SPEAKING UP:

The Family Violence Prevention Fund\'s News & Tips

for the Domestic Violence Community, November 1, 2001, Vol. 7, Issue 21

\"Speaking Up\" is a project of the Family Violence

Prevention Fund. Produced by PR Solutions, Inc., Washington, DC. Phone:

202/3711999; Fax: 202/3719142; E-mail: speakingup@prsolutionsdc.com

YOUNGER WOMEN AT GREAT RISK OF Intimate partnerviolence

Women age 16 to 24 are most vulnerable to intimate

partner violence, according to a new report released by the U.S.
Department

of Justice\'s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). \"Intimate Partner
Violence

and Age of Victim, 1993-99\" provides statistical information on the

prevalence of domestic violence and the characteristics of victims of
abuse.

The report examines victims\' age and gender, finding that women are
more

likely to be victims of domestic violence than men, and women in their
late

teens and early twenties are more likely to experience abuse than women
of

other ages.

\"The report confirms that domestic violence and

domestic homicide are primarily crimes against women, and that young
women

are at great risk for domestic violence,\" said Family Violence
Prevention

Fund Executive Director Esta Soler. \"As a nation, we need to allocate

resources to stop teen dating violence and ensure that comprehensive

services are available to every woman regardless of age who is abused.
We

need a commitment to educate girls about how to protect themselves from

relationship violence and to teach boys that violence against girls and

women is always wrong.\"

\"Intimate Partner Violence,\" written by Callie Marie

Rennison, PhD, is based on the findings of the National Criminal

Victimization Survey (NCVS) data collected by the BJS and homicide data

collected by the FBI. The NCVS collects information about crimes that
are

both reported to the police and not reported, and provides information
on

the frequency, characteristics and consequences of criminal
victimization.

Intimate Partner Violence

Intimate partner violence is widespread, and women

are the victims of abuse more often than men are. In 1999, 671,110 women

were the victims of domestic violence, according to \"Intimate Partner

Violence.\" Eight-five percent of all victims of intimate partner
violence

were women, while 15 percent (120,100) were men. Intimate partner
violence

against women most often took the form of simple assault (66 percent),
rape

or sexual assault (14 percent), or aggravated assault (10 percent).

\"Intimate Partner Violence\" notes that between 1993

and 1999, there was a nationwide decrease in crime. The rate of intimate

violence against women also declined, but to a lesser extent, during the

period. From 1993 to 1999, intimate partner violence against women

decreased by 41 percent, from 1.1 million women in 1993 to 671,110 in
1999.

Intimate Partner Violence and Age

The rates of intimate partner violence \"differ

greatly\" depending on the age of the victim, according to the report.
Women

between the ages of 16 and 24 are nearly three times more vulnerable to

intimate partner violence (excluding intimate partner homicide) than
women

in other age groups. In 1999, the overall rate of intimate partner
violence

against women was 5.8 victimizations per 1,000 women, but the rate was
15.6

per 1,000 women for those aged 16 to 24.

The higher rate of intimate partner violence exists

regardless of young women\'s marital status, notes \"Intimate Partner

Violence.\" Women between the ages of 20 and 24 were victimized at a
higher

rate than older women, regardless of marital status. In general, the
report

adds, women who are separated experienced intimate partner violence at
rates

\"significantly higher\" than women in any other marital category.
Separated

women age 20 to 34 had the highest average rates of intimate partner

violence of women in any age group.

The pattern of younger women being most vulnerable

to victimization was consistent across racial lines as well, \"Intimate

Partner Violence\" finds. The rate of intimate partner violence peaked
for

both white and African American women between the ages of 20 and 24. The

rate of intimate partner violence for Hispanic women peaked between the
ages

of 16 and 34.

