Jo Anne Bernal To Be Presented With The 2012 La Mujer Obrera Award

edominguez — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 23:30:00 GMT

El Paso County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal has been named one of the three recipients of the 2012 "La Mujer Obrera Award" for her advocacy work to fight domestic violence in El Paso County.

The awards recognize local community leaders that fight to promote and uphold the rights of women on the border.

The 2012 honorees are:

Olivia Figueroa: Executive Director of Project AYUDA for helping San Elizario colonias residents to have access to dignified housing.

Dr. Yolanda Leyva: Professor of History at the University of Texas at El Paso, for her advocacy work in support of labor & human rights.

Jo Anne Bernal: El Paso County Attorney for her work to address domestic violence through prevention campaigns targeting local youth, and her support for the creation of the first "Protective Order Court" in El Paso County.

Last year the County Attorney's Office, along with the District Attorney's Office, launched the educational campaign "Don't Let Yourself." The main objective of the campaign is to reduce the incidence of dating violence among teens in El Paso County, and also educate adults about the problem of domestic violence in our community.

Since February 2011, when the campaign was unveiled, it's materials have been used to educate more than 9,500 local students and parents, and the educational videos created for the program just recently won 3 Gold Addy Awards, including the best of show award, by the Advertising Federation of El Paso.

In an effort to better serve victims of domestic violence who live in the outlying areas of the County, the County Attorney's Office has also opened two satellite offices in Ysleta and Northeast El Paso. Now victims of domestic violence do not have to travel long distances to downtown El Paso to obtain a free protective order.

The "La Mujer Obrera" awards will be presented at the annual "International Women's Day Benefit Dinner," to be held on Thursday March 8, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. at Mercado Mayapán, 2101 Myrtle, El Paso, TX.

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Mujer Obrera Award Press Release.pdf

El Paso County Attorney And District Attorney Unveil New Initiative Against Domestic/Dating Violence

edominguez — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 22:32:00 GMT

Program includes videos, materials and presentations to be offered to local high schools

On Friday, February 11, 2011, El Paso County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal and District Attorney Jaime Esparza unveiled a bold new initiative to reduce domestic and dating violence in El Paso County.

This comprehensive initiative entitled "¡No Te Dejes! Don't Let Yourself," was made possible by an $80,000 grant from the Criminal Justice Department of the Texas Governor's Office.

The initiative includes the production of culturally sensitive videos targeted at local area high school students and their parents. The videos, created by local production company "MindWarp Entertainment," will be used in conjunction with a comprehensive domestic/teen dating violence curriculum. Both offices will offer the video and training curriculum to students, school administrators, parents and community groups in El Paso County.

The first video is a 16-minute dramatization that explores issues related to abusive teen dating relationships, such as the use of intimidation, isolation and physical violence to exercise power and control over the victim.

The second video, created in English and Spanish, addresses issues of domestic violence in adult relationships, such as economic and sexual abuse, the use of children to manipulate and the immigration considerations of victims involved in abusive relationships.

The project is unique in that all aspects of the initiative were designed to reflect situations, cultures and issues specific to El Paso and other border communities along the U.S.-Mexico border. Culturally sensitive materials connect better with the audience and make the message more effective. So far students have responded well to previews of the teen dating violence video.

The initiative also includes the creation of an interactive webpage and the development of a comprehensive curriculum that covers the dynamics of domestic/teen dating violence, as well as prevention and intervention resources available within the El Paso community. Some of the topics include access to law enforcement, safety planning, the use of protective orders, availability of shelter and counseling services, and criminal prosecution of offenders.

Presentation of the teen dating violence video and corresponding curriculum will be offered to all interested school districts in the El Paso area to comply with state legislation which went into effect May of 2007. The legislation, found in Section 37.0831 of the Education Code, mandates the implementation of a dating violence policy to be included in each district's improvement plan.

Commenting on the importance of the project, District Attorney Jaime Esparza explained, "this important initiative will jumpstart the conversation across our community about the harm of violent relationships. We hope to help young people and adults alike, recognize the warning signs of abusive relationships and equip them with information on how they can get help if they become a victim of an abusive relationship or family violence," Esparza said.

El Paso County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal said "the groundbreaking initiative is the first time the two prosecutors' offices in El Paso County have collaborated to create a domestic violence program that aims to ensure justice by proactively educating, deterring and preventing the occurrence of family violence before the need for prosecutorial intervention."

The County and District Attorneys' Offices will start scheduling presentations with local school districts on March 1, 2011. The interactive webpage will go live on the same date.

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Don't Let Yourself Press Release.pdf

County Attorney Press Releases : El Paso County Attorney's Office, Jo Anne Bernal, Violence Against Women, Domestic Violence

Jo Anne Bernal To Be Presented With The 2012 La Mujer Obrera Award

El Paso County Attorney And District Attorney Unveil New Initiative Against Domestic/Dating Violence