Director Rosie Hidalgo Delivers Remarks at the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges 87th Annual Conference

Good morning! I want to begin by respectfully acknowledging the O’odham and Piipaash People, whose lands we are meeting on today. I also want to thank the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) for hosting this 87th annual conference and for the opportunity to provide remarks today.

I am honored to serve as the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) and to collaborate with so many dedicated individuals and organizations committed to furthering our nation’s vision for ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and other related forms of gender-based violence.

I also want to extend my deep gratitude to each of you here today for your hard work, dedication and service; and for coming together to see how we can continue to learn from one another to enhance access to safety, justice and healing, and to support communities in advancing a coordinated approach to preventing and addressing gender-based violence.

As you know, OVW is tasked with overseeing the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a landmark bipartisan legislation first enacted by Congress in September 1994. Born from years of grassroots advocacy and the voices and leadership of survivors, VAWA’s 1994 enactment was a testament to the power of collective action in shaping public policy and setting a vision for our nation to advance a society that does not tolerate abuse of any kind. 

Each subsequent reauthorization of VAWA has provided an opportunity for stakeholders and policymakers to identify what works well and how we can continue to scale up, as well as identify gaps and barriers that need to be addressed, ensuring that these efforts are rooted in the voices and lived realities of survivors. The most recent VAWA reauthorization in 2022 is the most expansive yet, establishing numerous new grant programs and initiatives in order to enhance the ways in which we can support communities to prevent and address gender-based violence.

Additionally, VAWA funding increased by more than 30% in just the last three years, allowing OVW to distribute a record amount of grant funding. In Fiscal Year 2024, Congress increased VAWA funding to $713 million, which is the highest amount that has ever been appropriated.

The hallmark of VAWA is a coordinated community response (CCR), which seeks to bring together agencies and community partners across many disciplines to address the needs of survivors. How each person responds along the way is critical to how, or if, a survivor is able to access safety, justice and healing. From law enforcement officers and investigators to healthcare personnel to victim advocates to educational institutions, community-based organizations and judges and courtroom officials, it is critical that no individual or entity works in a silo since survivors’ lives do not exist in siloes, and it takes all of us to prevent and effectively address gender-based violence.

OVW’s programs are intended to help grantees provide services that are trauma-informed and survivor-centered, dedicated to helping all victims of intimate partner violence, sexual assault or stalking. As you may be aware, OVW provides formula funding to every state and territory to support victim service providers, law enforcement, prosecutors and courts, Additionally, OVW implements more than 40 targeted discretionary grant programs. This includes specific grant programs that support children and youth, enhance services in rural communities, improve access for individuals with disabilities, increase the capacity of community-based organizations that primarily focus on historically marginalized or underserved populations, address elder abuse, focus on reducing gender-based violence on college campuses, work to enhance the allyship of men and boys in prevention efforts and more.

In particular, I want to highlight the Grants to Support Families in the Justice System program (also known as the Justice for Families Program), which was established in the reauthorization of VAWA in 2013. This program funds grantees that seek to improve the response of the civil and criminal justice systems to address the needs of victims and families impacted by sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking, or in cases involving allegations of child sexual abuse. The program supports activities such as court-based and court-related programs; supervised visitation and safe exchange by and between parents; training for people who work with families in the court system; and enhancing access for individuals from historically marginalized and underserved populations.

Through the Justice for Families grant program, OVW has also been funding an initiative to support mentor courts. And OVW supports national training and technical assistance that is available to provide courts with the training, expertise, and problem-solving strategies they need to implement best practices and meet the challenges of addressing gender-based violence.

At OVW, advancing equity is viewed as an essential component of ending sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking by improving outreach, services, civil and criminal justice responses, prevention and support for survivors from historically marginalized and underserved communities, particularly those facing disproportionate rates or impacts of violence and multiple barriers to services, justice and safety. This includes support for Tribal sovereignty in efforts to prevent and address sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking in Indian Country and Alaska Native Villages.

The disproportionate rates of violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls and the issues of missing or murdered Indigenous women and girls require increased attention and a sustained commitment to preventing and addressing these issues. Increasing public safety in Indian country and Alaska Native Villages is a top priority for OVW and the Justice Department. Furthermore, advancing Tribal sovereignty and supporting community driven solutions are a core focus of OVW’s Tribal grant programs, which have been strengthened and expanded with each reauthorization of VAWA.

