Healthy Relationships (all ages) Sexual Harassment in the workplace Sexual Harassment on Campus Sensitivity Training Economic Justice for Domestic Violence Survivors Presentation Requests

Serves to mobilize the faith community surrounding issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, etc. Education opportunities to assist clergy in the dissemination of pertinent information to their congregation. These are the committees that are open to the community.

Criminal justice committee-serves as an umbrella group that works with and reviews a variety of legislative concerns and policy issues resulting from on-going discussions among members. the work also focuses on Court Watch Program and meditation for domestic violence victims. Systems advocay - Policy & Legislation

University of the Virgin Islands VI Police Departments VI National Guard Board of Education Chamber of Commerce Department Of Health US Atty Office Women's Coalition of STX Family Resource Center Men's Coalition National Network to End Domestic Violence Office of Violence Against Women

National Slavery and Human Trafficking Month National Stalking Awareness Month Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month National Sexual Assault Awareness Month National Child Abuse Prevention Month Domestic Violence Awareness Month

The media committee is responsible for developing a media campaign to educate the community about the role of DVSAC and issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, Human Trafficking, Teen dating violence, and child abuse, etc.

U.S. law defines human trafficking as the use of force, fraud, or coercion to compel a person into commercial sex acts or labor or services against his or her will. The one exception involves minors and commercial sex. Inducing a minor into commercial sex is considered human trafficking regardless of the presence of force, fraud or coercion. (Polaris Project) Human trafficking can happen to anyone but some people are more vulnerable than others. Significant risk factors include recent migration or relocation, substance use, mental health concerns, involvement with the child welfare system and being a runaway or homeless youth. Often, traffickers identify and leverage their victims’ vulnerabilities in order to create dependency. (Polaris Project) Perpetrators of human trafficking span all racial, ethnic, and gender demographics and are as diverse as survivors. Some use their privilege, wealth, and power as a means of control while others experience the same socio-economic oppression as their victims. (Polaris Project) Traffickers employ a variety of control tactics, the most common include physical and emotional abuse and threats, isolation from friends and family, and economic abuse. (Polaris Project) Victims and survivors of human trafficking represent every race and ethnicity but some forms of trafficking are more likely to affect specific ethnic groups.(Polaris Project) Human trafficking is complex and dynamic. It is widespread but exact numbers are hard to come by. It follows patterns, but every situation is also unique (Polaris Project)

The term "sexual violence" is an all-encompassing, non-legal term that refers to crimes like sexual assault, rape, and sexual abuse. (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network RAINN) Every 73 seconds another American is sexually assaulted - (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network RAINN) 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network RAINN) Approximately 70% of rape or sexual assault victims experience moderate to severe distress, a larger percentage than for any other violent crime (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network RAINN) 84% of survivors who were victimized by an intimate partner experience professional or emotional issues, including moderate to severe distress, or increased problems at work or school. (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network RAINN) One in 9 girls and 1 in 53 boys under the age of 18 experience sexual abuse or assault at the hands of an adult (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network RAINN)

The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) (42 U.S.C.A. § 5106g), as amended by the CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010, defines child abuse and neglect as, at minimum: "Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation"; or "An act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm." Nearly 700,000 children are abused in the U.S each year. An estimated 678,000 children (unique incidents) were victims of abuse and neglect in 20181, the most recent year for which there is national data. That’s about 1% of kids in a given year. However, this data may be incomplete, and the actual number of children abused is likely underreported. (National Children's Alliance) Child abuse is deadly. In 2018, an estimated 1,770 children died from abuse and neglect in the United States. (National Children's Alliance)

Domestic violence is the willful intimidation as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another. Frequency and severity of domestic violence can vary dramatically, but the constant of domestic violence is one partner’s consistent efforts to maintain power and control over the other. (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence - NCADV) 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner contact sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking with impacts such as injury, fearfulness, post-traumatic stress disorder, use of victim services, contraction of sexually transmitted diseases, etc. (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence - NCADV) Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence - NCADV) 1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year, and 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to this violence. (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence - NCADV) Between 21-60% of victims of intimate partner violence lose their jobs due to reasons stemming from the abuse. An average of 3 women are killed by a current or former intimate partner every day (National Network to End Domestic Violence NNEDV)

Dating violence is more common than people think, especially among teens and young adults: one in three teens in the US will experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse from someone they’re in a relationship with before they become adults, and nearly half (43%) of college women report experiencing violent or abusive dating behaviors. (loveisrespect.org) Nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year. (loveisrespect.org) One in three girls in the US is a victim of physical, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner, a figure that far exceeds rates of other types of youth violence. (loveisrespect.org) One in ten high school students has been purposefully hit, slapped or physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend. (loveisrespect.org) The severity of intimate partner violence is often greater in cases where the pattern of abuse was established in adolescence (loveisrespect.org) Violent relationships in adolescence can have serious ramifications by putting the victims at higher risk for substance abuse, eating disorders, risky sexual behavior and further domestic violence. (loveisrespect.org) Half of youth who have been victims of both dating violence and rape attempt suicide, compared to 12.5% of non-abused girls and 5.4% of non-abused boys. (loveisrespect.org)

U.S. Virgin Islands Restraining Orders A restraining order (also called a domestic violence restraining order or DVRO) is a civil court order that is designed to stop violent behavior and keep the abuser away from you. There are two types of restraining orders in the U.S. Virgin Islands: An ex parte/temporary restraining order (also called a TRO) is a court order designed to provide you and your family members with immediate protection from the abuser. A judge may issue a temporary restraining order on the day you file for your permanent restraining order if s/he believes it is necessary to protect the life, health or wellbeing of you or your child. An ex parte/temporary restraining order is usually issued without prior notice to the abuser and without the abuser present (“ex parte”). A temporary restraining order will protect you from the time you file until your full court hearing takes place, usually within 10 days. Note: At any point within those 10 days, the abuser can file in court to modify or dismiss that order and the judge may hold a hearing about this issue with both you and the abuser present. However, you are only required to get 24 hours’ prior notice of that hearing. A permanent restraining order (also called a PRO) offers the same type of protection as an ex parte/temporary restraining order, but it lasts longer and is generally issued after a hearing in which both you and the abuser can be present. In this hearing, the abuser will have a chance to defend him/herself. A permanent restraining order lasts up to two years. You can ask the court to extend the order for another year, but you must do so before it expires.

“Stalking” means engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for his or her safety or the safety of others or suffer substantial emotional distress. (US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE) An estimated 6-7.5 million people are stalked in a one year period in the United States. (Stalking Prevention, Awareness, & Resource Center SPARC) The majority of stalking victims are stalked by someone they know. Many victims are stalked by a current or former intimate partner, or by an acquaintance. (Stalking Prevention, Awareness, & Resource Center SPARC) 11% of stalking victims have been stalked for 5 years or more. (Stalking Prevention, Awareness, & Resource Center SPARC) 2/3 of stalkers Weapons are used to harm or threaten victims in 1 out of 5 cases. pursue their victims at least once per week, many daily, using more than one method. (Stalking Prevention, Awareness, & Resource Center SPARC) Weapons are used to harm or threaten victims in 1 out of 5 cases. (Stalking Prevention, Awareness, & Resource Center SPARC) Stalking is a crime under the laws of 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Territories, and the Federal government. (Stalking Prevention, Awareness, & Resource Center SPARC)