Domestic violence: in NY victims can access compensation funds

The brutal murder two weeks ago the young Dasia Johnson22 years old, who allegedly lost her life at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, and ended up dismembered inside a suitcase, abandoned in her own apartment, in Brooklyn, is only evidence that domestic violence it remains one of the great scourges attacking New York City.

The death of the African-American girl was added to the disturbing list of 48 victims who have been murdered by relatives and partners so far in 2022 in the Big Apple, where every year there are about 100,000 complaints for acts of domestic violence and it is known that a good part of other abuses go unreported.

And just as Domestic Violence Awareness Month is commemorated, and when figures from authorities reveal that Latina women in the Big Apple represent the 36.6% of all crimes serious cases of abuse by intimate partners, along with 46% of black victims and 10.3% of white victims, City leaders have stated that their guard will not be lowered in the fight against this scourge.

From different sides, such as the Family Justice Centers, which the Adams Administration in association with district attorneys, as in the case of Brooklyn, promote in each county to help victims of domestic violence, new investments and initiatives from the city Councilthe Big Apple continues to see this problem as a pandemic to be defeated.

This was highlighted by Latina councilwoman Carmen de la Rosa during the naming of a street at Audubon Avenue and 167th Street in Washington Heights to remember Ramona Elizabeth Rodriguezmurdered at the hands of her partner in April of last year.

The political leader highlighted the creation of the initiative “Long Live Our Butterfly”promoted by the family of the Latino victim who has partnered with non-profit organizations in Upper Manhattan to raise awareness to stop domestic violence.

“The violence has not ended, but we have the opportunity to change the statistics. Love shouldn’t hurt, and we will continue to educate and train our community to speak up and act against signs of domestic violence,” said the politician of Dominican origin, who cosponsored Council Resolution 0025 so that the State will expand eligibility for crime victims and survivors to access victim compensation funds It would also include abused people.

The Council stressed that the Fund for Victims of Crime established by the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) of 1984 to compensate victims and survivors and which provides supplemental state funds to directly reimburse victims of violent crime or out-of-pocket expenses resulting from the crime must also benefit those who are survivors of domestic violence.

This fund helps reimburse medical costs, funeral and burial costs, mental health counseling, lost wages or lost support.

Kilsy Irene Hidalgofounder and president of Long Live Our Butterfly, stressed the need for all parts of society and government to work together to combat domestic violence and said it is also important to work with those who commit abuse.

“We welcome the Domestic Violence Month enlightening consciousness. We share our beloved Elizabeth with the community that raised us because what happened to her affects us all,” said the activist.

“We look forward to working to change the mental health narrative, proactively help abusers, and empower survivors to fight their fears and seek the help they need. We believe in the progress and growth of our community against violence to build a safer tomorrow.”

Congressman Adriano Espaillat He stated that despite the joint efforts that have been made to end the domestic violence pandemic, more resources are required.

“We honor their lives (of the victims) with action and we embrace their families and all families affected by domestic violence to ensure greater protections, resources, assistance and justice for victims, survivors and families,” said the politician.

and being the county of the bronx the one that registers the most cases of domestic abuse in the Big Apple, the president of that district of the City, announced that the Office of Violence against Women of the Department of Justice awarded a grant of $1 million to improve justice responses to violence domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking in that part of the Big Apple.

“Either calling 311 for resources or 911 in the event of an emergency, trained professionals and staff are available to provide confidential relocation services and other resources to help survivors of domestic violence so they can live their lives free from abuse,” said President Vanessa Gibson, who relaunched the Advisory Council on Domestic Violence.

“With the $1 million grant from the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women, we have additional resources to help fight this epidemic that has claimed the lives of far too many New Yorkers,” the policy added.

The president of The Bronx added that the $1 million grant funded by the Department of Justice over three years is for the “Bronx Intimate Partner High-Risk Homicide Reduction Project,” which seeks to improve identification, service interventions, and accountability of the offender in cases of domestic or intimate partner sexual violence.

Last year’s NYPD Domestic Violence Report revealed that among the 2015 and 20208 of the top 15 community boards with the highest rates of intimate partner homicides in the entire city, occurred in The Bronx, with 17 homicides by intimate partners in neighborhoods including Claremont, Crotona Park, Melrose, Morrisania, Bathgate and Belmont.

“We are grateful that the Borough President’s office The Bronx, Vanessa Gibson, partnered with us to secure this grant that will continue to support our efforts to stop domestic violence, including enhanced investigations of cyberstalking and other online crimes, and more funding to improve response to strangulation victims,” said the District Attorney of the county, Darcel Clark.

Domestic Violence in NYC in Numbers

200,000 and more cases of domestic violence organizations claim occur each year, but not all are reported
At least 10 cases of domestic violence every hour are reported in the Big Apple
25 per hour get to be reported on certain days
89,032 reported cases of domestic violence occurred last year
79,200 reported cases occurred in 2020
48 domestic violence deaths have been reported in NYC so far in 2022
49 deaths from acts of domestic violence occurred last year
2,710 cases of chronic offenders were identified and reported in 2021
10,844 assault incidents were reported as felonies by intimate partners
75.9% of those incidents involved female victims
46% of those incidents involved black victims
36.6% involved Hispanic victims
10.3% incidents involved white victims
7.0% involved Asian/Pacific victims
0.1% involved American Indian/Alaska Native victims
15.8 incidents per 10,000 residents is the average for acts of domestic violence in NYC
11,083 felony assault incidents occurred in 2020 and 2021
The Bronx is the county that reports the most cases of domestic violence, followed by Brooklyn and Queens

How to learn more about victim compensation funds?

To learn more about the victim compensation fund, you can visit the link: https://ovs.ny.gov/victim-compensation
You can also call Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at 1-800-247-8035
You can visit this site for more information: https://ovs.ny.concerncenter.com/

¿Where to seek help with NYC Family Justice Centers?
Bronx: 198 East 161th Street, Bronx, NY 10451: (718)-508-1220
Subway: 4, B or D to 161st Street Yankee Stadium Station
Bus: BX1, BX2, BX6, and BX13
Brooklyn: 350 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201: (718)-250-5113
Subway: A, C, F, or R to Jay Street Station or the 2, 3, 4, or 5 to
Borough Hall station
Bus: B25, B26, B38, B51, B54, B57, B61, B65, B67 and B75
Manhattan: 80 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013: (212)-602-2800
Subway: 4, 5 or 6 to Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall station, J or Z to the
Chambers Street Station, N or R to City Hall Station, 1, 2 or 3 to
Chambers Street station, or A or C to Chambers Street station
Bus: M5, M9, M22 and M103
Queens: 126-02 82nd Avenue, Kew Gardens, NY 11415: (718)-575-4545
Subway: E or F to Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike Station
Bus: Q10, Q37, Q46, and Q60
Staten Island: 126 Stuyvesant Place: (718)-697-4300
Ferry de Staten Island hasta St. George Ferry Terminal
Bus: S40, S42, S44, S46, S48, S51, S52, S61, S62, S66, S74, S76, S78, S81, S86, S90, S91, S92, S94, S96 and S98