Source: United States Department of Justice News
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery
Thank you, Rosie, and good morning, everyone. As a lifelong advocate and a survivor, I’m honored to be here with all of you and to represent the Department of Justice at the release of the National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence: Strategies for Action.
At the Department of Justice, we know that sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking and human trafficking are serious violent crimes that make our nation less equal and less just. Only a comprehensive response that is deeply informed by survivors and historically marginalized communities can end gender-based violence.
I travel all over the country meeting with advocates, law enforcement, prosecutors and clinicians. They are doing whatever it takes to meet survivors where they are – both figuratively and literally. Just as laid out in this national plan, they are responding to the whole person, the whole community.
A family justice center in Louisiana is offering onsite forensic exams and primary health care and holistic wellness. But also housing and connections to jobs and options for survivors who aren’t sure about working with law enforcement yet.
A tribal program in California is waiting with kids every morning before they get on the school bus, to stop traffickers from approaching them and to build relationships that help prevent dating violence.
Federal prosecutors in Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma and more are reducing violent crime by partnering with service providers and prosecuting federal gun crimes committed by domestic violence perpetrators.
The Department of Justice is committed to making our communities safer by increasing access to justice, in all its forms. The Office on Violence Against Women alone has awarded over $9.5 billion under the Violence Against Women Act since it was first authorized. And that’s to say nothing of our colleagues at the Office for Victims of Crime, who award billions every year.
- On Monday, we announced the first-ever National Protocol for Intimate Partner Violence Medical Forensic Examinations.
- The protocol gives guidance on caring for victims with compassion and respect, empowers patients to make decisions for their welfare, and instructs clinicians on collecting evidence should survivors opt for a criminal justice system response.
- Last year, the Department released guidance to improve law enforcement response to sexual assault and domestic violence by identifying and preventing gender bias, so that survivors who seek help can get it and law enforcement can more effectively fight these cries.
- Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco issued a memorandum reiterating the priority to address the disproportionately high rates of violence experienced by American Indians and Alaska Natives, and relatedly.
- DOJ has also spearheaded efforts to implement state of the art forensic telehealth centers to respond to gender-based violence survivors in rural and isolated communities in America, including remote villages in Alaska.
- Last April, the Civil Rights Division launched a Coordinating Committee to Combat Sexual Misconduct. In just one year, they have secured $3.75 million for victims and survivors, obtained 21 criminal convictions, filed nine civil complaints with 16 in active litigation, and trained more than 6,000 people.
These efforts are among many others that are creating systemic change. Together as federal agencies, we can end gender-based violence.