Assemblyman Al Stirpe (D-Cicero) announced that in recognition of National Crime Victim’s Rights Week the Assembly took up several measures to further protect and assist victims of domestic violence. National Crime Victims’ Rights Week runs April 21-27.

“We must put as many protections in place as possible to reduce the number of incidents of domestic violence,” Assemblyman Stirpe said. “Domestic violence is a very serious and widespread problem and it has lasting and devastating impacts on victims and their families.”

The Assembly’s legislative package would also increase protections for victims of domestic violence by:

• prohibiting employment discrimination against domestic violence victims (A.898);
• prohibiting housing discrimination against victims of domestic violence by forbidding landlords and property sellers from denying an individual the right to purchase, rent, lease or inhabit housing (A.5387);
• making it illegal for an individual to possess a firearm if he or she has committed a family offense by adding certain family offenses to the list of “serious offenses” for which purchasing or possessing a license for a firearm, rifle or shotgun would constitute a class A misdemeanor (A.6390);
• requiring orders of protection issued in family court to be interpreted into the native language of the individuals involved (A.1084);
• exposing individuals or parties who fail to obey or enforce an order of protection to joint liability for all non-economic damages sought by a claimant after a fact-finding by a judge or jury (A.899);
• requiring hospitals to establish policies and procedures regarding domestic violence, establish ongoing training programs on domestic violence for staff and designate a hospital staff member to coordinate services to victims (A.2562); and
• providing notice on orders of protection affirming that the protected party cannot be held to violate the order nor be arrested for violating the order (A.6547-A).

Each year, roughly 450,000 incidents of domestic violence are reported in the state,ⁱ and in 2011, New York State courts issued a total of 301,021 orders of protection, of which 218,872 were required to be recorded in the United Court System’s Domestic Violence Registry.ⁱⁱ One in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime and in the United States, it’s estimated that three women are murdered by their intimate partner, each day.ⁱⁱⁱ

“Victims of domestic violence need all the help they can get,” Assemblyman Stirpe said. “We have a responsibility to strengthen domestic violence laws so victims and their families can rebuild their lives as quickly as possible.”

i. www.opdv.state.ny.us/help/fss/theproblem.html#facts

ii. www.opdv.state.ny.us/statistics/nydata/2011/nys2011data.pdf

iii. www.dvrc-or.org/domestic/violence/resources/C61/