In this episode, Office on Violence Against Women grant specialist Jessica Neal interviews Dorian Johnson, formerly a project director at Spelman College in Georgia, to discuss how OVW funding through its Campus Program benefited students and provided new training opportunities to faculty and staff. Johnson and Neal also talk about the importance of OVW’s grants for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the vital role that technical assistance providers play in supporting grantees. 

In this episode, OVW’s Peer Review Working Group joins Patchwork to discuss an integral part of our grantee application review process – peer review. Peer review is a collection of experts from the field coming together to evaluate grant proposals based on the requirements outlined in each program’s solicitation. The working group also share answers to frequent questions that they receive, as well as contact and submission information for interested peer review applicants. Join Darlene Johnson, Neelam Patel, Myrta Charles, and Sandi Van Orden, as they shed light on this important step in award-making. 

In our first episode of the new year, Jennifer Landhuis, the Director of the Stalking Prevention and Resource Center (SPARC), joins Patchwork to discuss common misconceptions surrounding stalking, including how abusers are misusing technology. She also shares available resources for OVW grantees as well as the public to educate on stalking, identify when someone is being stalked, and help victims and survivors of stalking. 

The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) provides federal leadership in developing the national capacity to reduce violence against women and administer justice for and strengthen services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The Biden-Harris Administration shares OVW’s commitment to eliminating gender-based violence, both in-person and online. The White House recently issued a proclamation recognizing January as National Stalking Awareness Month in support of individuals who are threatened and harmed by the pervasive crime of stalking, in recognition of those who raise awareness and advocate for survivors, and in rededication to prevention efforts for a future without stalking. 

Ending gender-based violence requires effort from everyone. 

In this episode, Kellie Greene, a program specialist at OVW, joins Patchwork to share how her program seeks to engage children and men as allies in ending gender-based violence. As she puts it, the children of today will grow to become our future policy-makers, CEOs, and teachers, so educating them about the foundations of healthy relationships now will be instrumental in ending gender-based violence as they grow into their roles as future leaders. 

Human Trafficking is a crime that affects all socio-economic backgrounds and it does not discriminate based on race, education level, citizenship status or gender. 

In this episode, Savannah Sanders, the author of Sex Trafficking Prevention: A Trauma-Informed Approach for Parents and Professional and a survivor herself, joins Patchwork to share her story. She shares what she has learned about the field and how to help survivors of human trafficking on their paths of healing. 

One of the top priorities at DOJ is preventing violent crime. At OVW, one area we focus on specifically is sexual assault on campus. 

Jennifer Hirsch, professor of Sociomedical Sciences and steering committee member at Columbia University, and Shamus Khan, formerly professor and chair of Sociology at Columbia and now a professor at Princeton University, wrote a book titled “Sexual Citizens: A Landmark Study of Sex, Power, and Assault on Campus.” In this episode, they join Patchwork to discuss issues they found that led to sexual assaults on campuses and describe how early education may help prevent gender-based violence. 

For many victims of sexual assault, the road to recovery and becoming a survivor begins with the care of a nurse who is trained to help in the critical moments following a violent crime. These nurses are commonly referred to as a sexual assault nurse examiner, or SANE.

In this episode, Kim Day joins Patchwork to share stories and advice that she has collected during her time working with victims as a SANE. She defines what she views as the single most important role a SANE can fulfill when they have a patient in their care and paints an image of what future SANEs can expect their training to look like. 

OVW funds a program that seeks to address abuse, neglect, and exploitation -- including domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking -- within the elder community.

In this episode, Kristin Burki, the Director of the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL), joins Patchwork to frame the topic of elder abuse. She explains how the abuse of elders is a form of power and control and elaborates on the complexities that may arise for elders when they want to report the crimes. She recalls efforts she has seen work well and shares her outlook on the future of supporting survivors of elder abuse. 

Dr. Tricia Bent-Goodley, a professor at Howard University who has spent decades as a social worker specializing in gender-based violence, joins Patchwork to share her first-hand experience on how cultural differences can drive misconceptions and create obstacles when working with victims of crime. To meet victims where they are means understanding where they come from, she says. To adequately care for a victim from a trauma-based perspective, care providers must first understand the community and the culture that inform the context of the crime.

The Resource Sharing Project is part of a national movement to end sexual violence. They provide support to coalitions across the country that serve victims of sexual violence.

In this episode, Kris Bein, the Assistant Director at the Resource Sharing Project, and Monika Johnson Hostler, the Executive Director of the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault, join Patchwork to elaborate on creating safe spaces for victims. They discuss challenges advocates have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and share their positive outlooks on how the field will continue to evolve in order to serve victims.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives protects the public in party by enforcing gun laws. The agency plays a leading role the Department of Justice’s efforts to keep communities safe by regulating gun traffic and removing weapons from dangerous people, including perpetrators of domestic violence.

In this episode of Patchwork, Regina Lombardo, the first woman to lead the ATF, explains how her agency works in partnership to prevent domestic violence. She shares how the ATF ensures that the victims of domestic violence get the help they need for their safety and survival, as well as the critical role that protective orders play in the coordinated effort to prevent violence.