NYC’s Family Justice Centers Advance Global Goal of Ending Gender-Based Violence
By: Global Nyc
Tags: Sdgs, Sustainable Development, Gender Equity, New York City, Gender Based Violence

By Alexandra Hiniker, Program Director for Global Vision | Urban Action, and Joseph Taecker-Wyss, Intern, Mayor’s Office for International Affairs

March is Women’s History Month, and also marks the official convening period of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). Today’s article is part of a special CSW series from GlobalNYC. Throughout the month of March, articles will highlight efforts by local and international communities to address issues of gender equity. Stay tuned and thank you for reading!

The UN diplomatic community, the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence visit the Manhattan Family Justice Center.

The New York City Family Justice Centers, run by the NYC Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV), are known globally for their innovative approach to providing a wide range of collaborative, supportive services in one location. On February 28, representatives from the UN diplomatic community visited the Manhattan Family Justice Center, witnessing firsthand how NYC seeks to end gender-based violence.

Domestic and gender-based violence is a global issue. The UN seeks to tackle the problem, which intersects with many other sustainability issues, through the lens of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs outline 17 commitments countries have made to create a more just and sustainable world by 2030. The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) convenes annually to discuss global progress toward the goals.

As host to the United Nations and the largest diplomatic community in the world, New York City is uniquely positioned to engage in international policy discussions about the SDGs. Through the Global Vision | Urban Action program, the NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs hosts site visits to demonstrate local links to the SDGs.

The UN diplomatic community’s visit to the Manhattan Family Justice Center was an opportunity to use the common framework of the SDGs to see how NYC’s work to end domestic and gender-based violence relates to the broader global agenda.

As the group learned during their site visit, Family Justice Centers represent an innovative approach to address domestic and gender-based violence. Historically, services were separate from each other — law enforcement in one place, mental health professionals in another, and civil lawyers at a third site. The Family Justice Center model integrates multiple agencies together in one space so that those agencies can collaborate more effectively and people can learn about and receive all of the services they may require.

There is a Family Justice Center in each of the five NYC boroughs. In total, they provide services to over 250 people daily, sixty percent of whom are foreign born.

NYC’s Family Justice Centers include not only the typical services considered necessary for survivors, but also recognize the importance of underlying issues such as economic empowerment and housing. Survivors of domestic violence are often financially reliant on their partners, preventing them from leaving their abusive partners. To end the cycle, the Family Justice Centers address these problems holistically.

During the site visit, conversation turned to the SDGs, and how the Centers are linked not only to SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, which seeks to “reduce all forms of violence and related deaths everywhere,” but also exemplify the interconnectedness of the SDGs, including:

· SDG 3: Good health and well-being — The Centers partner with providers to conduct a range of health services, including HIV prevention work and testing, mental health services including medication management referrals and referrals to substance misuse programs, and mobile reproductive health services. This includes programs specifically targeting the health of children under 5. Centers also help people sign up for healthcare programs through the City’s Get Covered NYC program.

· SDG 4: Quality Education — Through partners, the Centers support enrollment in schools and early childhood development care, and also help adult clients enroll in education programming, which includes specific programs addressing literacy.

· SDG 5: Gender Equality — The Centers provide free and confidential assistance for victims and survivors of domestic and gender-based violence, which can include sexual violence, human trafficking, stalking, and intimate partner violence. This includes training on child, early, and forced marriage as well as female genital mutilation. The Centers also provide advice on legal rights to property and can help clients obtain cell phones.

· SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth — The Centers offer on-site courses on job readiness skills, financial literacy, computer skills, and entrepreneurship.

· SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities — All are welcome in the Centers, regardless of language, income, gender identity, or immigration status. Interpretation services are available every Center, and locations are wheelchair accessible. ENDGBV works closely with City agencies to ensure that survivors are aware of safe leave policies as well as the prohibitions regarding discrimination against domestic violence and gender-based violence survivors regarding housing.

· SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals — The Centers work with 41 community-based organizations that provide onsite services. The Centers have onsite staff from NYPD, the Sheriff’s Office, the borough’s District Attorney’s office, Health + Hospital Staff, and the Human Resources Administration. The Centers also regularly host international delegations to share experiences.

By discussing common challenges through the lens of the SDGs, representatives from around the world have an opportunity to learn from each other. In fact, following a visit to NYC Family Justice Centers by an Icelandic delegation in 2016, Iceland proceeded to open its first Family Justice Center only nine months later in Reykjavik.

In advance of the HLPF this summer, the NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs will continue sharing how NYC agencies address issues of equity and sustainability. By providing first-hand examples of how we are addressing the SDGs at the local level, cities can contribute to global conversations about a more just and sustainable future.