Boston City Council President Andrea Campbell & Councilor Ed Flynn called for a hearing on domestic violence and sexual assault in the City of Boston. The Councilors called attention to data compiled by Jane Doe Inc., the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and the 2010 National Intimate Partner Survey that indicated Massachusetts is on par with national averages as it relates to this repugnant behavior. They will look to discuss ways to provide support for victims, solutions for increasing reporting opportunities for all, such as our immigrant and LGBTQ communities, as well as other ways to educate the public about the prevalence of this abhorrent behavior in an effort to reduce domestic violence and sexual assault in the City of Boston.
Council President Campbell said, “This is an opportune time to bring together our health commission, law enforcement, and organizations that work with domestic violence and sexual assault victims to discuss what more the City of Boston could do to address these issues. We want to learn about what others are doing across the country to make these incidents easier to report, and for victims not just to be heard but to also remedy their circumstances and allow them to be healthy, loved, and to live in a safe community.”
Councilor Flynn said, “Council President Campbell and I look to have this conversation to ensure we are doing all we can to try to increase awareness, support victims, offer reporting opportunities for all our communities, and hopefully find ways to reduce domestic violence and sexual assault in the City of Boston. I would like to continue the work of my mother, Kathy Flynn, who sought to support victims of domestic violence during her time as First Lady of Boston.”
For more information, please contact Councilor Flynn’s office at 617-635-3203 & Ed.Flynn@Boston.Gov, or Council President Campbell at 617-635-3131 & Andrea.Campbell@Boston.gov
