OFFICE
OF COUNCILMEMBER
|
 |
NEW
YORK, NY 10007
For Immediate Release
Contact: Miguelina Zorrilla
The Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative: Enhancing Neighborhood-based
Domestic Violence Services and Empowering Communities
New York, NY – The City Council Domestic Violence Working Group, survivors, and advocates gathered at City Hall, on International Women’s Day, to highlight the need to address the continuing pattern of domestic violence in the city’s most vulnerable communities. The Council Working Group discovered what many advocates voiced in the past, that is, many domestic violence (DV) victims are not likely to access DV services unless they are provided in their own neighborhoods. Furthermore victims are less likely to continue intervention when services are not culturally appropriate or provided in the relevant language. Council Members and advocates announced their support for a $5 million City Council initiative to enhance community-based provision of domestic violence services.
“This Domestic Violence Initiative will help protect women in our city and will work to preserve and strengthen our communities for years to come. International Women’s Day is a time to reflect upon the achievements made by our mothers, sisters, daughters and friends and to recommit ourselves to furthering causes critical to women and all New Yorkers in the future,” said Speaker Miller.
“Responding to the need for enhanced neighborhood-based domestic violence services, I focused on forming a working group with my concerned colleagues so that we can better serve our diverse communities and more effectively address the urgent issue of domestic violence,” said Councilmember Miguel Martinez. “To really make a difference, we need to link services to high incidence areas and empower the most vulnerable communities. The DoVE Initiative would strengthen neighborhood-based services and develop community-appropriate solutions, which is especially important in our diverse city where victims can face specific barriers-to-services such as foreign-born survivors of domestic violence who may have language barriers or concerns about immigration status.”
“We need to make sure that domestic violence services reach all
those who are in need of them. I commend my colleague, Councilmember
Martinez, for his leadership on this issue as well as my fellow members
of the Community-Based Domestic Violence Working Group,” said
Councilmember Bill De Blasio, Chair of the General Welfare Committee.
According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Health,
domestic violence accounted for about 30 percent of all homicides among
New York City women and New York City’s Domestic Violence Hotline
has received on average about 400 calls per day. Among the 78 family-related
homicides in 2002, however, there had been no prior police report in
65 percent of these cases. Experts cite specific factors such as economic
vulnerability, immigration status, social isolation and language barriers
as preventing the most vulnerable groups from receiving critical domestic
violence services, reporting abuse, or seeking police protection.
“For far too long the most vulnerable and poorest women in our
city have not had the tools at hand to help them combat domestic violence.
The DoVE initiative would help to achieve this by allowing these women
local outlets where they can seek help and prevent further and possibly
fatal reoccurrences. To that end, we gather here today to urge the full
funding of this vital initiative,” said Councilmember Christine
C. Quinn, Chair of the Health Committee.
“The tragedy of domestic violence in New York City today is that,
too often, survivors do not trust or seek help from official systems.
Community-based outreach is critically important if we are to help these
women and men break the cycle of violence and get back on their feet.
I am proud to stand with my colleagues and the Council in fighting for
the needs of groups who aren't heard often enough,” state Council
Member Tracy Boyland, Chair, Women's Issues Committee.
“In recognition of International Women's Day, and in honor of
women in our communities, I believe it's crucial that we support domestic
violence prevention initiatives that are locally based,” said
Council Member Diana Reyna, Co-Chair Women's Caucus. “Local organizations
not only have a better knowledge and understanding of the communities
they serve, but they also provide ease of access and perhaps a greater
comfort level for women seeking help. Those women seeking help, are
the ones who have a chance of ending the cycle of violence.”
“It is critical that we support neighborhood-based provision of
domestic violence services to really connect services to the highest
need effectively and to empower survivors to gain control of and make
informed decisions about their lives. To achieve these important goals,
domestic violence services must be provided within a culturally and
linguistically sensitive context in our most vulnerable communities,”
said Rosita M. Romero, Executive Director of the Dominican Women’s
Development Center.
The Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative would support
community-based organizations that provide prevention and empowerment
workshops, comprehensive services, referrals, and legal assistance to
victims of domestic violence. The DoVE initiative would supplement and
strengthen the links to critical support services for domestic violence
victims within local neighborhoods, thereby increasing the impact of
such services citywide.
# # #