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Advocacy in Virginia 2022
Virginia's Sexual and Domestic Violence advocates are our community's front-line responders to survivors of violence. They provide not only crisis response and shelter for survivors, but also assistance to meet financial, housing, employment, and legal services needs.
With the continued struggles brought on by the COVID-19 global pandemic, survivors' need for critical services from sexual and domestic violence agencies did not wane. Despite being short staffed, having difficulty maintaining 24/7 shelter coverage, budget cuts, and changes in community partnerships and resources, advocates remained on the front lines to meet survivors' needs, maintaining virtual support opportunities, ongoing safety planning, including better understanding the safer use of technology, and building better relationships with community partners.
Action Alliance staff chose to take a more in depth look at the impact of services on the experiences of survivors since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Take a look at the summary report that demonstrates the continued need for the vital advocacy services provided by sexual and domestic violence advocates around the commonwealth.
Are Victims Services Programs Liable for Criminal “Harboring” When They Work with Immigrant Survivors of Crime?
Community-based crime victim advocacy programs that provide services to undocumented immigrant survivors of crimes can minimize risks to their program, funding, employees, and clients by adopting and following policies that take the laws on harboring undocumented immigrants into account. This Advisory answers common questions about providing shelter and other program services to undocumented victims, describes the law and federal policy (as of the Advisory’s publication date), and proposes best practices for programs, but it is not legal advice. Immigration and criminal laws vary from region to region, and federal immigration enforcement policies are constantly changing. Programs should analyze their program-specific risks, their community’s particular needs, and the laws in their jurisdiction—including legal duties associated with an agency’s funding sources—as they design or update program policies. Consulting a local immigration attorney with criminal law experience is highly advisable.
Barriers to and Promising Practices for Collaboration between Adult Protective Services and Domestic Violence Programs
Barriers to and Promising Practices for Collaboration between Adult Protective Services and Domestic Violence Programs is published by the National Center on Elder Abuse and the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA). This report recommends that Adult Protective Services (APS) and Domestic Violence Programs collaborate on providing services for older adults experiencing domestic violence. Included are potential barriers to collaboration as well as examples of successful collaborations and initiatives.
Best Practices Guides for Virginia Campuses Addressing Gender-Based Violence
Recommendations, resources, and concrete examples for campus leaders interested in implementing a trauma-informed and social justice-oriented response to sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, and other forms of gender-based violence on campus.
The Action Alliance created these recommendations based on more than 35 years of gender-based violence response, prevention, and policy work, as well as information gathered from a variety of governmental agencies, professional organizations, and survivor groups.
Recommendations, resources and specific examples are categorized by discipline:
• Campus Administrators
• Advocates and Campus-Based First Responders
• Faculty and other Instructional Employees
• Campus Law Enforcement and Campus Security
• Prevention Specialists
Interactive versions feature live links to concrete examples and resources.
Published September, 2021
111 pages
Click the image to download the guide!
Beyond Title IX from Futures Without Violence
Futures without Violence and the Avon Foundation brought together a National Campus Advisory board to provide guidance on the new guidelines set forth around Title IX in responding to sexual assaults on college campuses. This report, which comes from this gathering of experts, seeks to move the efforts of higher education institutions past complying with the guidelines to creating a culture of gender-based violence prevention and response.
Excerpt: While legal requirements shape how campuses address gender-based violence, this document goes beyond the legal requirements and points the way to systems, practices and policies for leadership in prevention and response. It addresses intimate partner violence, stalking and sexual misconduct, recognizing that institutions may choose to have separate or integrated policies regarding these offenses. Although many campus policies, as well as the Dear Colleague Letter, address only sexual misconduct explicitly, intimate personal violence and stalking also contribute to an environment hostile to women and are often interrelated.
