Responding to Violence Against Women

Recognizing that historical and cultural myths and biases create unique hurdles to women’s access to justice, we launched the Responding to Violence Against Women Project in 2003 to focus on the unique battles faced by these survivors. The focus of the project is to ensure that victims, whether of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and/or child abuse, are re-empowered rather than re-victimized when they access justice. 

We do this, in part, by ensuring that service providers responding to those victims have the knowledge and skills necessary to protect a victim’s rights, particularly in the criminal case against an offender. These rights may include the right to privacy, the right to attend proceedings, and the right to be heard at those proceedings, among others. 

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Projects

NCVLI was awarded funding from the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) under the FY 2020 Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Initiative.  With this TTA Project NCVLI will enhance knowledge and skills around making victims’ voices and rights meaningful in criminal justice by building increased collaboration between system-based and community-based advocates. This includes providing responsive technical assistance to advocates to assist with their criminal justice and victims’ rights advocacy for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.  While NCVLI has been funded through the Improving Criminal Justice Response and STOP Programs, all OVW grantees and potential grantees can request this assistance. To request assistance, complete the online request form.

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Products

Among our newest products is our Rights Enforcement Toolkit. A collection of video tutorials, flowcharts, checklists, and sample pleadings to protect survivors. Click here to access the Toolkit. To access NCVLI publications related to violence against women, visit our Victim Law Library.  To request legal technical assistance, click here.  To request a training, click here.

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Mary Byron Foundation Celebration Solutions Award

In 2013, NCVLI’s Responding to Violence Against Women Project was selected to receive the Mary Byron Foundation Celebrating Solutions Award.  This important award honors nonprofit and governmental organizations with innovative programs that demonstrate promise in ending the generational cycle of domestic violence.  Click here to learn more.

In 2020, NCVLI was again recognized by the Mary Byron Project for our innovative work to secure the protection of victims’ rights so that survivors have a voice in criminal justice as part of the Mary Byron Project’s 20th anniversary. Click here to learn more.