On Feb. 11th, the Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence will host Stop Violence Against Women Advocacy Day at the State Capitol. A diverse group of ninety advocates, legislators, state agency representatives, and survivors will gather for Wednesday morning’s events.
Wednesday will begin at 8 am with a breakfast on the Senate Lawn, featuring speakers who will highlight the need for domestic violence advocacy and energize the participants. The speaker schedule includes Attorney General Terry Goddard, Senate Judiciary Chair Jonathan Paton and many legislators, and will feature two survivor stories. The Coalition will also present its Courage of Conviction Award and its Legislator of the Year Award, honoring individuals who have made significant impacts on the way the state views and addresses domestic violence.
Following the breakfast, participants will meet with their legislators to discuss issues pertinent to domestic violence survivors and those who serve them. The legislative priorities extend beyond the budget crisis to include bills introduced by Senator Paton:
categorizing intentional strangulation or suffocation as a class 4 felony (SB1068).
revising the child custody statute to ensure that custody arrangements are truly made in the best interest of the child (SB1106).
allowing prosecution to charge the second and subsequent misdemeanor domestic violence offenses within seven years as felonies (SB1087).
revising the domestic violence statute to include the crimes of burglary, prevention of using a telephone in an emergency, sexual assault, homicide, and cruelty to animals (SB1120).
expanding the statutory definition of domestic violence to include dating relationships (SB1088).
The dating relationships bill is a particularly poignant one, as three Arizona teens were murdered by their boyfriends or ex-boyfriends in 2008. In January of last year, a teenage boy committed suicide after killing his ex-girlfriend, Kaitlyn Sudberry. Kaitlyn’s mother, Bobbi Sudberry, will tell her compelling story during the breakfast, providing firsthand evidence of why this legislation is imperative in the effort to protect young people in Arizona. Teen Dating Violence is an epidemic in our country and state. In a study conducted on dating violence, 1 in 5 female high school students reported being physically or sexually abused by a dating partner. Violent relationships in adolescence can have serious ramifications for victims, who are at higher risk for substance abuse, eating disorders, risky sexual behavior, and adult re-victimization.
February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, and the Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence AzCADV has developed a CD Toolkit of materials to assist educators, counselors, parents, youth advocates, domestic violence advocates and others who are concerned about dating violence. The CD toolkit contains handouts, resources, videos, links to helpful websites, a teacher’s guide and more. The toolkits are being provided free of charge.