Home | News & Features
To raise awareness of and solutions to teen dating violence, President Obama has proclaimed that February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. As we commemorate this month, visit the following Web sites which provide comprehensive information about preventing dating violence and assisting victims:
Communities around the nation are hosting events to raise awareness, teach teens about healthy relationships, and provide assistance to victims of teen dating violence. Interested in hosting your own event or campaign? Learn about what OVC grantees are doing:
Futures without Violence, formerly the Family Violence Prevention Fund, will be hosting a Capitol Hill Breakfast Briefing titled Prevent Teen Dating Violence: Stop Violence Against Women Before it Begins (PDF 345 kb) on February 28th in Washington, DC. You are invited to participate in this even which will feature a panel of speakers that will discuss promising initiatives that communities, schools, and parents can use to address this issue and the federal policy implications of the work from the field.
Additional events are listed in our National Calendar of Crime Victim Assistance-Related Events. Promote your organization’s event for free by adding it to our Calendar!
One such initiative is the Safe Dates program; a school-based prevention program for middle and high school students designed to stop or prevent the initiation of dating violence victimization and perpetration. Read an evaluation of this program on the Office of Justice Program’s CrimeSolutions.gov Web site.
2012 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) Online Resource Guide AvailableThe 2012 NCVRW Resource Guide is available online. Designed to help communities and victim assistance providers promote awareness of crime victim issues, the Guide includes educational content, campaign materials, artwork, and a theme DVD.
For the first year, the entire Resource Guide will also be available in Spanish!
The 2012 NCVRW Resource Guide (NCJ 235596) and Poster (PS000024) are also available to order through the Publications and Products section of the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) Web site. For additional information pertaining to NCVRW, visit our NCVRW Web site.
Attorney General Holder recently announced a newly revised definition of rape for nationwide data collection as part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR) Summary Reporting System which annually captures the rate of crime offenses and arrests for the nation.
The Department of Justice Press Release states that "[t]he new definition is more inclusive, better reflects state criminal codes and focuses on the various forms of sexual penetration understood to be rape. The new definition of rape is: ‘The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.’" The previous definition defined rape as "the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will."
This update will help to ensure that rape will be more accurately reported nationwide, thus providing a greater understanding of the scope of sexual violence in the U.S.
Gather a group of allied professionals serving crime victims in your area, arrange a meeting space, and select a training of your choice from a wide array of topics. The trainers and materials come directly to you at no cost. Visit OVC TTAC’s Training by Request Web page to learn more.
President Barack Obama has proclaimed January 2012 National Stalking Awareness Month, encouraging everyone to "come together to prevent abuse, violence, and harassment in all their forms and renew our commitment to bring care and support to those in need."
Since 2004, January has served as the month for educating the public about the serious and at times deadly crime of stalking. During this time, communities help build awareness by sharing information and holding special events. To learn more, we encourage you to visit these sites—
Human trafficking dehumanizes and traumatizes victims while often shocking communities upon its discovery. Victims include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and foreign-born men, women, and children who are trafficked for sex and/or labor purposes in both large cities and small towns. On January 11th, Human Trafficking Awareness Day, help educate and drive public attention to this crime that violates our nation’s commitment to human rights and dignity.
View the Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force e-Guide, jointly produced by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), which provides direction to form new anti-human trafficking task forces and ideas to strengthen existing ones. This e-Guide can be a critical resource to help combat human trafficking.
Additional resources can be found on our site, OVC.gov’s Human Trafficking section, and in our library’s Spotlight on Trafficking in Persons (product of the National Criminal Justice Reference Service).
Our new searchable table offers visitors an easy-to-use, online location to learn about OVC’s FY 2011 Discretionary Grantees and the projects and services they will provide. OVC awarded these grants in support of its mission to enhance the Nation’s capacity to assist crime victims and to provide leadership in changing attitudes, policies, and practices regarding justice and healing for all victims of crime.
Visit FY 2011 OVC Discretionary Award Matrix for details. Information on the more than $23 million in discretionary grants can be found in two views:
Both views are searchable for easy reference by title, program description, award amount, etc.
OVC Home | OVCRC | OVC TTAC | FAQs | Contact Us | Site Map | Archive | Link to Us
DOJ Home | OJP Home | CrimeSolutions.gov | GMS | Grants.gov | Privacy Policy | Legal Policies and Disclaimers | FOIA | USA.gov | Recovery.gov
Office for Victims of Crime
810 Seventh Street NW., Eighth Floor, Washington, DC 20531
The Office for Victims of Crime is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.
