This is the time
December 2, 2004
Project commemorates ground-breaking domestic violence legislation, victim notification efforts
Gala event celebrates 10th anniversary of Violence Against Women Act, VINE®
Louisville, Ky. —The Mary Byron Project held its second annual gala event on December 1, 2004 in Louisville. “This is the Time,” celebrated the 10th anniversary of two milestones in the ongoing fight against domestic violence. To date, the event has raised more than $60,000 for the Project.
In 1994, U.S. Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. took on the crusade of authoring and urging the passage of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which combined tough law enforcement strategies with safeguards for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
That same year, the nation’s first system of automated victim notification was launched in Louisville in response to the murder of Mary Byron. VINE® (Victim Information and Notification Everyday), is now available in 1,500 communities in 39 states, including 20 of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas.
Dr. Astrid Heger, founder and Executive Director of the Violence Intervention Program at the Los Angeles County + University of Southern California Medical Center, delivered the keynote address at the event. The VIP, the first program of its kind in the United States, provides screenings, treatment, counseling, legal aid, and many other services — all under one roof. Margaret Davis, Principal Deputy Director of the Office on Violence Against Women at the U.S. Department of Justice, also spoke at the event.
Over the past decade, VAWA has provided more than $3.8 billion to help state and local governments and community-based agencies to improve the investigation and prosecution of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault cases; to train prosecutors, hospital personnel, police officers, and judges on the special aspects of cases involving violence against women; and to create specialized domestic violence and sexual assault units.
Initiatives created under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 have made a difference in thousands of victims’ lives. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that the overall rate of violence against women from spouses, boyfriends, and former intimate partners has declined 41 percent since 1996.
At the event, the Mary Byron Project named Biden as Honorary Chair of its National Advisory Board, a group of leading experts in domestic violence and criminal justice policy from across the country. Biden accepted the honor via a videotaped message, as he was leading a Congressional delegation to the Middle East and unable to attend.
Like VAWA, VINE has enhanced the safety of domestic violence victims throughout the nation. The system provides victims and other concerned citizens with timely and reliable information about criminal cases and the custody status of offenders 24 hours a day — over the telephone, through the Internet, or by e-mail. To date, more than 22 million calls have been made to and from VINE, resulting in more than one million notification events — and saving countless lives.
VINE made its debut in Louisville one year after Mary Byron was murdered on her 21st birthday by a former boyfriend who had been arrested and jailed for stalking, assaulting, and raping her. She was not notified when this man was released.
“This is the Time” aims to raise national awareness of the continuing need for legislation and funding to combat domestic violence. Proceeds of the event will be used to support programs throughout the United States that are working toward this goal.
