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星期四, 10月 22, 2015

CITY OF BOSTON, SUFFOLK COUNTY CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF CRITICAL WORK FROM THE FAMILY JUSTICE CENTER OF BOSTON

CITY OF BOSTON, SUFFOLK COUNTY CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF CRITICAL WORK FROM THE FAMILY JUSTICE CENTER OF BOSTON
BOSTON - Thursday, October 22, 2015 - Chief of Health and Human Services for the City of Boston Felix Arroyo, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley, Boston Police Deputy Superintendent Norma Ayala-Leong, Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) Interim Director Dr. Huy Nguyen and City Councillor Ayanna Pressley today joined partner agencies to celebrate 10 years of valuable work at the Family Justice Center (FJC) of Boston.

The FJC of Boston is a program of BPHC and an initiative of the Mayor's Office, DA Conley and the Family Justice Group of the Boston Police Department. FJC agencies provide direct services to individuals and families in the Greater Boston area who have been affected by and/or exposed to domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse or human trafficking. The FJC provides a safe and welcoming environment where individuals and families benefit from the availability of services offered by diverse nonprofit and governmental partner organizations, and is committed to complementing and enhancing the health of victim service organizations throughout Greater Boston. As a hub of cooperative activity, the FJC facilitates continuous learning and serves as a resource center for professional development.

"The Family Justice Center has become a national landmark for helping thousands of victims to recover and grow," said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. "Thanks to the dedication of all of our partners, many Boston families are given the dignity and justice they deserve, and are connected to invaluable resources to get through some of the most difficult times of their lives. Because of the Family Justice Center, we are a better, stronger City, and I look forward to the work and achievements the next 10 years will bring."

"For 10 years, the Family Justice Center of Boston has offered hope and protection to survivors of abuse, neglect and exploitation," said DA Conley. "It revolutionized the delivery of services to victims and helped make our criminal prosecutions stronger. This anniversary is more than a milestone. It's proof that Boston's law enforcement, social service agencies, clinical care providers and other partners are national leaders in our approach to victim services."

"The Family Justice Center of Boston continues to be a valuable resource for the Boston Police Department and has provided much needed services for individuals and families over the past decade," said Commissioner William Evans.  "I congratulate the FJC on 10 years of making a difference in the lives of many and wish them many more years of success."

In Fiscal Year 2015 alone, FJC partners provided services and/or direct outreach to nearly 9,000 victims. In addition, during the same time period, the FJC filled nearly 1,700 seats at trainings provided by its partners.

FJC partners listen and provide information and support while individuals and families consider whether or not to seek help from the police or prosecutors. Partners can also: conduct forensic interviews and specialized medical exams for children and youth; provide counseling, advocacy and help with restraining orders and civil legal assistance; and help obtain financial assistance and discover new options for housing, education and employment. FJC partners also help individuals and families with other community-based services and government programs that can open up even more possibilities.

FJC partners serve all victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual exploitation and child abuse - including non-English speakers, immigrants (regardless of immigration status), and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals. Childcare is also provided during visits and all services are offered free of charge.

FJC partners include:
  • Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence
  • Association of Haitian Women in Boston/ Asosiyasyon Fanm Ayisyen nan Boston
  • Boston Area Rape Crisis Center
  • Casa Myrna Vazquez
  • Eva Butler Center
  • GLBTQ Domestic Violence Project
  • Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers
  • The Network/La Red
  • My Life My Choice
  • Children's Advocacy Center of Suffolk County
  • Dress for Success Boston
Recently, working with the six agencies located at the FJC that provide services for victims of domestic violence, along with BPD and the DA's office, BPHC was able to secure additional federal funding on behalf of the City to conduct a cross sector, city-wide research project to assess systems of data collection, information-sharing and best practices to combat domestic violence. This type of multi-disciplinary effort positions the City and County to more effectively protect those in danger and reduce the risk of domestic violence.

Agency partners have also collaborated on training projects that focus on how to respond to disclosures of child sexual abuse, how to identify children's behaviors that might result from abuse and how to respond to children and their families in a trauma-informed way.

Additionally, partners involved in providing services for victims of sex trafficking have worked together as part of the Cities Empowered Against Sexual Exploitation (CEASE). Mayor Walsh is among 11 mayors in the CEASE network, which launched in February. CEASE Boston targets men who are buying sex on the streets, and quietly using the Internet to solicit sex. The program aims to reduce online demand activity by 20 percent, as well as street level activity by 80 percent, over the next two years.

The FJC of Boston, one of the first in the Nation, was launched in 2005 thanks to the collaborative efforts of then- Mayor Thomas M. Menino, DA Conley and the Boston Police Department. Now, thanks to the ongoing efforts of Mayor Walsh and his Administration, DA Conley and community partners, the FJC is continuing to work to address and prevent domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and child sexual abuse.

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