SACRAMENTO – Assemblywoman Autumn R. Burke was appointed today by California State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon to serve as a member of the California Domestic Violence Advisory Council (DVAC).
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“I’m honored to serve alongside the committed women and men working closely with our state officials on the important task of safeguarding and sheltering victims of domestic violence,” said Assemblywoman Burke. “I want to thank Speaker Rendon for entrusting me with this appointment.”
“The grim statistics are shocking – a study by the Center for Disease Control found that women lose nearly eight million days of paid work because of violence inflicted by their intimate partners which is equivalent of 32,114 full-time jobs each year. Additionally, intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime, one-out-of-seven women have been stalked by an intimate partner in their lifetime, younger women ages 18-24 are commonly abused by an intimate partner, and women are six times more likely to be killed when there is a gun in the house. That is why I look forward to serving on the DVAC and continuing to promote state policies and support programs that seek to end acts of violence between spouses and domestic partners,” Assemblywoman Burke added.
In 2016, Assemblywoman Burke authored domestic violence legislation (AB 2337) that requires employers to inform each employee of her or his rights under existing state law that prohibit an employer from discharging or in any manner discriminating against an employee who is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking and who takes time off from work for specified purposes of addressing domestic violence sexual assault or stalking. Governor Brown signed AB 2337 into law in September 2016.
DVAC’s mission is to ensure the safety and security of all domestic violence victims in the state through the development of policies, procedures and priorities that promote effective and accessible services for victims. DVAC works in collaboration with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES).
Since 1987, California has officially observed Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October in cooperation with the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. DVAC’s ongoing “Love Shouldn’t Hurt” public awareness campaign is a part of that effort.
CalOES’s Domestic Violence Section works with local governments and nonprofits to prevent, reduce and eradicate incidents of domestic violence through nine specific programs: Comprehensive Shelter-Based Domestic Violence Services Program, Domestic Violence Response Team, Equality in Prevention and Services for Domestic Abuse Program, Family Violence Prevention Program, Law Enforcement Specialized Unit Program, Law Enforcement Training Program, State Coalition Technical Assistance and Training Program, Statewide Domestic Violence Assistance Program and Violence Against Women Vertical Prosecution Program.
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