Sherriann Moore from the Rosebud Sicangu’ Lakota Nation serves as the Deputy Director of OVW’s Tribal Affairs Division. The Tribal Affairs Division consists of a staff of 14 people who administer five grant programs, including the Tribal Government Grant Program, that are specifically designated for Tribes and Tribal organizations to respond to the evolving needs of Tribal communities. OVW is committed to uplifting Tribal sovereignty and ensuring that Tribal governments and Tribal organizations can access critical VAWA resources to advance these goals. OVW also funds 20 Tribal Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions that are based in different states and regions of the U.S., as well as the Alliance of Tribal Coalitions to End Violence. We encourage leaders at the state and local level to collaborate with the Tribal Coalitions to address the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native survivors who may be in your communities.

Additionally, we are committed to supporting Tribes that are interested in implementing Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction over non-Indian perpetrators based on the expanded list of covered crimes that was recognized in VAWA 2022. In addition to domestic violence and dating violence, this now includes sexual violence, sex trafficking, stalking, child violence, assault of Tribal justice personnel and obstruction of justice.

The Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction Grant Program provides financial support and technical assistance to Indian Tribes for planning and implementing changes in their criminal justice systems necessary to exercise “special Tribal criminal jurisdiction.” This also includes the Targeted Support for Alaska Native Tribes Special Initiative. This initiative is designed to assist Alaska Native Tribal governments, or consortia of Alaska Native Tribal governments, that plan to seek designation by the Attorney General as participating Tribes able to exercise jurisdiction over non-Indians through the Alaska Pilot Program.

Earlier this year, OVW also launched a new special initiative that was created based on recommendations made by the Not Invisible Act Commission. The funding will support the creation, training and sustainability of Healing and Response Teams using a Tribal-based model of care to respond to Missing or Murdered Indigenous People cases related to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and sex trafficking.

I also would like to highlight new protections in the latest reauthorization of VAWA that respond to emerging issues. For example, the 2022 VAWA reauthorization included a definition of “technological abuse” for the first time and a new section focused on addressing cybercrimes against individuals, including cyberstalking and the non-consensual distribution of intimate images. As we all are aware, despite all the ways that technology is beneficial, would-be offenders now have unprecedented access to technology that can be used to harm victims, which surpasses anything envisioned when VAWA first became law.

We have heard from survivors who have experienced significant harm as a result of technology-facilitated abuse — from disruptions in their education, career, and relationships to severe mental health consequences, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm and suicidal ideation. Even so, survivors and advocates report that getting help is not an easy process. One survivor whom we heard from recently shared that when her ex-partner distributed intimate images of her online and stalked her using multiple platforms, she reached out to law enforcement multiple times — only to be told there was nothing they could do. She told that the experience was traumatizing and left her with no choice but to investigate her own case.

As technology continues to evolve, we are committed to advancing protections for survivors of technology-facilitated gender-based violence so that anyone who experiences this form of abuse may find justice and healing. This includes funding for the first time a National Resource Center on Cybercrimes Against Individuals, as well as a new Local Law Enforcement Grants for Enforcement of Cybercrimes Program. These grants will increase national training and technical assistance, as well as provide resources for law enforcement, prosecutors and victim service providers to support victims of cybercrimes. Additionally, in September 2023, the Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime funded the first ever national helpline for survivors of image-based sexual abuse, which is operated by the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative. The helpline will expand support to victims of the non-consensual distribution of intimate images, including sextortion and synthetic intimate images, also referred to as “deepfakes.”

VAWA 2022 also authorized new programs dedicated to training law enforcement on trauma-informed, survivor-centered responses to gender-based violence. One of the new grant programs launched this year is the Demonstration Program on Trauma-informed, Victim-Centered Training for Law Enforcement on Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking Program, also known as the Abby Honold program. Abby was a college student who was sexually assaulted while a student at the University of Minnesota. Her case was initially mishandled by law enforcement, and she encountered numerous barriers while seeking services from the various systems she approached after reporting her assault. Despite this, she continues to be a tireless advocate for survivors like herself, working to change how such cases are handled.

We are also launching new grant programs that were established in VAWA 2022 to support additional pathways to safety, healing and justice. We recently awarded three grants that support national training and technical assistance for restorative practices, and we anticipate selecting up to 15 sites as part of a new restorative practices pilot program that was included in the 2022 VAWA reauthorization. This initiative also includes robust funding for evaluation so that we can ensure that these programs are trauma-informed and focused on victim safety and continue to learn how to meet the needs of survivors.