Intimate Partner Homicide

Male murder victims were \"substantially less likely\"

than female victims to have been killed by an intimate partner, finds
the

report. Intimate partner homicide accounted for 32 percent of the
murders

of women in 1999 and approximately four percent of the murders of men.
In

1999, 1,642 people were killed by intimates and three in four victims
were

women. Of the victims, 74 percent (1,218) were female and 26 percent
(424)

were male.

While women in their teens and early twenties have

the highest rate of intimate partner violence, women between the ages of
35

and 49 are \"the most vulnerable\" to intimate partner homicide,
according to

the report. Between 1993 and 1999, intimate partner homicides made up 32

percent of the homicides of women between the ages of 20 and 24,
compared

with nearly 40 percent of the homicides of women between the ages of 35
and

49\. In 1999, women in this age group were murdered by an intimate
partner

at rates greater than women in any other age group.

But the report notes that woman between the ages of

20 and 34 also had high rates of intimate partner homicide. Young women

(age 12 to 15) and women over age 50 experienced the lowest homicide
rates

among females. However, in every age category, women are more likely
than

men to be murdered by an intimate partner.

\"Intimate Partner Violence\" is available on the

Bureau of Justice Statistics\' web site at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs

\<http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs\>. Copies of the report also can be
ordered

through the BJS clearinghouse number, 800/732-3277.

\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*

SCREENING Can Identify Women at Risk FOR Abuse

Screening for domestic violence can successfully

identify women who are at high risk for experiencing abuse, according to
a

new study that appeared in the August issue of the \"American Journal of

Preventative Medicine.\" \"Predictive Validity of a Screen for Partner

Violence Against Women\" is one of the first studies to evaluate whether

screening for domestic violence can identify women at risk for future
abuse.

The study finds that screening can identify a subset of women \"at high
risk

for verbal, physical and sexual partner abuse over the following four

months.\"

\"Predictive Validity\" written by Jane

Koziol-McLain, RN, PhD; Carolie J. Coates, PhD and Steven R. Lowenstein,
MD,

MPH is based on the results of a telephone survey of 679 women in
Colorado.

Researchers asked participants questions about domestic violence,
including:

\"on any occasion were you\...physically hurt by someone you know or
knew

intimately?\" \"Is there anyone making you feel unsafe now?\" \"Have the

police ever been called to your home because of a fight or argument?\"

Researchers then followed-up with 409 participants over the course of
six

months.

Of the 409 participants, 95 (24 percent) \"were

exposed to partner abuse\" during the follow-up period. Nearly one in
five

women (19 percent) reported verbal aggression during the follow-up
period

and ten percent reported sexual coercion. \"Predictive Validity\"
reports

that physical violence \"occurred less often,\" with four percent of

participants reporting experiencing physical abuse during the follow-up

period, and 1.2 percent reporting \"severe physical violence.\"

Predicting Domestic Violence

A positive screen for violence is a \"strong

predictor\" of partner abuse during the follow-up period, according to

\"Predictive Validity.\" Women who screened positive for violence were
8.6

times \"more likely\" to experience one or more physically violent
assaults

from a current or past intimate partner in the next four months. Of the

women who screened positive, 41 percent experienced a form of physical

violence, compared with slightly more than two percent of the women who
did

not screen positive. Fifty-six percent of women who screened positive
for

verbal aggression experienced it during the follow-up period, compared
with

16 percent of the women who had a negative screen.

\"Predictive Validity\" also found that younger women

and those who were separated from their partners were \"more likely\" to
have

been physically abused in the follow-up period. Among the women who

screened positive for partner violence and were separated, 67 percent

experienced physical violence during the follow-up period. \"Thus even

though abused women separate from their partners, they do not
automatically

become safe,\" concludes the study.

