ActionPapers

HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELL BEING: VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

WHY: Around the world at least one woman in every three has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Gender-based violence is a major public health concern and a violation of human rights.

• Every Wisconsin citizen pays dearly, either directly or indirectly, for persistent violence against women. It is estimated to add up to $100 million per year in our state: $70 million in direct costs and $30 million in lost productivity.¹
• A battered woman who leaves her abuser has a 50% chance that her standard of living will immediately drop below the poverty line.
• 83% of very low-income mothers have been victims of severe physical violence and/or sexual abuse during their lifetime.²
• Violence causes injury and increases women’s long-term risk of other health problems, including chronic pain, eating disorders, physical disability, drug and alcohol abuse, and depression.³
• In Wisconsin, more than 26,000 arrests for domestic abuse are made each year.⁴ In 2003, 157,304 calls were made to domestic abuse program hotlines here. Those programs provided in-person services to 37,190 women, children and men.⁵
• The average area served by a domestic abuse program is 3184 square miles: victims often drive 30–98 miles one-way for safe shelter.⁶ In 2000, over 6000 women and children spent a total of over 124,435 nights in a shelter in Wisconsin, but nearly 4000 were turned away when the shelters were full. ⁷
• Almost one-half of all immigrant women experience an incidence of domestic violence. The immigrant population has increased in Wisconsin by 77% over the last 10 years, yet services have been largely designed for use by the majority community, leaving immigrant women little safe shelter that is culturally competent and where language is not a barrier.⁸
• Battered mothers frequently face unmanageable legal expenses or lack access to the legal representation necessary to win court fights. Lack of economic rights, in essence, denies them justice.

WHAT: Reduce the incidence of violence against women and its subsequent economic drain in our state by closing gaps in services, improving protections, and by building public support to fund programs that address root causes.

• Adequate state and federal program funding is needed to ensure even access to services and shelters for all populations across the state. This is a question of fundamental justice for all.
• Access to legal counsel will prevent re-victimization and unnecessary risk for domestic violence victims.
• Access to affordable housing is essential for battered women to live independently and in safety.
• Expert, sensitive and appropriate law enforcement and judicial action will interrupt a continuum of violence and provide greater public safety.

HOW:

• Become active in legislative advocacy to protect victims of violence: start by advocating for stabilization of state funding for existing services, increased funding for services to victims of underrepresented communities, as through the Refugee Family Strengthening Projects, and restoration of funding for sexual assault forensic evidence collection. Take on legislative agendas of the Wisconsin Coalitions Against Domestic Violence (WCADV) and Sexual Assault (WCASA).
• Organize RSN to convene community groups - from churches to neighborhood and work and rental housing associations, parent and women’s and service organizations, and leaders of underserved populations—to build a comprehensive shared agenda including adequate shelter, safe affordable housing and legal counsel for victims; pro se clinics for low-income persons; and improved services to immigrant women. Move from an agenda to specific goals for each collaborator and create ways to measure progress in your community.
• Build a team to help diverse groups forge strong peer networks; help marshal the resources to sustain them.
• Create court watch teams to make the justice system more effective and responsive in handling cases regarding violence against women: build on the community model at
• Help your police department incorporate the Appleton Police Department’s great policies promoting community policing response to domestic violence: http://www.vaw.umn.edu/documents/promise/pplaw/pplaw.html#id76122
• Tap into the great speakers made available by WCADV and WCASA: invite them to speak at your organization to build a larger “violence against women-literate” population.
• Work with WCADV and WCASA to create compelling brochures and posters to inform women of all ages of help available where you live.
• Organize citizens to help the school system integrate violence prevention into the curriculum. Empower young women to take on oversight of the program.
• Make yourself available to your local domestic abuse and sexual assault organizations. They need your talent and your support.

RESOURCES:

• Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence: 307 S. Paterson St., Suite 1, Madison, WI

53703; 608–255–0539; http://wcadv.org; contact Patti Seger at .

• Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault: 600 Williamson St., Suite N2, Madison, WI 53703; 608–257–1516; http://wcasa.org; contact Michael Murray at .

¹ Study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2003).
² Browne, Angela and Basuk, Shari, “Intimate Violence in the lives of Homeless and Poor Housed women,”
American Orthopsychiatric Association, Inc., 1997.
³ John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: www.infoforhealth.org
⁴ Wisconsin Department of Justice Domestic Abuse Report Statistics.
⁵ Department of Health and Family Services, Domestic Abuse Program data from 2003.
⁶ Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
⁷ DHFS data, 2003.
⁸WCADV data.