LOS ANGELES — U.S. Department of Justice awards $425,000 to the City of Los Angeles to provide domestic and sexual abuse response to victims with disabilities, Mayor Garcetti launches bold new domestic violence awareness and prevention campaign.
Would a bride standing at the altar vow to accept a groom’s slaps and punches? Could romantic poetry include lines asking a lover to keep abuse secret? Is there any chance you would swipe right on a dating app profile that advertises a desire to physically injure a potential partner?
Those are the kind of provocative questions at the heart of “Domestic Violence Has No Place Here,” a bold new public education campaign unveiled today by Mayor Eric Garcetti and intended to generate awareness and honest conversation about a crime that is frequently hidden, and whose victims often suffer in silence.
“Love and abuse never go hand-in-hand. We must keep shining a light on domestic violence — a crime that lives in the shadows and causes pain that too often goes unnoticed or unreported,” said Mayor Garcetti. “‘Domestic Violence Has No Place Here’ is a thought-provoking campaign that will bring new awareness to this crisis and start important conversations everywhere in Los Angeles and beyond.”
The campaign, developed in partnership with the Los Angeles Police Department, pairs romantic tropes with starkly contrasting messages about control and violence — a juxtaposition that sends a powerful message to anyone who has been impacted by emotional or physical abuse in an intimate relationship, including victims, abusers, and witnesses. Advertising agency Quigley-Simpson provided pro bono services to create the compelling and impactful campaign. The ads will be featured on bus benches and bus shelters and on billboard space donated by Clear Channel Outdoor. Angelenos can find extensive information about domestic violence, including teen dating abuse and sexual assault, online at www.NoDVLA.org.
Mayor Garcetti also announced that the City of Los Angeles has been awarded $425,000 from the United States Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women. The three-year grant will be dedicated to enhancing policies, procedures, and training that assist the City and its partners in providing thorough domestic and sexual abuse response to victims with all types of disabilities.
The award and campaign come one year after Mayor Garcetti signed Executive Directive 12, ordering City departments to coordinate efforts against domestic violence. Service providers with the Mayor’s Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development now receive training to recognize risk factors associated with domestic abuse, disseminate prevention and safety information, and respond to domestic violence incidents. Mayor Garcetti has also expanded the City’s Domestic Abuse Response Teams (DART) to all 21 of the LAPD’s geographic divisions — more than doubling the original number of trained, volunteer first-responder teams working with law enforcement to assist victims of domestic violence. The expansion was funded with the support of the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles, which will provide further support for the campaign.