Screening for Domestic Violence

Positive replies to the screening questions forecast

future violence, concludes \"Predictive Validity,\" and therefore
screening

can be used to identify \"a subset of patients who, without
intervention,

would be at risk for progressive disease or\...morbidity or mortality.\"
The

study encourages health care providers to discuss abuse with their
patients,

and also to inform them about the risks of revictimization.
\"Information

about the risk of future violence is important in educating women who
screen

positive so that they may make informed decisions about choosing

interventions and in enhancing provider understanding of the importance
of

intervening when a woman screens positive.\"

\"Predictive Validity\" ends with support for routine

screening. \"We believe that violence screening should be included in

routine health interviews because screening helps identify a subset of
women

at high risk for repeated abuse. Asking about violence is a strong
message

that health professionals believe that partner violence is a problem and

that they are willing to identify and properly intervene.\"

\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*

Call for abstracts

Next year in Atlanta, battered women\'s advocates

will join with health care providers, social workers, public health
workers,

health policy makers and others at the \"2002 National Conference on
Health

Care and Domestic Violence.\" Organized by the Family Violence
Prevention

Fund and scheduled for September 26 to 28, 2002, the theme of the

\"Conference\" is \"Prevention and Response Strategies: Pushing the
Envelope.\"

The biennial \"Conference\" works to advance and improve the health care

system\'s response to domestic violence. Organizers are now accepting

abstracts.

\"Conference\" organizers are seeking abstracts for

research-based scientific studies or papers, presentations on clinical
care

or practice issues, and strategies or programs in the following areas:

Children and Domestic Violence; Culture, Communities, and Health Care\'s

Response; Health Care Economics, Business, and Delivery Issues; Mental

Health and Domestic Violence; Survivor Perspectives on Health Care\'s

Response; and much more. The \"Conference\" Steering Committee is now

accepting abstract submissions from clinicians, researchers,
administrators,

advocates and others who address domestic violence as a health care
issue.

The submission deadline is March 4, 2002.

\"Conference\" sessions provide valuable professional

education on the latest research

and innovative health care prevention and clinical

responses to domestic violence for health care professionals and
battered

women\'s advocates. The conference will describe the latest physical and

mental health findings related to domestic violence, highlight
innovative

programs and partnerships between health care professionals and battered

women\'s advocates, and emphasize domestic violence prevention and

intervention strategies relevant to diverse populations.

More information about the \"2002 National Conference

on Health Care and Domestic Violence\" is available on the Family
Violence

Prevention Fund\'s web site, www.endabuse.org/programs/healthcare

\<http://www.endabuse.org/programs/healthcare\>. Guidelines and entry
forms

for submitting abstracts also are available online.

\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*

Domestic violence online

In an ongoing series, \"Speaking Up\" reports on web

sites that focus on domestic violence. The following web sites provide

useful and interesting information on domestic violence for victims and

their advocates. If you know a web site that provides helpful
information

on domestic violence, let us know! Please contact \"Speaking Up\" editor

Mariama Diao with the web site address via fax, 202/371-9142, or via
email,

speakingup@prsolutionsdc.com.

Center for Domestic Violence Prevention Teen

Relationship Web Site (San Mateo, CA)

<http://www.cdvp.org/teen> \<http://www.cdvp.org/teen\>

This site on teen dating violence is designed specifically for
teenagers. It

includes resources on teen dating violence including statistics,
definitions

of abuse, a quiz to discover the warning signs of abuse in relationships
and

hotline numbers. The site provides teens with a forum to discuss abuse,
and

features a teen chat room with discussions facilitated by teen
counselors.

It also offers a section devoted to teen poetry and thoughts. The site

encourages teenagers to take action to end abuse; one section provides

information on how teens can become a \"VolunTEEN\" and work to end
abuse in

their communities.

Domestic Violence Project of Santa Clara County Web

Site (Santa Clara, CA)

<http://www.growing.com/nonviolent>
\<http://www.growing.com/nonviolent\>

This site is the home page for the

Domestic Violence Project of Santa Clara County, and it includes
information

and resources for battered women and their advocates. For victims of

domestic violence, the site includes information on abuse, how to
develop a

safety plan, available resources and suggested reading. The site also

features the publication, \"Domestic Violence Information and Referral

Handbook,\" that provides information on victims\' rights in the
criminal

justice system and in family and juvenile dependency courts. For
advocates,

the site includes the latest domestic violence news and publications,

information on upcoming events and conferences, links to online
resources,

and more.

