The Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence

Monthly Bulletin

February 2021

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Commissioner’s Message

Cecile Noel

During Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month every February, we appreciate the opportunity to center the conversation on young people and supporting parents and those working with young people. Through training and education prevention, we help young New Yorkers along the path to both recognizing and more safely navigating online safety, consent, and healthy relationships. The NYC Healthy Relationship Training Academy (or “the Academy”) works with young New Yorkers, parents and caregivers, and professionals working with youth to provide guidance on how to support young people in their lives who may be experiencing unhealthy relationships. The Academy offers workshops, such as TechnoLOVE, reaching thousands of adolescents and young adults. Check out the Academy’s playlist on dating violence (on YouTube) and reach out the Academy for workshops and more offerings!

During Black History month, we also highlight how intersecting identities have situated Black women and girls at higher risk of victimization. In 2017-2019, Black New Yorkers accounted for 21.9% of the city’s population, and 45% of DV related homicides. In the same period, females accounted for 52.3% of the New York population, and 42.7% of DV related rapes and 42.6% of the city’s sex offenses. (For this data, reported in our “Intersection of Domestic Violence, Race/Ethnicity, and Sex” publication, and more, visit our website.) Approaching our work through an intersectional lens is essential in our campaign to eradicate gender-based violence.

WHAT’S NEW

ENDGBV Partnership with NortonLifeLock Increases Cybersecurity for Survivors of Domestic and Gender-Based Violence

As reported by the Staten Island Advance, ENDGBV and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City have teamed with NortonLifeLock, a global leader in consumer cyber safety, to provide survivors of domestic and gender-based violence with comprehensive cybersecurity for cellular phones, computers, and tablets.

NortonLifeLock is donating 2,000 one-year Norton 360 Deluxe licenses valued at approximately $90,000 and offering Cyber Safety training to ENDGBV. These licenses allow survivors access to device security protection against viruses, spyware, malware and other online threats. The Cyber Safety training will help ENDGBV staff to assess the needs of survivors for protection against stalkerware and to help detect malicious applications being used to stalk, harass, control, and harm. ENDGBV staff will then distribute the licenses to survivors through its Family Justice Center system that operate in all five boroughs remotely.

ENDGBV Releases COVID-19 Impact Survey for GBV Survivors

Survivors of gender-based violence in NYC can now submit responses for our anonymous survey gauging the impacts of COVID-19 on survivors. Survey currently available in English, Spanish, and Russian.

NYS Extends Ban on Evictions Through May 2021

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today signed the COVID-19 Emergency Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2020. The Act (S.9114/A.11181) prevents residential evictions, foreclosure proceedings, credit discrimination and negative credit reporting related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also extends the Senior Citizens' Homeowner Exemption and Disabled Homeowner Exemption from 2020 to 2021. The Act adds to New York State's efforts to protect tenants and homeowners from the economic hardship incurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn more

COVID-19 UPDATES

You can get information on COVID-19 in New York City online, and refer to this list of Agency Suspensions and Reductions for the latest on citywide service modifications which remain in place.

The NYC Family Justice Centers (FJCs) remain available by phone to offer survivors guidance on immediate safety planning, shelter assistance, legal consultations, counseling sessions, case management sessions, community resources, and more. Survivors can call the Center in their borough on Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.:

Brooklyn FJC: (718) 250-5113

Bronx FJC: (718) 508-1220

Manhattan FJC: (212) 602-2800

Queens FJC: (718) 575-4545

Staten Island FJC: (718) 697-4300

After hours and on weekends, survivors can:

Call the City's 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-621-4673 (1-800-621-HOPE) or using TTY: 1-800-810-7444

Visit NYC HOPE (www.nyc.gov/NYCHOPE) for additional community resources and information.

The COVID-19 vaccine is now available to certain groups in NYC. These groups have recently become eligible:

People ages 65 and older

Teachers, school staff, in-person college instructors and childcare workers

Correction staff

First responders

Public transit workers

Public-facing grocery store workers

People working and living in group homeless shelters and other group settings

Learn which groups are currently eligible for the vaccine, and which may be eligible next and find a vaccine site location for eligible New Yorkers, including seniors over age 65, using the Vaccine Finder at https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov or call: 1-877-VAX4NYC

ICYMI

Apply for NYS Address Confidentiality Program Online

The New York State Address Confidentiality Program can help victims of domestic violence and gender-based violence—such as stalking, sexual offenses, and human trafficking—protect the privacy of their home, school, and/or work addresses.

Learn more at www.dos.ny.gov/acp

Get Covered, New York

NYS has extended the Special Enrollment Period for uninsured New Yorkers through March 31, 2021. New Yorkers can apply for coverage through New York State's health insurance marketplace, or directly through insurers.

NYC Care health coverage is available to all New Yorkers If you cannot afford or are not eligible for health insurance, you can enroll to access comprehensive and affordable primary, preventative, and specialized health care at NYC H+H hospitals. Call 646-NYC-CARE (646-692-2273) or visit a NYC H+H location to enroll.

The NYC Test & Trace Corps gets New Yorkers tested for COVID-19 and provides resources to those testing positive, including free temporary isolation housing at hotels for people who do not require medical care and are unable to isolate where they live. The Corps are committed to protecting the privacy and security of New Yorkers’ personal and health information to the maximum extent permitted by federal, state and city law. NYC H+H is also offering Express COVID testing that can provide results in 24 hours. Learn more about testing, or find out if you are in a COVID-19 zone

IN THE NEWS

Gayle King asked FKA Twigs 'Why didn't you leave?' Her question is part of the problem.

Full story at USA Today

Domestic Violence During Covid-19: The Ugly Underside Of ‘Staying At Home With The Family’

Full story at Forbes

Concern over clinical trial seeking potential solution to domestic violence, as victims, advocates speak out

Full story at Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Outrage over French girl's rape case sparks demand for law to protect minors

Full story at The Guardian

After Abuse Allegations, $2 Billion Shelter Network Faces Scrutiny

Full story at NY Times

'Their goal is to destroy everyone': Uighur camp detainees allege systematic rape

Full story at BBC News

Domestic Violence is a Pandemic Within the COVID-19 Pandemic

Full story at TIME

Do ‘Coercive Control’ Laws Really Help Abuse Victims?

Full story at New York Magazine

Evan Rachel Wood’s testimony

Full story at Huffington Post

Evan Rachel Wood Accuses Marilyn Manson of Abuse

Full story at NY Times

Senators Introduce Legislation to Help Domestic Violence Survivors Leave Their Abusers' Cell Phone Plans

Full story at Gizmodo

When protective orders don’t protect

Full story at The 19th & The Trace

Amie Harwick's loved ones hoping for change as domestic violence spikes in pandemic

The pandemic has further isolated domestic violence victims, one advocate said.

Full story at ABC News

What Defines Domestic Abuse? Survivors Say It’s More Than Assault

Full story at NY Times

OPINION: Domestic Violence Is a Pandemic Within a Pandemic. Direct Stimulus Checks Would Help

Full story at Newsweek

OPINION: To pass a new sexual assault law, college students themselves got in the driver's seat

Full story at USA Today

Disclaimer: We believe in the principles of open dialogue and considering varying perspectives. Viewpoints or opinions expressed in the content of this communication or in articles linked do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, or the City of New York.

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The Office to Combat Domestic Violence (OCDV) is now the Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence. Find out more at www.nyc.gov/ENDGBV

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