May 7, 2003
ROMNEY CREATES SEXUAL AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COMMISSION
Expanded commission will work to reduce abuse in the Commonwealth
Governor Mitt Romney today announced the formation of the Governor’s Commission on Sexual and Domestic Violence, which will be chaired by Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey and charged with reducing domestic violence and sexual assault in the Bay State.
With unacceptable levels of sexual and domestic violence in the Commonwealth and across the nation, Romney created a permanent commission to address these pressing issues based on a recommendation of the Governor’s Task Force on Sexual Assault and Abuse.
The new Governor’s Commission on Sexual and Domestic Violence replaces the original Governor’s Commission on Domestic Violence created by Executive Order in 1992 and the short-term Governor’s Task Force on Sexual Assault and Abuse, which produced its report last winter.
“For far too long, the subjects of domestic abuse and sexual assault remained behind closed doors and out of the public eye,” said Romney. “Lieutenant Governor Healey and I are 100 percent committed to dealing forcefully and swiftly with criminals who choose to engage in these horrific acts against society.”
The new, expanded Commission will coordinate and integrate policy on all aspects of sexual and domestic violence at the highest levels of state government, maintaining the broad scope of the Commission’s work with the public safety, health and human services, educational, legal faith and business communities.
Lieutenant Governor Healey, a criminologist who has conducted extensive research on domestic violence and sexual assault, said, “Sexual assault is one of the least reported crimes in Massachusetts. It will be the aim of the Commission to consider the need for legislation to more effectively protect victims, punish and treat perpetrators, and reduce and prevent the incidence of domestic and sexual violence.”
The Commission will ensure that all state agencies and institutions are effectively equipped to provide core governmental services, including protecting individuals in the Commonwealth from domestic and sexual violence, providing the necessary services and legal protections to enable survivors to achieve health and safety in their lives and to ensure that all perpetrators will be held fully accountable for their terrible crimes.
The statistics indicate a need for added attention and focus on domestic and sexual violence. Every year, at least 43,000 Massachusetts children are exposed to acts of abuse and violence between family members. In 2001, almost 30,000 Bay State women and children accessed public, community-based domestic violence services. The Department of Social Services funded domestic violence programs received more than 44,000 hotline calls for help.
“This past year has been laden with outrage at the pervasiveness of sexual assault in all its forms throughout the Commonwealth,” said Catherine M. Greene, Interim Executive Director of Jane Doe, Inc. “Today is truly a milestone, marking when sexual violence took its rightful place as an issue demanding our attention, commitment and response. The value of a coordinated statewide effort cannot be overstated. We applaud Governor Romney and Lieutenant Governor Healey for recognizing the public momentum to reject the crimes of domestic violence and sexual assault and to seek solutions that will bring about safety and justice for us all.”
Members of the Commission will be announced in the next several months.
###
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.