I am also excited to share that just last week we released a solicitation for a new grant program focused on flexible financial support to address the economic needs of survivors. We know that economic security and access to safe and affordable housing are critical needs that confront many survivors, and that often undermine their efforts to seek safety, healing and stability. This program will increase flexibility for victim service providers the unique needs of survivors – whether it is a month of rent, helping them purchase tires for their car to get to work or putting food on the table for their children.

As we prepare to commemorate the 30th anniversary of VAWA this September, we have an opportunity to collectively reflect on the substantial progress that has been made over the past three decades. Fortunately, there have been significant paradigm shifts in society’s perceptions of these crimes and our responses to them. Individuals and organizations – like NCJFCJ – have worked tirelessly to bring these issues out of the shadows, find justice for survivors and hold offenders accountable.

However, as you undoubtedly know, we still have much further to go. Many survivors still encounter significant challenges navigating complex systems and accessing critical resources and support that are trauma-informed and survivor-centered and that meet their unique circumstances.

Together we can collectively chart a path forward to strengthen prevention efforts and increase pathways to safety, justice, healing and well-being for survivors and all those impacted by gender-based violence.

We know that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to serving survivors, and we recognize the importance of ensuring survivors have access to multiple avenues to safety, justice and healing. For some survivors, that journey does not include the justice system, but for those who choose to use it, OVW is working to improve the justice system’s response to intimate partner violence, sexual assault and stalking. To that end, in May this year, OVW released A Framework for Prosecutors to Strengthen Our National Response to Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence Involving Adult Victims.

This guide for prosecutors is designed to complement the department’s Guide on “Improving Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence by Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias,” which was released two years ago.

This new guide for prosecutors provides a blueprint for building provable cases in a trauma-informed manner that treats victims with humanity and ensures due process for defendants. It sets out five principles that, if implemented, will lead to better outcomes for victims, safer communities and greater accountability for perpetrators of gender-based violence. 

These principles are designed to address myths and misconceptions that can lead to the declination of meritorious allegations: Myths about how sexual assault and domestic violence are committed and reported, as well as misconceptions about victim behavior, victim accounts and the evidence required to prove those accounts that threaten to ― and often do ― derail investigations and prosecutions of credible allegations. 

This guide was written by prosecutors for prosecutors. One of our attorneys at OVW spearheaded the effort to develop the guide. She has previously served as a prosecutor for two decades, both at the state and federal level, specializing in handling sex crimes throughout the country. She also got input from more than 120 state, Tribal, military and federal prosecutors, as well as advocates, academics, and investigators who have dedicated their careers to addressing sexual assault and domestic violence. It is designed to provide baseline principles that we encourage every prosecutor to consider when evaluating, investigating and prosecuting allegations of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Through our work, OVW has seen how important it is to develop tools and resources — like the prosecution guide — that support understanding of the laws that protect survivors and respond to the most urgent needs they face. OVW is also working to develop tools that ensure implementation of the important laws that prohibit those convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from purchasing or possessing firearms. Collaboration across sectors is key to ensuring that those laws are effective and that survivors who are at increased risk of serious injury or death receive support.

As you are aware, the intersection between domestic violence and firearms is a highly lethal one. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that firearms are used in over half of intimate partner homicides involving female partners or former partners. The presence of a firearm in such scenarios increases the risk of homicide fivefold compared to situations where the abuser does not have access to these kinds of weapons.

OVW has been funding 12 sites across the country through our Firearms Technical Assistance Project to help communities implement policies and promising practices to reduce domestic violence homicides and injuries committed with firearms. I had an opportunity recently to visit one of those sites in Birmingham, Alabama, to see firsthand the difference it is making in strengthening community collaboration to address these issues.

As we all move forward to strengthen and expand efforts to prevent and address gender-based violence, we know that adopting multidisciplinary approaches that are survivor-centered, trauma-informed and rooted in a coordinated community response are the best way for survivors to feel heard, respected and supported as they walk their unique paths to safety, healing and justice.

There has been significant progress over the last 30 years, and this would not have been possible without the amazing commitment of organizations like NCJFCJ and the work that each of you does every day. As we move forward, it is important that this work be rooted in hope and a vision where individuals, families and communities can thrive free from violence. Together, our collective action can make it a reality.

Thank you all for your dedication to this work, and your willingness to keep learning from and supporting one another. I hope you continue to benefit from your time here at the conference and that each of you comes away feeling re-energized and inspired, and ready to keep working together toward this shared vision.