Women's Group Launches Domestic Violence Outreach Campaign
Washington, DC -- The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) announced the launch of Higher Ground: NCJW’s Domestic Violence Campaign at its 2010 Washington Institute. The campaign is intended to address the terrible choice faced by many women who are the targets of domestic violence: stay with an abuser or lose the roof over their heads.
“Higher Ground is a national effort by NCJW to end domestic violence by strengthening the economic status of women,” said NCJW President Nancy Ratzan. “NCJW believes that by working to improve women’s economic status we can help eradicate one of the largest systemic reasons that violence against women persists: lack of financial security. Our new campaign will focus on promoting progressive policy solutions that improve women’s economic security—issues that NCJW has always championed but that we will now have a new platform to expose and address the insidious link between violence and economic insecurity,”
At today’s opening plenary of Washington Institute, Higher Ground campaign chair Marlene Hammerman noted that when she and other NCJW members prepared for the campaign, “Over and over we were told that women stay in violent environments primarily because they do not have the financial resources to leave... too often, women face an impossible choice: personal safety or economic ruin.”
Hammerman pointed out that each year, 1.3 million women will experience abuse in an intimate relationship, and 1 in 4 women will experience abuse over a lifetime.
Higher Ground will be promoted in part through checkbooks issued to NCJW members who will then write a “check” to others wishing to become involved. The checks contain information about the campaign while emphasizing that financial security is one of the keys to reaching "higher ground."
Washington Institute is NCJW’s triennial premier public policy event and takes place this year at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington DC from March 21 to 23. More than 400 NCJW activists from around the country are in attendance and will lobby their congressional representatives before they return home.
The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals into action. Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW strives for social justice by improving the quality of life for women, children, and families and by safeguarding individual rights and freedoms.
Contact:
Emily Alfano
202 296 2588 x5; emily@ncjwdc.org
