Maricopa Association of Governments

MAG Regional Domestic Violence Council

Members of the council are drawn from local elected officials, members of the Governor's Office, business community, police officers, shelter and service providers and private funders. The council is charged with implementing the 41 recommendations of the MAG Domestic Violence Plan. The MAG Domestic Violence Council serves as the primary coordinating body for issues related to domestic violence. The Council provides a forum for communication and coordinated action to effectively address, prevent and eradicate domestic violence in Maricopa County.

MAG Regional Domestic Violence Council committee page.

Goals

• To mobilize all facets of the community to take effective action against domestic violence
• To prevent domestic violence through modifying attitudes
• To promote victim safety and self determination
• To hold abusers accountable through instituting effective consequences

Roles

• Promote Valley-wide coordinated response to domestic violence
• Provide overall policy direction and oversight for Regional Plan implementation
• Convene Action Teams to develop implementation strategies
• Review implementation strategies and remove roadblocks to implementation
• Incorporate activities of other regional/local task forces, coalitions, or committee on domestic violence
• Provide periodic updates to the MAG Regional Council
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the regional response to domestic violence over the long-term

Background

The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Regional Domestic Violence Council was created in January 2000 to implement the 1999 MAG Regional Plan on Domestic Violence. Because domestic violence touches every segment of our community, the Council was specifically designed to reflect a variety of community interests, namely the core groups that are impacted and respond to domestic violence: business, criminal justice, education, faith-based institutions, government, health care, social services, and domestic violence survivors. The Council is one the largest coordinated community response coalition of its kind in the country.

MAG Regional Domestic Violence Council:
Making a Difference for 10 Years

PHOENIX (September 24, 2009) — It was just over a decade ago that the violent murder of a Valley mother galvanized the community, resulting in the creation of the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Regional Domestic Violence Council and providing the first forum where voices from across the region could come together to address domestic violence issues.

Since its formation in 1999, the MAG Regional Domestic Violence Council has taken significant steps toward resolving many of the issues surrounding domestic violence. The Council will commemorate its 10-year anniversary and launch October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month by holding a news conference at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, September 29, 2009, at the Sojourner Center, the largest domestic violence shelter in the state.The news conference will include a review of the Domestic Violence Council’s progress to date and a discussion of the important work still to be done. Visuals will include a three-dimensional timeline of progress and a shelter unit will be available to tour. (Note: Address will be provided upon RSVP. All attendees must sign a confidentiality agreement.)

The Sojourner Center was just one of a number of shelters without an adequate number of beds in February 1998 when a mother was brutally stabbed to death by her husband in front of her children after being unable to find a shelter that could accommodate her six children. Sojourner has been one of many voices at the MAG table successfully working to increase the number of shelter beds in the region. During the press conference, another mother of six who experienced domestic abuse will share her story of successfully seeking shelter with her children—demonstrating how far the region has come.

“For the past 10 years, we have been working hard to end domestic violence in this region, partnering with service providers, law enforcement, public and private agencies, and many other caring individuals to address the complex issues surrounding domestic violence,” said Domestic Violence Council Chair Diane Enos, who is also president of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. “Whether you are talking about shelter, prevention, safety, justice, or victim services, we have made some amazing progress,” Enos said. “Yet we have much work to do going forward. Domestic violence is an enormous threat to our communities, and we are setting ambitious goals for addressing this issue.”

During the course of their lifetime, one in four women will be victims of domestic abuse. Along with the human toll, studies have found that intimate partner violence costs our nation billions of dollars each year.