Break the Cycle’s Washington, DC office was launched in January, 2004 in order
to bring Break the Cycle’s innovative and proven-effective domestic violence
prevention and early intervention services to the local community in
English and Spanish.
The Need for Break the Cycle’s Services in Washington, DC
Break the Cycle is the first and only organization in Washington, DC to
provide law-based domestic violence education and free legal
services exclusively to youth. There is a great and irrefutable need
for Break the Cycle’s services in this local community. In fact, 49% of
the violent crime calls received by the DC Police in 2000 were for
domestic violence incidents. There are approximately 5,000 prosecutions
of felony and misdemeanor domestic violence every year in Washington, DC.
While the vast majority of these cases involve adult victims, national
statistics show that it is young women between the ages of 16 and 24
who experience the highest rates of intimate partner violence.
Accomplishments and Impact
In 2005, Break the Cycle’s Washington, DC office will:
- Educate 2,500 youth throughout the District of Columbia metropolitan area on dating and domestic violence, healthy relationships, and their legal rights and responsibilities.
- Train 1,000 social service providers, school officials and other concerned community members on how to respond to the needs of youth with regard to domestic violence.
- Provide free legal advice, counsel, information and/or representation to 50 youth who are experiencing abuse in their relationships or homes.
- Recruit and train a corps of high school and college students through Break the Cycle’s Peer Leadership Programs to become the next generation of leaders in the movement to end domestic violence.
- Work to improve local and federal laws and policies that are related to youth and dating and domestic violence. Collaborate with local and national advocacy groups and Congressional offices to improve the lives of youth victimized by violence, including serving as chair of the Children & Youth Subcommittee of National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, as well as chair of the Drafting Committee for the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.
For more information about Break the Cycle’s work in the District of Columbia, contact:
Break the Cycle
Washington, DC Office
P.O. Box 21034
Washington, DC 20009
202.654.4039
800.258.8840
202.508.8100 fax