E-Quality Matters

Help Save Domestic Violence Services

When I moved to Maine, I was amazed that 50% of all homicides are related to domestic violence. If you're reading the paper, you'll know that this year was a particularly devastating year with increased violence and increased deaths.

Sadly, despite this influx, the services that help women remove themselves and their families from violent situations is in jeopardy. This in from our friends at Maine Coalition to end Domestic Violence, detailing ways you can help save these critical services. It's urgent that we take action immediately.

Call the toll free helpline: 1-866-834-HELP

Preserve Funding which supports of Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence!

Thank you to everyone who has responded in opposition to the proposed cuts to services for victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence; unfortunately these services are still in jeopardy! Proposed State and Federal cuts to Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault services continue to be under threat! Wednesday, March 5th’s announcement of the change package by Governor Baldacci continues to threaten services across the state. Instead of salvaging victim and family services; the package drastically cuts funding to victim services.

With your help, we can send a strong message to the Maine State House that the proposed funding cuts to Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault services is NOT acceptable. We look to you, the citizens of Maine, to send a clear message to Maine’s elected officials stating that these essential services must be saved!

State and federal funding have made it possible to save countless lives by providing safety planning and support services for victims. The number of individuals served grows as people in our community who have experienced domestic violence reach out to their local domestic violence programs for support and safety services.

Yet, funding cuts in the FY08 state and federal budgets have already hampered the ability of domestic violence programs to respond to victims, and the Governor’s Supplemental Budget, coupled with President Bush’s FY09 Budget, propose funding cuts that could sound the death knell for these vital services throughout Maine. With nowhere to turn, families will continue to live in chronic danger and costly crimes will continue to occur.

It is hard to say how many more murders would have occurred in Maine but for the emergency services offered by domestic violence programs. However, we do know that for the first time in 30 years there will be no other place in Maine for abused women and their children to turn if these programs are forced to close.

Take Action:

Please send a message to your elected officials that these vital, life or death services Must be Saved!

Desktop Activism:

Please call your local delegation to tell them you don’t support these cuts and ask that they restore Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault funding. Your message to legislators asking them, on behalf of victims of domestic violence and their children, to support the full restoration of the proposed cuts to domestic violence victim services programs in the Governor’s Supplemental Budget, will tell our elected officials that Maine citizens will not stand idly by and allow these cuts to happen.

- It’s easy to find your House and Senate Representative; follow this link: http://janus.state.me.us/house/townlist.htm to search by your town. To then call and leave a message for a member of the House call 800-423-2900 or 287-1400; and to leave a message for a member of the Senate call 800-423-6900 or 287-1540.

- Also consider sending your delegation an email, again follow the link: http://janus.state.me.us/house/townlist.htm to access their email addresses.

- If you have not yet signed the Maine Can Do Better petition, please do so by navigating to: www.MaineCanDoBetter.org/takeaction.html

Take a Stand in Person: We need your presence at the State House!

Join us for a rally at the State House Hall of Flags, Wednesday, March12th, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to bring a united message to Governor Baldacci and the Legislature that these essential funds can not be cut. We will have posters to carry and stickers for everyone to wear. Throughout the day the joint standing committees of Appropriations & Financial Affairs and Health & Human Services will be hearing testimony from organizations and individuals opposing the proposed budget cuts.

Carpooling and possibly busses to the State House will be available to shuttle folks from designated areas across the state to Augusta and back. If you would like a ride, contact your local Domestic Violence Project or notify Gretchen at: gretchen@mcedv.org for ride information!

Please also send this request on to friends, family members, co-workers, and clubs asking that they too reach out to our legislature – Thanks!

With this concerted citizen action, domestic violence programs throughout Maine will continue to help victims and their children find safety and security and build self-sufficient, violence-free lives - their universal and fundamental human right.

For more information about Domestic Violence services in Maine, to learn how else to get involved, or for any additional talking points, please call Gretchen at 941.1194, ext. 15 or email at: gretchen@mcedv.org.

For more information about Sexual Assault services in Maine, to learn how else to get involved, or for any additional talking points, please call Elizabeth Ward Saxl at 626-0034 or email at: info@mecasa.org.

Log on to www.mcedv.org to reach your local domestic violence program and to www.mecasa.org to reach your local sexual assault center.

Our mission is to create and encourage a social, political, and economic environment in which domestic violence no longer exists, and to ensure that battered women are supported and that batterers are held accountable. MCEDV mobilizes and coordinates community action through a statewide network of domestic violence projects. Through these partnerships, we focus our resources on public policy, education, and systems advocacy.
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Inspiration from Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence

I found this morning to be a depressing newsaper morning -- meaning, a few too many articles detailing violence against women: A local man has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend and the mother of his children. The UN is warning of the impacts of female infantcide in a few Asian countries and is seeing evidence that its really happening.

Then I saw an email from Nickie Blanchard at the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence with a few results from last month's Violence Prevention campaign:

A BIG thank you to everyone who worked to raise awareness during October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month!!!

• More than 150 people gathered in Portland to attend a conference about domestic violence and faith issues.
• More than 700 books about domestic violence were distributed to libraries across the state.
• During Tails Are Not for Pulling readings, children across the state learned that it is important to love their animals.
• More than 50 local events took place to raise awareness and funds for local domestic violence projects.
• Individuals were honored for their contributions to end domestic violence.
• We are also thrilled to announce the launch of a series of public service announcements funded by the Project Safe Neighborhoods task force. These powerful PSA's offer a simple message. If you suspect domestic violence, be a bridge and call 1-866-834-HELP to find out about resources.

Good stuff. She also include a link to an interview with Celine about her song: "This Time" which is worth a check out.

Taking Control of Violence

I am finding it very difficult to write about Violence Prevention. In fact, I loathe to write about it at all (which probably means its the exact thing I should be writing about).

Violence makes me feel helpless, not in control, powerless. That is hard because part of my world view is that we all have the ability, the control, to seize our role as powerful individuals in society.

The concept of "violence prevention" doesn't make me feel any better. It is, for believers in 'social change' rather than 'social service,' the appropriate solution. Rather than investing in caring for victims of violence, you eliminate or prevent violence all together. But how???

Violence is a symptom, an outcome of something more entrenched -- mental disease, poverty, alocoholism, drug abuse, alienation.

With so many causes, how can we be powerful and systemically change the behaviors that result in violence?

Create incentives to not use violence, e.g. policy work to increase punishments?

Education to help people deal with anger managament, differences, and poverty?

Public discourse to change cultural attitudes?

And... to prevent violence against women, is this the time and place for the Maine Women's Fund to invest in boys and men?

Please, share your powerful thoughts...