said Sharon Stapel, Executive Director of AVP. AVP applauds the City Council for supporting S. 1925, a bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, which, for the first time, explicitly protects LGBTQ survivors. This bill will help all survivors of domestic and sexual violence get the support they need. The reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act is perhaps the single most important piece of legislation for women and for victims of violence in the United States since first passing in 1994. Sexual violence is a public health crisis in this country, and causes long-lasting health and psychological repercussions. No one deserves to be a victim of violence and everyone deserves the opportunity that VAWA offers to heal from it, stated Mary Haviland, Executive Director, New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault. Nancy Goldhill, Project Director of Staten Island Legal Services (part of Legal Services NYC) says: Domestic violence is a crime of epidemic proportion and VAWA funding for legal assistance gives survivors a vital life line to safety. Legal Services NYC alone received more than $1million in 2011 and served 1,500 survivors throughout the city. The loss of this funding will have a devastating impact on survivors. Research shows that legal assistance is only service that reduces domestic abuse in the long term. It is staggering that for the first time in nearly 20 years, we do not have bi-partisan support for this landmark piece of legislation that will save lives, rebuild families, protect children and teens, conserve taxpayer resources and prevent future crimes, said Laurel W. Eisner, Executive Director of Sanctuary for Families. Domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking these are not partisan issues, but pervasive crimes of violence against women that affect all members of our community. We commend City Council for taking a public stand, and we urge our national legislators to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. 3

The Violence Against Women Act is the only piece of legislation for ALL women and victims of violence. This is one of the only legislations that apply to everyone equally, including immigrant women. We commend the City Council for supporting the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Domestic and sexual violence is an epidemic and VAWA is the only hope for many women, says Nathaly Rubio-Torio, Voces Latinas. CONNECT strongly supports the re-authorization of funding for the renewed Violence Against Women Act. VAWA funds have provided us with the ability to train a wide variety of professionals and community based organizations, helping to ensure that victims of violence have access to a knowledgeable advocacy network, faith leaders, other stakeholders and a well-informed and responsive justice system. VAWA funds have also allowed CONNECT to provide critical immigration services; without these legal remedies, many undocumented survivors of domestic violence in NYC would still be trapped in relationships with abusive partners for lack of access to resources necessary to establishing safe lives. "Reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act is critically important to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, in New York City and across the country. VAWA contains key substantive legal protections for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking. These protections, especially in the area of immigration, enable and empower victims to leave their abusive relationships, assist in prosecuting their batterers, and work to support themselves and their children," stated Anna Ognibene, Senior Staff Attorney for inMotion, Inc.