Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

• Author: O'banion, Nicole
• Position: Special Section on Domestic Violence

SINCE 1987, OCTOBER has been dubbed Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and each October, there is an influx of events and media coverage dedicated to raising awareness about the alarming numbers of people who are affected by violence in their homes. For many people, home is their refuge: a safe place where they can escape the worries of the day and receive unconditional love and support. For victims of domestic violence however, home is anything but a safe place to retire.

Domestic abuse, or intimate partner violence, is not limited to any socioeconomic group or particular month: it can take place at any time in any environment. Domestic violence occurs in households across the globe every day, and a large number of these incidents go unreported. Violence in the home affects everyone within the household, whether or not family members are the targeted victims of abuse themselves. And the effects of domestic violence can extend well beyond the home, to neighbors, family, friends, coworkers, and the community as a whole.

The Office of the Nevada Attorney General is committed to taking a stand against domestic violence not only this October, but year-round. Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt chairs the Committee on Domestic Violence established to increase awareness of the existence and unacceptability of domestic violence in Nevada. This committee also reviews programs for the treatment of persons who commit domestic violence, fatalities of victims of domestic violence as well as evaluating the criminal justice system with respect to domestic violence offenses statewide.

In addition to this committee, the Office of the Nevada Attorney General is the administrator for Nevada Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE), a free service for victims of crime or members of the public that allows users to register and receive automated notifications of changes to an offender's custody status. In July 2017, Attorney General Adam Laxalt took the initiative to make Nevada the first state in the country to implement a new and enhanced version of VINE to better serve victims of violent crime in our state. This new version offers users innovative features and the ability to gain immediate access to statewide service providers specializing in crisis response, counseling, housing, financial or legal assistance even when their offender is not under supervision. To access the Nevada's VINE...