AVON PROGRAM FOR WOMEN & JUSTICE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

The Avon Program for Women and Justice at O’Connor House engages the community to make women safe.

In 2009, O’Connor House received a five year grant from the Avon Foundation For Women to establish the Avon Program for Women and Justice at O’Connor House.  Justice O’Connor chose domestic violence as the first focus for this program.  Chaired by Kim Sterling Heflin and Lucia Fakonas Howard, the Avon Program at O’Connor House has convened a diverse and multi-disciplinary group of participants and experts from across Arizona, including service providers, law enforcement, lawyers, courts, elected officials, academics, survivors and community activists, to examine the issue of domestic violence and to build collaborations for improving policies and services for victims.

The Avon Program for Women and Justice does not provide direct domestic violence services.  If you are in need of help, please call 911 or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.   For more information about services in Arizona, contact the Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence at 602-279-2909 during regular business hours. 

Why Domestic Violence?
Domestic violence is pervasive and deadly.  It is present in every culture, education and income level, ethnicity, sexual orientation and age.  Abusive relationships have far-reaching consequences for victims and their children, for our communities, and for society as a whole.  The prevalence and impact in Arizona is staggering:

 

  • In 2009, nearly 49,000 domestic violence victims called police.  In many jurisdictions, it is the most prevalent call received by law enforcement.
  • An average of 1 Arizonan dies every 3 days as a result of domestic violence.
  • 1 in 4 teenage girls reports having experienced abuse in a dating relationship.
  • Intimate partner violence accounts for 37% of women’s visits to the emergency room nationally, the most expensive location in which care is provided.

What we do:
In collaboration with existing domestic violence organizations and services, the Avon Program uses the O’Connor House process  to convene leaders and the community to:

 

  1. Affect positive change in domestic violence policies and systems.  Under the leadership of Justice O’Connor and a broad-based, interdisciplinary Advisory Committee, we collect fact-based information about domestic violence, and  formulate specific projects aimed at removing barriers to effective services and systems, improving public policy, supporting and expanding existing resources, and exploring alternative solutions.

  2. Leverage leadership and resources to elevate the importance of domestic violence in public policy. Because of Justice O’Connor’s credibility and commitment to this issue, we are able to focus leaders and resources on domestic violence issues and policy solutions that might not have otherwise actively engaged in this issue.

  3. Raise awareness about domestic violence among policy makers, community leaders, and the community. By providing accurate, fact-based information about domestic violence to policy makers and the public, we seek to engage the community to speak out against domestic violence.
AVON PROGRAM PROJECTS:
Avon Program Domestic Violence Advisory Committee:
To maximize Justice O’Connor’s commitment to elevate the priority of domestic violence within the justice system and community, a large, cross-disciplinary Advisory Committee has been formed, bringing together service providers, law enforcement, lawyers, courts, elected officials, academics, survivors and community activists.  This Advisory Committee examines challenges and opportunities in the area of domestic violence, in Arizona and nationally, and formulates projects and collaborations that produce outcomes.
For more information, click here >

Avon International Mentoring Program:
In an effort to create a coalition of global advocates for women’s justice, the Avon Program for Women and Justice at O’Connor House, the Diane Halle Center for Family Justice at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at ASU, and Vital Voices Global Partnership co-hosted the Avon International Mentoring Program for 10 Non-Governmental Organization leaders from around the world in May 2011.  Funded by a grant from the Avon Foundation, this experiential learning and mentorship program has provided unparalleled opportunities for global efforts against domestic violence.
For more information about this unique program, click here >

Protective Orders Task Force:
Although research indicates that Protective Orders can be very effective in increasing victim safety, the systems for implementing them in Arizona are often complex and inefficient. The courts and law enforcement often lack the resources and systems needed for expeditious, cross-jurisdictional service and enforcement.   Chaired by Judge Louraine Arkfeld, this task force was convened to remove several barriers to the effective service of Protective Orders.
For more information, click here >

Speak Out Against Domestic Violence Public Awareness Campaign
Through the Speak out Against Domestic Violence Campaign, the Avon Program aims to provide accurate information to the public about domestic violence, including the impact that domestic violence has on victims, their families and the community. Further, this effort promotes the prevention of domestic violence.
For more information about this dynamic public awareness campaign, click here >

