Guest Commentary

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Celebrating Successes; Yet More to Do

Amanda Marshall in Native Condition. Discussion »

A 2010 survey by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows that nationally, one in four women have experienced severe physical abuse at the hands of an intimate partner. More than 15 million children were exposed to domestic violence last year. On average, domestic violence takes the lives of three women everyday.

Amanda Marshall, US Attorney - Oregon

In Oregon, domestic violence accounted for one in three homicides in 2010 - 45% of all homicides among females were related to domestic violence. There have been 34 domestic violence deaths this year.

In 2011, Oregon domestic and sexual violence programs answered 175,295 calls for help, a 4% increase over 2010. In addition to shelter, these programs provided domestic violence services to 21,787 adults; 1,565 teens and 3,785 children, a 23% increase in teens and a 10% increase in children.

Children exposed to violence are at a higher risk for school failure, substance and physical abuse.

Since 2009, more children than ever have been killed in domestic violence incidents when the perpetrator not only killed his partner, but also her child/children.

Rates of domestic violence against women in Indian country are now among the highest in the United States. According to the CDC, nearly half of all Native American women (46%) have experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner.

A gun in the hands of a batterer significantly increases the chances the violence will become lethal. Family assaults involving firearms are 12 times more likely to result in death than those that do not. If an offender has access to a gun, the risk of death in a domestic violence incident is five times higher. If a perpetrator has previously threatened or assaulted his partner with a firearm, the risk of death is increased twenty-fold.

Several state and federal laws restrict the possession of firearms by dangerous criminals. This includes those who have been convicted of qualifying domestic violence misdemeanors or are subject to an order of protection, if it complies with due process requirements.

My office, in conjunction with the Portland Police, ATF, Multnomah County District Attorney, and the Oregon Firearms and Domestic Violence Task Force produced a training DVD about federal law prohibiting possession of firearms by anyone with a qualifying misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Last month, we sent the DVD to every District Attorney in Oregon. We have also provided in-person training to prosecutors, advocates and law enforcement about federal laws available to disarm these dangerous offenders.

The Justice Department recently began distributing a new training DVD entitled "Using Federal Law to Prosecute Domestic Violence Crimes in Indian County,- which my office will use in conjunction with live training for law enforcement, advocates, service providers, and victim specialists. It highlights tools available, including:

An overview of federal laws, such as the "Domestic Assault by a Habitual Offender" statute, which punishes any person who commits a domestic assault and has two prior federal, state, or tribal convictions with up to five years in prison; and
Changes to the Tribal Law and Order Act, which enables tribal courts to sentence a person up to three years per offense.

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Amanda Marshall is the United States Attorney for the District of Oregon. Nominated by President Barack Obama in November of 2010, Ms. Marshall was confirmed by the US Senate in September of 2011. As the chief federal law enforcement officer in Oregon, she oversees prosecution of all federal crimes and civil matters on behalf of the United States. A graduate of the University of Oregon in 1992 and received her law degree and Certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution from the Willamette University College of Law in 1995. While in Law School, Amanda served as the Tribal Court Clerk for the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon.

posted October 17, 2012 8:30 am edt