|
|
|
Email Us for InformationTable of ContentsIf you are in need of information regarding this website or issues relating to violence against women, please review the contents of this page. We hope your questions are answered here. If they are not, please send your technical assistance questions to us via our Email Submission Form. Because we are an online resource, our services are limited to information delivery. We do not provide direct or emergency assistance for persons experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking; therefore, we do not provide counseling services or legal advice. If you are seeking such assistance, contact the authorities or resources in your area. (Please see How can I find service providers in my area? for more information.) Keep in mind that if someone has access to your computer, you may want to read "Is it safe for me to use email or the internet to get help?" before contacting someone for help.
This is the online resource site for the Office on Violence Against Women of the U.S. Department of Justice. We provide law, criminal justice, advocacy, and social service professionals with up-to-date information on interventions to stop violence against women. Our document library is host to over 100 articles relating to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, criminal justice, children, research and evaluation, model programs, welfare reform, batterer intervention programs, and model legislation. We also answer technical assistance questions that come to us via our Email Submission Form, and we post relevant national and international event information. Because we are an online resource, our services are limited to information delivery. We do not provide direct or emergency assistance for persons experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking; therefore we do not provide counseling service or legal advice. If you are seeking such assistance, contact the authorities or resources in your area. (Please see How can I find service providers in my area? for more information.) Keep in mind that if someone has access to your computer, you may want to read "Is it safe for me to use email or the internet to get help?" before contacting someone for help. We are not responsible for the content of, or material found on, other websites including those linked from or to our site. If you have questions about other websites, contact them directly. If you are looking for information about specific topics on this website, you may be able to find that information through the "search" function. This function is available in the website header. You may also use the site index or document library to find articles about your topic. If you are looking for technical assistance, have questions about copyright permissions, questions or comments about the site, please contact us using our Email Submission Form. Can you help me research something? Most research questions are answered by articles already posted on our site. The best way we can help you find these articles is by giving you some tips on how to better use our site. Please begin your research by using our search function. Here you are able to search the entire contents of the website including documents, abstracts, and general information documents. You can enter one or more search terms in the space given. Capitalization is ignored. Your search can contain phrases, or words in proximity to each other. You may also use the site index or document library to find articles about your topic. If you still have questions, contact us via our Email Submission Form. Be specific in your request. Mention both the general topic and the specific topic that you are researching. Most responses consist of referrals to specific articles posted on our site or affiliated websites. Can you give me more information about an article or author? If you would like information about a particular article or author, please contact us using our Email Submission Form. Be specific in your request. Mention all pertinent information that you have available including but not limited to the author's name, title of the article, article's URL, etc. Keep in mind that we do not mail out hard copies of articles that appear on our website. Some articles are available in print by contacting the author or publisher. How can I get copyright permission for an article that appears on this site? Material on this website may be reproduced for private use on the following conditions:
Cites in text should be cited in accordance with acceptable academic style and include the name of the article, author(s) name(s), publication date if available, and URL (http:// location), along with the date that the material was retrieved. It is important to use as complete a URL address as possible. For example, the citation for the article "Assessing Justice System Response to Violence Against Women" would look like this: Littel, K., Malefyt, M., Walker, A., Tucker, D., Buel, S. (1998). "Assessing Justice System Response to Violence Against Women." (retrieved from the World Wide Web, http://www.vaw.umn.edu/documents/promise/pplaw/pplaw.html, [retrieval date]). Any other use of material on this website requires the written permission of the individual author. How can I get VAWO grant money? For information about VAWO grants, go to the VAW Online Resources homepage and locate the "Funding" icon on the left sidebar. Click it and it will take you to grant information. You may also go directly to http://www.usdoj.gov/ovw/applicationkits.htm. How can I volunteer or find work in the violence against women field? The Office of Justice Programs posts Job Opportunities on their website, as do many other organizations in this field. The MINCAVA Electronic Clearinghouse posts jobs and volunteer opportunities, as well as links to other organizations that list similar information. Another good resource for job and volunteer opportunities are your local coalitions. You may want to try calling them. What is domestic violence anyway? Domestic violence is a systematic pattern of behavior in a relationship that is used to gain and/or maintain control over another. This abuse can be emotional, financial, psychological, sexual, or physical. Without intervention, this pattern of behavior typically escalates in frequency and severity. Other organizations that may be helpful in providing general information include:
What should I do if I am a victim/survivor of violence or someone I care about is? This website does not provide legal advice or emergency advice to victims of violence. If you have experienced domestic violence or sexual assault, or if you are concerned about another person who has experienced violence, there are resources that may help. Every state has unique laws regarding violence, and there are also federal guidelines that may apply. If you need to find a service provider, please see How can I find service providers in my area? If you need legal advice, please see What are the laws in my state? Where can I get my legal questions answered? If your issue involves a restraining order, see State and U.S. Territory Full Faith and Credit Legislation and Registry Information. This document provides information about individual states' laws and policies regarding restraining orders. Both survivors and secondary survivors of violence may be interested in the Survivor resources located on the Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse Electronic Clearinghouse. How can I find service providers in my area? To find international resources, please see the Service Providers page of the MINCAVA Electronic Clearinghouse. To find local U.S.A. resources, please call one of the following hotlines. They can connect you to organizations in your area:
Webpages to look at include the Service Provider page of the MINCAVA Electronic Clearinghouse. Also look at the Domestic Violence Coalitions of States and Territories page from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Domestic Violence Hotlines and Resource page from the Feminist Majority, both of which list all the state domestic violence coalitions. Who can I contact for custody and access information? Please see What are the laws in my state? Where can I get my legal questions answered? What are the laws in my state? Where can I get my legal questions answered? Try calling one or more of the following organizations for legal information or advice:
Also, your local domestic violence shelter or county sheriff's office or police department may be able to provide you with referrals to appropriate legal resources. If your issue involves a restraining order, see State and U.S. Territory Full Faith and Credit Legislation and Registry Information. This document provides information about individual states' laws and policies regarding restraining orders. If your issue involves child custody and access, you may want to read articles from our Child Custody and Protection page. You may want to contact the online resources listed below. If you are a domestic violence victim/surivior, you may also want to contact the legal advocacy organizations listed above. Other online resources include:
Is it safe for me to use email or the internet to get help? If someone has access to your email account, he or she may be able to read your mail. If you believe your account is secure, make sure you choose a password that he or she will not be able to guess. (For more information, please refer to Privacy Tips.) If someone knows how to access your computer's cache file (automatically saved web pages and graphics), he or she may be able to see information you have viewed recently on the internet. Also, please be aware that there is software available that covertly monitors a computer's every keystroke, site viewed, and chat held via the Internet. The American Bar Association posts the document "How an abuser can discover your internet activities". This document discusses how to safely use your email program and how to empty the history/cache files on your computer. If someone who is abusive to you has access to your computer, you may want to call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7283), TDD 1-800-787-3224 instead of emailing any organization. |
This web site is supported by grant number 98-WT-VX-K001 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
This web site is a cooperative project of Office on Violence Against Women and Minnesota Center Against Violence & Abuse at the University of Minnesota.
Additional information about this site can be obtained by
reading Email us for more information and
assistance.
© Copyright 1998-2004 Minnesota Center Against Violence and
Abuse (MINCAVA)
File Last Modified on:
Monday, 26-Mar-2007 16:36:39 CDT