Everyone has the right to live free from violence and abuse.
The community and society have an obligation to act to end violence, to hold perpetrators
of violence accountable, and to assure victim-centered responses that are culturally proficient,
tenacious, compassionate, creative, effective, collaborative, and focused on assisting victims
of all ages to live free of violence.
All victims deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, to be honored and valued, to have
the abuse and violence they have experienced to be taken seriously and not minimized, to have their
voices heard, and to have control over their own lives.
It is critical that adult, youth and child victims do not become re-victimized in their
attempts to protect themselves and that the responses to them are delivered without judgment
and bias.
Services must be accessible to victims from diverse cultures, backgrounds, experiences, and
lifestyles.
As we continue our evolution, we share an ongoing commitment to actively and honestly
work together to explore and seek solutions to barriers to access for diverse adult, youth,
and child victims.
All victims and their families have the right to services that are provided by
individuals who honor, value, respect, support, and celebrate their individuality
and cultures.
Adult, youth, and child victims deserve to share their stories with people who are
compassionate, respect who they are and the choices they make, honor confidentiality,
and are knowledgeable about and committed to cultural proficiency and inclusive practices.
Quality collaboration between providers, by fully utilizing existing services, results
in increased knowledge, greater service effectiveness, and better outcomes for adult, youth,
and child victims.
We are committed to providing ongoing opportunities to reduce duplication of effort;
to increase the quality of interactions between and among government and community-based
organizations; to challenge partners, the partnership, and the community as a whole; to
enhance individual and collective learning; and to support community-based best practices
that end domestic violence.