The National Electronic Network on Violence Against

Women (VAWnet)

[http://www.vawnet.org](http://www.vawnet.org/)
\<http://www.vawnet.org/\>

A project of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, a
project of the

Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, this site was created
to

help domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions, allied national

organizations and individuals in their work to end violence against
women.

The site provides access to VAWnet Library, a collection of electronic

resources that can be searched, downloaded and printed. Library
collections

include the Law Collection, the General Collection, and the Periodical

Collection. VAWnet also offers updates on media reports on violence
against

women, a national calendar of events and links to other online
resources.

In addition, the site includes four private forums that provide VAWnet

participants with an opportunity to network, share information, and
discuss

issues facing battered women\'s advocates.

\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*

In the news\...

NATIONAL Throughout October, \"Domestic Violence

Awareness Month,\" PBS television stations across the country aired
\"Breaking

the Silence: Journeys of Hope,\" a documentary on domestic violence
sponsored

by Mary Kay Inc. and the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation. The

documentary explores the prevalence of abuse and domestic violence

prevention efforts, outlining what concerned community members can do to

help battered women and the services available for victims of violence.
The

documentary also features the stories of battered women\'s advocates and

survivors of domestic violence. More information on domestic violence
and

the documentary is available on Mary Kay\'s web site, www.marykay.com

\<http://www.marykay.com/\>.

CA Governor Gray Davis signed a bill to restore \$2

million to state domestic violence prevention centers that recently
received

budget cuts from the state Office of Criminal Justice Planning, reports

\"COMTEX Newswire.\" The bill (Assembly Bill 664) is designed to restore

funds to more than 20 of the state\'s 97 shelters in the upcoming year.

\"Many of these shelters had been consistently funded for years and
serve

rural areas where women and children who are victims of violence may
find

few other safe places to turn for help. I am particularly disturbed by
the

fact that the nation\'s longest-serving domestic violence shelter,
located in

Pasadena, lost funding because they used too many pages to describe
their

program,\" said the Governor in a statement.

LA State Attorney General Richard P. Ieyoub has

adopted guidelines that urge employers to discipline workers who are
accused

of committing domestic violence, reports the \"National Law Journal.\"
Under

the guidelines, which are not binding, an employer can fire a worker who
has

been convicted of a domestic violence crime if there is a link between
the

violence and the worker\'s performance. In addition, workers who misuse

company phones and other resources to harass their victims can face

disciplinary charges. Employers can investigate a worker if the employer

has reason to believe the worker committed a domestic violence-related
crime

on the job, or if the worker is the target of criminal or civil action.

NM Nearly half of the 58 women murdered in the

state in 1997 and 1998 were killed by their husbands or boyfriends,

according to a study conducted by the state and the University of New

Mexico, reports \"USA Today.\" The study details the failures by law

enforcement and social service agencies to identify victims of domestic

violence and protect women from partner homicide.

TN The loss of a federal grant is causing

prosecutors across the state to eliminate positions devoted to combating

domestic violence, reports \"USA Today.\" State officials say the cuts
are

the result of the state\'s grant share dropping to \$2.2 million, an 18

percent decline since 1999.

TX The Houston Area Women\'s Center received the

Better Business Bureau\'s Award for Excellence in the category of
Mid-Size

Non-Profits. The Center, which provides shelter and services to battered

women, received the Award at a luncheon hosted by the Better Business

Bureau, American Productivity & Quality Center, Administaff and the
\"Houston

Chronicle.\" Awards are given to organizations for excellence in
quality,

achievement, management and customer service.