Sandra Day O’Connor Award For Excellence in Reporting on Violence Against Women
The Avon Program believes that accurate media portrayal of domestic violence is imperative, as many assumptions and attitudes about domestic violence are influenced by media portrayals.  To promote excellent journalism regarding violence against women, the Avon Program,  in partnership with the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Arizona State University, is planning an annual program to honor exemplary journalism.   
For more information on this unique program, click here >

Victim Advocates
Although there are many dedicated victim advocates associated with police departments, prosecutors and service providers, there are not enough advocates to service the large number of victims; advocates are often not available to victims early in the process; there is a high turnover of advocates, and many advocates do not have sufficient training in the legal system.   Budget cuts in all service programs have further limited the availability of legal services, so most victims face court proceeding without an attorney or legal advice.  The Avon Program in collaboration with community partners is working toward the goal that every victim of domestic violence has an advocate to assist them to acquire social, health and justice services.  Our first step is to develop a clear picture of the current status of Victim Advocate Programs in Arizona.
For more information on this unique program, click here >

Legal Representation for Victims
In addition to Victim Advocates, victims often need lawyers to represent them in the criminal domestic violence proceedings, and in other civil matters that are related to domestic violence, such as child custody and protective orders. Because most victims are not able to pay an attorney, there are many who go to court unrepresented, and often face opposing lawyers without any understanding of the proceeding. As a result, the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and the Avon Program began collaborating on how this need could be met. Thanks to private grants of over $1 million (new resources not previously committed to domestic violence) and with private grants of more than $1.5 million, the Halle Center for Family Justice was established at the SDO College of Law at ASU. Sarah Buel, one of the nation’s foremost experts in domestic violence, became the director of the Center and a permanent faculty member in 2010. The Halle Center is in the process of establishing a Domestic Violence Legal Clinic, which will provide a range of services to families of domestic violence, including advocacy and direct legal representation. Additionally, the Avon Program, in collaboration with existing legal services and the Maricopa Bar Association is convening community partners to expand pro bono or reduced fee legal representation for victims of violence and their families.
For more information on this unique program, click here >

Human Trafficking and Sex Trafficking of Minors
Human Trafficking in the US is a modern form of slavery, but few know the extent to which it affects Arizona, and what efforts are underway to combat it.  The Avon Program is a member of the US Attorney’s Task Force to combat human trafficking, and participates in collaborations to strengthen laws against human trafficking and child prostitution, increase the successful prosecution of traffickers, and assist community organizations in providing services for victims.  Currently, discussions are under way among the Avon Program at O’Connor House, the Diane Halle Center at ASU,  the City of Phoenix Family Advocacy Center, and other organizations to create a cross-disciplinary Human Trafficking Resource Center in Phoenix, which will be a national model.
For more information on this unique program, click here >

 

Alternative Solutions to Domestic Violence
For over 30 years, domestic violence has been treated as a criminal justice problem and has been dealt with through the criminal justice system. Although this approach is far superior to the times during which domestic violence was considered a “family problem” and not dealt with at all, this single solution has not worked. Domestic violence has reached horrifying levels, with little evidence that our current approach is effective. The purpose of this project is to support community efforts to respond to domestic violence in new, more comprehensive and effective ways. This includes monitoring the work of other organizations, such as:
  • Phoenix Police Department’s modification of arrest practices based on Evan Stark’s book Coercive Control: How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life
  • Pima County Attorney’s implementation of a Lethality Assessment for First Responders and linkage of victim’s with an advocate, based on the “Maryland model”
  • Maricopa County Association of Government’s arrest/prosecution protocols assessment.
  • Court Watch programs
  • Collaborations to link health and domestic violence providers
  • Review of academic literature for latest “best practices”

 

O’Connor House is grateful to the many Partners who have participated in the Advisory Committee and in collaborations to end domestic violence.

For more information about the Avon Program for Women and Justice at O’Connor House, contact Lucia Fakonas and Kim Sterling-Heflin at (480) 921-2430.

 


 

The Avon Program for Woman and Justice at the O'Connor House was founded by an Avon Foundation grant as part of the Avon Speak Out Against Domestic Violence campaign. We encourage collaboration among policy makers, service providers, victims, and the community to stop violence against women. Display this poster at your work school or place of worship and help raise awareness about the seriousness of domestic violence.