Office on Violence Against Women

Webinar: Working in Tribal Communities to Protect Victims and Communities from Firearms in DV Cases

Victoria Sweet

May 22, 2017 – 11:00am PT, 12:00pm MT, 1:00pm CT, 2:00pm ET

Tribal communities face a variety of unique obstacles to removing firearms from individuals who are prohibited from having them due to civil protection orders (CPOs) or criminal convictions for domestic violence.  Yet the CPO and criminal processes provide many opportunities for professionals to learn about and respond effectively to abusers’ access to firearms using existing laws.  The NCJFCJ and our partners have gathered examples of strategies from around the country to help Tribal and other communities take full advantage of these intervention opportunities so that they can better protect victims and others from firearms violence. 
NCJFCJ, in partnership with the Office on Violence Against Women, is leading a Firearms Pilot Site Initiative (FPSI) that will provide training and technical assistance on these strategies and practices.  The project is a collaboration with the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC) and other national TA providers (AEquitas, BWJP, CCI, the IACP, and Ujima), as well as expert practitioners from around the country. The FPSI will work with selected sites to assist them in developing interdisciplinary efforts to improve local implementation of firearms prohibitions in civil and criminal domestic violence contexts.
This webinar will discuss challenges and strategies pertinent to Tribal communities that are involved in efforts to effectively implement firearms restrictions in domestic violence cases.  It will also introduce professionals and communities to the FPSI, which soon will be selecting sites for in-depth technical assistance, training, and other support.  The NCJFCJ and its partners will assist selected sites in assessing their implementation efforts and challenges, identifying gaps, and developing partnerships among community stakeholders, including federal partners, to design and implement practices that will enhance victim and community safety.  

Presented by:
Carolina LaPorte, Senior Native Affairs Advisor, National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center
Nancy Hart, JD, Senior Program Attorney, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Darren Mitchell, JD, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Consultant

 

Link to register for webinar: here

Closed Captioning will be provided. The webinar will be 60 minutes long and will be recorded and made available to individuals who cannot participate in the live webinar. If you have further questions regarding this event, please contact Alicia Lord at alord@ncjfcj.org.

Webinar: Protecting Victims and Communities from Firearms in Domestic Violence Cases

Victoria Sweet

Protecting Victims and Communities from Firearms in Domestic Violence Cases: Collaborative Strategies

April 26, 2017 – 11:00am PT, 12:00pm MT, 1:00pm CT, 2:00pm ET

Is your community doing all it can to prevent firearms-related violence perpetrated by abusers in DV cases? Are you encountering challenges to implementing existing state, tribal, & federal firearms restrictions? Learn about strategies for effective implementation at all stages of civil & criminal DV cases, as well as a new national project, the Firearms Pilot Site Initiative, through which the NCJFCJ & other national experts will provide communities with in-depth TA, training, & other support.

Link to register for webinar: here

*A similar webinar with information specific for tribal communities will be held May 22, but people from all communities are encouraged to attend whichever one is most convenient.

Closed captioning will be provided. The webinar will be 60 minutes long and will be recorded and made available to individuals who cannot participate in the live webinar. If you have further questions regarding this event, please contact Alicia Lord at alord@ncjfcj.org.

 

New Website – Sex Trafficking Resources for Tribal Coalitions

Victoria Sweet

A new website is now available with the express purpose of providing sex trafficking information and resources for tribal domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions. The link to the site is here.

From the site:

This website was created to provide tribal coalitions with quick access to information their advocates need–legal resources, victim service directories, training calendars, technical assistance, and more.

Additionally, we envision this site as a place for Native women to find help when dealing with violence. Individuals can reach out to their local Tribal Coalition(s) for assistance or they can easily use our Victim Services Directory themselves. We suggest, however, that individuals contact their local tribal coalition for assistance first. A Tribal Coalition can help individuals navigate options and services, and utilizing coalition connections can increase a client’s chances of receiving services or referrals immediately. 

The site includes federal, state, and tribal laws, articles, resources, and information about victim services and will continue to include new information as it becomes available.

OVW Training on Federal Criminal Databases & DOJ Consultation on Violence Against Women

Victoria Sweet

The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is hosting a training session on federal criminal databases and information sharing, October 14, 2014 from 1:30-4:30 p.m in Rapid City, SD. The training is free and will provide information about the various federal criminal databases, requirements for accessing and submitting information to the databases, considerations for tribal leaders working to implement TLOA and VAWA 2013, current DOJ efforts to increase Tribal access to federal criminal databases, and updates on the implementation of Section 905(b) of VAWA 2005.

October 15, 2014 from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. in Rapid City, SD is the U.S. Department of Justice’s 9th Annual Government-to-Government Violence Against Women Tribal Consultation. From the site:

The purpose of the consultation is to solicit recommendations on enhancing safety for American Indian and Alaska Native women, strengthening the Federal response to the crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and administering grants funds.

More information and registration is available here.

DOJ Job Posting: OVW Tribal Affairs Division Grants Specialist

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here.

An excerpt:

This position is located in the Department of Justice (DOJ), Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). Created in 1995, OVW implements the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and subsequent legislation and provides national leadership against domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. Since its inception, OVW has launched a multifaceted approach to responding to these crimes through implementation of grant programs authorized by VAWA. By forging state, local and tribal partnerships among police, prosecutors, the judiciary, victim advocates, healthcare providers, faith leaders, the public, and others, OVW grants help provide victims with the protection and services they need to pursue safe and healthy lives, while improving communities’ capacity to hold offenders accountable for their crimes.

Report on Public Law 280 and Sexual Assault on Native Women

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From Sarah Deer:

On August 15 – 16, 2007 the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) hosted a focus group in Green Bay, Wisconsin to discuss challenges to, and opportunities for, collaboration between states and tribes in Public Law 280 jurisdictions to address sexual assault in Indian country. The Tribal Law and Policy Institute (TLPI) provided technical assistance and collaborated with OVW on the design and delivery of the session. This final report details the event.