TX The National Judicial Institute on Domestic

Violence will hold its conference, \"Effective Intervention in Domestic

Violence & Child Maltreatment Cases: Community Collaboration Workshop,\"
in

San Antonio November 4 to 7. The conference will address how child

protection workers and administrators, domestic violence service
providers,

and juvenile and family courts can work together to intervene more

effectively in cases involving both domestic violence and child

maltreatment. The National Judicial Institute on Domestic Violence is a

joint project of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court
Judges

and the Family Violence Prevention Fund, funded by the U.S. Department
of

Justice Violence Against Women Office.

UT Nearly half of the 131 women killed between 1994

and 1999 in the state were murdered by their husbands or boyfriends,

according to a study released by state health department officials,
reports

\"USA Today.\" The study urges judges, prosecutors and clergy to pay
more

attention to the signs of domestic violence and to intervene before the

violence escalates.

INTERNATIONAL \"16 Days of Activism Against Gender

Violence,\" an international campaign to raise awareness of all forms of

violence against women, will be held November 25 through December 10.

November 25 is International Violence Against Women Day and December 10
is

International Human Rights Day. The campaign features events in student,

local, national and regional communities that raise awareness about
gender

violence as a human rights abuse, work to ensure better protection for

victims of violence and call for the elimination of gender-based
violence.

Information about the campaign is available online at
www.cwgl.rutgers.edu

\<http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/\>.

JAPAN The Law on Prevention of Spouse Violence and

Protection of Victims, which allows courts to impose retraining orders

against batterers, went into effect in October. Under the new law,
district

courts have the power to impose six-month restraining orders and force

batterers to vacate their homes for two weeks, reports \"Kyodo.\" The
law

applies to married couples, as well as couples who are living together
and

divorced people who are at risk of violence from an ex-spouse.

\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*

In her own words\...

\"In the month since the terrible events of September

11, we have heard this cadence of disbelief mixed with despair echo

throughout the country and around the world. Yet, to me, it has a
familiar

ring. I\'ve heard those words so often before. They have been spoken,
not

by citizens stunned by an act of public terror almost unimaginable in
scope

and fury, but by neighbors expressing incredulity at the discovery of

private, murderous dramas. They have been spoken about tales of hidden

terror played out right next door to them in kitchens and bedrooms, in
every

community we can name, every day, always. I\'ve been thinking about this

strange parallel between public and private terror, not to take us away
from

the horror and trauma of what we have witnessed and struggle now to

comprehend, but to help us understand it and to urge us to act
differently

than we might first be prompted to respond\...There are profound lessons
to

be learned if we ask how what we know about domestic violence can
instruct

us in the dynamics of public terrorism and enable us to stop it in its

tracks. The lessons that domestic violence advocates have to teach us
are

about the causes and dynamics of violence and terror, about its
prevention

and, perhaps most importantly, about the need to have a
multidisciplinary

response to the trauma that it brings\... None of us who live in
democratic

societies can afford to put the responsibility to end the cycle of
violence

and to build a world of peace on someone else\'s shoulders. Let us take
a

page from the domestic violence community now and engage all the

multidisciplinary resources in our communities globally so that we can
heal

the trauma and work to expand public projects of prevention.\"

\-- Kathleen Jones, San Diego State University

Professor of Women\'s Studies, \"San Diego Union Tribune\" Op-ed,
October 12, 2001.

\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*

thank you!

\"Speaking Up\" cannot exist without the support of

its readers. Thank you to the members of the \"Speaking Up\" network who
have

renewed their support for the year 2002. In particular, we\'d like to
thank

the \"Speaking Up\" sponsors whose generous contributions make it
possible for

us to provide \"Speaking Up\" to organizations regardless of financial
need.

The following sponsors have generously donated \$100

to keep the \"Speaking Up\" network alive: Alternatives to Domestic
Violence;

AMWA; Asian Women\'s Shelter; Andrew R. Klein; National Training Center
on

Domestic and Sexual Violence; Vermont Network Against Domestic Violence
&

Sexual Assault; and Womenspace.

\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*

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the

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