Betsy Butler

EVERY DAY IN THE UNITED STATES, TWO WOMEN LOSE THEIR LIVES TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the 25^th anniversary of the passage of the Violence Against Women Act. The Violence Against Women Act provided $1.6 billion towards investigating and prosecuting violent crimes against women, allocated resources towards specialized police training, established a network of resources for survivors of abuse, provided protection for women across the nation, amongst many other things. The Act was established in 1994 under Bill Clinton, and has been reauthorized several times, until it recently stalled in The Senate (despite being passed by The House of Representatives).

California Women’s Law Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the potential of women through litigation, policy advocacy, and education. The law center is also involved with the Handbags of Hope campaign, which collects new (or gently used) handbags, filled with toiletries and personal care items. Contributors may include a $15 gift certificate for underwear and other essentials. These handbags are distributed to women escaping domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and poverty. If you would like to donate to this fantastic cause, you can bring donations to 360 N Sepulveda Blvd, El Segundo, CA 90245 before October 11^th, or drop them off on October 12^th at the LASD Youth Center at 11911 S. Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90044. There are many other participating cities across America.

Click the link below to listen:

https://soundcloud.com/reneefraser/national-domestic-violence-awareness-month-betsy-butler

California Women’s Law Center – cwlc.org  

National Domestic Violence Hotline – www.thehotline.org or call 800 779-7233

Family Justice Centers – familyjusticecenter.org 

Handbags of Hope Across America – handbagsofhopeacrossamerica.com or call 1-323-863-3747

Obtaining a restraining order against an abusive partner – https://tinyurl.com/y4rhk6gb

For more information on any of these programs you can email cwlc@cwlc.org