U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken along with Representative Rick Nolan today announced that the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office on Violence Against Women has awarded the Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs in Duluth $1,203,479 to help the organization increase victim safety and offender accountability. Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs was founded in 1980 as an initiative to reform how the criminal justice system handled domestic violence cases in Duluth. Since then, it has been nationally and internationally recognized for its innovative "Duluth Model" that creates community-wide interventions to end violence against women and help abusers change their ways.
"As a former prosecutor, I have seen firsthand how domestic violence can destroy lives and tear apart families," Klobuchar said. "I worked hard with my colleagues to pass the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, and this support will help ensure Duluth's internationally-recognized Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs continues to be a pioneer in the effort to lift women and entire communities out of violence."
"Since coming to the Senate, Franni and I have worked hard to give a voice to those who might otherwise go unheard," said Sen. Franken. "When VAWA was reauthorized, it sent a clear message: domestic violence will not be tolerated in America. This new funding will allow Duluth's Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs to continue the important work to prevent and end violence against women."
"This funding is incredibly important for the Duluth community and all who are served by DAIP," Nolan said. "I helped lead the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) last year because violence against women is a human rights issue that should concern us all. I am so pleased to see these projects receiving the funding they need and deserve."
The Office on Violence Against Women Technical Assistance Program provides grantees support to develop state, local, tribal, and campus projects, to increase victim safety, and to increase offender accountability. Grantees participate in educational initiatives, peer-to-peer consultations, and targeted assistance to share knowledge and learn from experts about successful strategies to address violence against women.
Klobuchar cosponsored and helped lead the effort to pass the bipartisan Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act in March of 2013, which updated the landmark legislation that has had a profound role in protecting women and supporting victims of sexual and domestic violence. The law included her provision to improve federal anti-stalking laws and protect victims by providing prosecutors with the tools to combat the growing threat of cyberstalking.
Franken also cosponsored and helped lead the charge to get the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act passed last year. He authored the housing section of the bill, which make its unlawful to evict a woman from federally supported housing just because she is a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Franken also wrote a key provision to ensure that victims of sexual of assault never have to pay for their own rape kits.
Nolan helped lead the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act last year, which includes the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) to provide protections and services for trafficking victims, and the SAFER Act to provide for audits of untested rape kits in an effort to reduce the nationwide backlog. Nolan has also championed VAWA provisions that expanded federal protection for Native American women, immigrants, and victims of abuse in same-sex relationships.