Governor O'Malley, Lt. Governor Brown Announce Domestic Violence Grants
Over $1.8 Million Granted by the State of Maryland from STOP Violence Against Women Funds; Sign Family Violence Executive Order; Announce Attorney General Doug Gansler as Chairman of the Council
BALTIMORE, MD (October 23, 2008) – In recognition of Domestic Violence Month, Governor Martin O’Malley and Lt. Governor Anthony Brown today, joined by state, civic and law enforcement leaders, announced that the State of Maryland will award $1.8 million in STOP – Violence Against Women (VAWA) Federal funding grants to help victims of domestic violence. Governor O’Malley and Lt. Governor Brown also signed the Governor’s Family Violence Council Executive Order adding Attorney General Doug Gansler as a Co-chair of the Council, among other changes.
“Last year alone, 52 women, men, and children lost their lives in our State because of domestic violence, and there were nearly 20,000 cases reported to police and 41,000 protective and peace orders filed in District Court,” said Governor O’Malley. “The prevention of domestic violence and the support for the victims of these heinous crimes, improving protection, prevention, enforcement and services are among our Administration’s most urgent and pressing priorities. We must do all that we can to help Maryland’s most vulnerable citizens.”
“Domestic violence has touched too many Maryland families. I applaud Governor O’Malley’s work that has strengthened existing partnerships and forged new ones to help Maryland fight back against domestic violence,” said Lt. Governor Brown. “By working together, we can reduce the number of innocent Marylanders who have tragically become statistics.”
The Violence Against Women grants is part of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) which was signed into law on August 1994 as a part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. VAWA created new grant programs encouraging states to address domestic violence and sexual assault including the S.T.O.P (Services and Training for Officers and Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program. The VAWA Act was reauthorized in 2000 and again in 2005.
VAWA funds represent the largest portion of funding of the Act and go to states to be distributed among police, prosecutors, courts and state and local victims services. In Maryland, S.T.O.P VAWA funds are administered by the Governor's Office of Crime Control & Prevention (GOCCP) under the authority of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.
This year, GOCCP allocated approximately $1.8 million in grant funds to 63 organizations/agencies that encourage the development and strengthening of effective, victim-centered law enforcement, prosecution, and court strategies to combat violent crimes against women and to develop and enhance victim services that address violence against women statewide.
The Family Violence Council was created by Executive Order in 2006, but no formal appointments were made. In January of 2008 Governor Martin O’Malley appointed the 21 member Council. The Council’s mission is to provide the Governor with timely and accurate information on family violence with recommendations that will reduce and eliminate abusive behaviors. The Council had their first meeting on January 7, 2008. The Council developed three committees: Public Awareness, Data, and Legislative, and recommended that the Governor redefine the Executive Order to include the Attorney General and a member of the public.
Under the new Executive Order, the Council’s membership will be increased from 21 to 25 and will include, Lt. Governor Brown, Attorney General Gansler, Scott Patterson (the State's Attorney from Talbot County who will be representing the Maryland State's Attorney's Association), and Vicki Sadehvandi, the Executive Director of CASA in Hagerstown. Attorney General Gansler will serve as the new Chairperson of the Council. The Vice Chairs will be Jodi Finkelstein (Executive Director of the Domestic Violence Center of Howard County) and Cheryl Kravitz (President of CRK Communications).
“I am honored to serve as Chair of the Governor’s Family Violence Council. Prevention of domestic violence and the promotion of healthy relationships are critical to creating and sustaining a safe and just society, and I am committed to do my part to achieve these goals,” said Attorney General Gansler. “I look forward to working with Governor O'Malley, Lt. Governor Brown, and the members of this Council.”
“Domestic violence is too complex for any one agency to handle, thus the importance for a coordinated community response. Given the magnitude and impact that domestic violence has on Marylanders, we are extremely pleased that the Governor is taking the lead on the issue of domestic violence,” said Jodi Finkelstein, Executive Director of the Domestic Violence Center of Howard County and Cheryl Kravitz, President of CRK Communications, Co-Chairs of the Family Violence Council.
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which evolved from the first Day of Unity observed in October, 1981 by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The intent was to connect battered women’s advocates across the nation who were working to end violence against women and their children. The Day of Unity soon became a special week when a range of activities were conducted at the local, state, and national levels.
In October 1987, the first Domestic Violence Awareness Month was observed. That same year the first national toll-free hotline was begun. In 1989 the first Domestic Violence Awareness Month Commemorative Legislation was passed by the U.S. Congress. In October 1994 NCADV, in conjunction with Ms. Magazine, created the “Remember My Name” project, a national registry to increase public awareness of domestic violence deaths. Since then, NCADV has been collecting information on women who have been killed by an intimate partner and produces a poster each October for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, listing the names of those documented in that year. The Day of Unity is celebrated the first Monday in October.
