The struggle of women against state —and church— sanctioned violence by men has been a long one going back to antiquity and still being fought today.(see more complete history below). In the U.S. it has culminated in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), passed in 1994 as a result of long years of struggle,—and which has been under attack by the right wing since its passage. Today, many of the programs mandated by VAWA are coming under attack by the current administration , especially in the form of defunding, shrinking the government departments that administer them (HUD, DOE, DOJ) and culturally attacking the very basis for their existence.

Our guest today is in the thick of this struggle. She is Liz Roberts, the CEO of Safe Horizon, the largest victim service organization in the country. Every year, 250,000 people seek safety through its services. It serves the larger New York area with offices in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island.

OUR INTERVIEW

Liz Roberts began her tenure as CEO of Safe Horizon in February 2021, following a national search. Liz is a social worker with more than thirty years of experience addressing the needs of survivors of violence and abuse. (SEE BELOW FOR FULL BIO)

I'll ask Liz Roberts about Safe Horizon's mission, the services it provides and its place in this long history of struggle around this issue. Also, I'll ask how its services are being affected right now, and ask her to give specific examples of the effects of these cuts on individuals her organizations servea. Since her organization serves the Bronx and other NYC areas, we'll talk about current resources in these burroughs for DV survivors.

I’ll ask her to describe how services to those experiencing violence have been spread between the The DEPARTMENT of JUSTICE, (DOJ), DEPARTMENT OF HUOUSING AND URBAND DEVELOPMENT (HUD) and the DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (DOE) which last includes sexual harassment and assault obstructing education and how this "spread" makes it easier or more difficult to get necessary funding.

We’ll discuss how policies such as anti-DEI laws, layoffs/firings of staff at the government departments mentioned affect the  funding/enforcement of current laws? And how is the present government shut-down affecting the situation? Can you generalize about the state of the non-profit sector across the country being affected?

We’ll discuss the religious basis of some of the attacks on the survivor’s movement today, especially Project 2025, the blueprint for the current administration, which states as a goal that "biblical marriage" become a norm in the U.S. (wives should "submit" to their husbands"). There have also been a rash of recent statements coming from administration spokespeople and other public figures, that do not bode well for the present government taking violence against women seriously--such as JD Vance suggesting that wives should stay in physically abusive marriages "for the sake of the children"'; the pastor/mentor of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth--Doug Wilson--having advised that rape in marriage occurs because wives are not 'submissive enough' to their husbands; the admonition of Charlie Kirk that wives must "submit" to their husbands and recent statements by Pres. Trump to the effect that "a little fight" in a marriage isn't a "big deal". I’ll ask LIz how such pronouncements and the belief system behind them, will effect laws and policies regarding violence against women/DV.

We’ll end by discussing what is needed to remedy the situation.

Lastly: we give hotline numbers throughout the show and talk about what might be available to those experiencing violence and calling the hotlines.

ABOUT SAFE HORIZON (from their website)

Safe Horizon is the largest victim service organization in the country. Every year, 250,000 people seek safety through our services. Clients come to us following experiences of physical violence, sexual violence, community violence, emotional abuse, and exploitation. Often they have experienced multiple forms of harm, and for many, it was made worse by an institution that was supposed to protect them.

OUR MISSION: To stand with those who have experienced violence, abuse, and exploitation. We offer unwavering support and advocate for systemic change.

OUR VISION: We envision a world where safety is a universal human right, and we all share a collective responsibility to protect and uphold it. We strive for a society where people are safe in their communities, homes, bodies, and minds.

LIZ ROBERTS BIO

Liz Roberts began her tenure as CEO of Safe Horizon in February 2021, following a national search. Liz is a social worker with more than thirty years of experience addressing the needs of survivors of violence and abuse. 

She first joined Safe Horizon as Chief Program Officer in 2010 and served as Deputy CEO from 2014 to 2020. 

During her tenure at Safe Horizon, Liz was instrumental in launching several innovative programs, while establishing field-leading training, supervision, and quality improvement systems. Under her leadership, the organization nearly doubled its budget and secured the 2018 New York Non-Profit Excellence Award.

Previously, Liz served as a Deputy Commissioner for the New York City Administration for Children’s Services, where she developed innovative preventive programs; improved the child welfare system’s response to domestic violence, mental illness, and substance abuse; and was the founding chair of the agency’s first Task Force on Racial Equity and Cultural Competence.

Earlier in her career, Liz provided direct services to children and adults affected by violence and abuse as a grassroots shelter and hotline worker, children’s advocate, and trauma therapist. She is a national expert in addressing the intersection of domestic violence and child abuse from a survivor-centered perspective and has held teaching roles at the Columbia University School of Social Work and Wheelock College.

She is a graduate of the Belle and George Strell Executive Leadership Program at the Silberman School of Social Work, and a 2017 recipient of the 50 over 50 Award from New York Non-Profit Media. She has presented widely on child abuse and domestic violence, co-authored numerous articles in academic journals, and been quoted in numerous media outlets, including Good Morning America, National Public Radio, the New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.

Liz received an MSW from Salem State University and a BA in Social Anthropology from Harvard/Radcliff

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FIGHT AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Women have been dealing with state sanctioned domestic violence since at least 753 BC when, during the reign of Romulus in Rome, wife beating was accepted and condoned under the Laws of Chastisement. The Church in the Middle Ages promoted: “Rules of Marriage…When you see our wife commit an offense…scold her sharply, bully and terrify her….if this doesn’t work…take up a stick and beat her soundly, for it is better to punish the body and correct the soul than to damage the soul and spare the body.” The stick was limited to the diameter of the man’s thumb, hence “the rule of thumb.” This was also reflected in Anglo Saxon Common Law.

In 1848 a women’s rights movement that grew out of temperance and abolitionist protests held its first convention in Seneca Falls, NY, and formulated the Declaration of Sentiments: “The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her. In 1871, Alabama became the first state to rescind the legal right of men to beat their wives. Massachusetts also declared wife beating illegal. In 1874, the Supreme Court of North Carolina ruled that “the husband has no right to chastise his wife under any circumstances.” Moving forward, in 1882 Maryland was the first state to pass a law that made wife-beating a crime, punishable by 40 lashes or a year in jail.

The feminist movement of the 1960's/70s included a fierce ‘battered women’s movement’ which proclaimed “We will not be beaten” . It started with small groups of women creating informal shelters for women they knew—and later advocated for a host of new laws and enforcement of laws already on the books.

The Domestic Violence Act, which passed in 1976, allowed for temporary restraining orders. The first White House meeting including testimony of battered women occurred in 1977. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights sponsored a Consultation on Battered Women in 1978. “Battered spouse” and “battered woman” were new categories added to the International Classification of Diseases, and the Senate passed Domestic Violence Act of 1978. By 1981 there were 500 battered women’s shelters in the U.S.

in 1994, Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), as part of the federal Crime Victims Act. VAWA has been regularly renewed since that time; its aim is to  fund services for victims of rape and DV, allow women to seek civil rights remedies for gender-related crimes, and provide training to increase police and court officials’ sensitivity. However, right wing groups started to attack VAWA as soon as it was passed and succeeded in limiting some of its provisions. The present Trump Administration has stopped much of its implementation by shutting down/firing staff of the government departments that administer it and many other cultural and quasi-legal means (which we will be discussing in this interview).

SOURCES OF ABOVE HISTORY

Herstory of Domestic Violence: A Timeline of the Battered Women’s Movemet

Alan Nobler's "A Brief History of Domestic Violence" (quoting extensively from “Herstory of Domestic Violence: A Timeline of the Battered Women’s Movement”