BAWAR

Thank you to everyone at Valor and every organization who put their neck out on the line to make sure that programs survivors wouldn't be gutted this upcoming budget year. Today we rejoice and tomorrow we plan for the future.

This dramatic slashing of services, balancing the budget on the backs on victims of crime, survivors of gendered violence will permanently alter what organizations like ours can do in our communities. It is devastating.

Even during a tough budget year, the California Assembly is stepping up and demanding funding for crime victim services. Thank you to the 44 Assemblymembers who have joined the call to include $200 million in this year's budget to support survivors of crime.

Over 200 advocates for survivors of crime gathered in Sacramento this week for VALOR and California Partnership to End Domestic Violence's Policy Advocacy Day! Local programs met with over 100 legislative offices to discuss the critical need to fund crime victim services and articulated the importance of supporting survivors Thank you to the advocates across the state for attending our largest Policy Advocacy Day yet and #VOCA Rally! Thank you to the State Assemblymembers and Senators who attended meetings with advocates to discuss crime victim services and how California can step in to help our most vulnerable communities.

It's the first day of #SexuallyExploitedMinorsAwarenessWeek in Alameda County and BAWAR's Project SIREN (Students Invested in Reshaping Environments Now!) was proud to join fellow members of the Mayor's Advisory Council on Human Trafficking and Oakland Unified School District to raise awareness and share vital information with students at Fremont High this morning. #ProjectSIREN #DrownThePatriarchy #KnowYourIX #SAAPM2024

We love any opportunity to show up in community with strong, committed partners like the civic leaders at A Sista's Touch, our Executive Director Leah Kimble-Price was honored to train and panel with some amazing folks in support of the next generation of healers/medical professionals 💯 #StartByBelieving #AllSurvivorsAllGendersAllOptions

Thank you to the Piedmont City Council for recognizing and commemorating April as #SexualAssaultawarenessAndPreventionMonth last night. #SAAPM2024 is about letting survivors know they are not alone and inviting the community into the work to disrupt and prevent cycles of harm. #allsurvivorsallgendersalloptions #StartByBelieving

Thank you to Supervisor Lena Tam and the Board of Supervisors for proclaiming April 22-28, 2024 as Sexually Exploited Minor Awareness Week in Alameda County. BAWAR was proud to accept this acknowledgement alongside the team from SHADE Movement. We appreciate the commitment to raising awareness around the prevalence of human trafficking in our County and look forward to even more intentional partnership with the BOS to ensure that youth communities are prioritized when resources are made available and budget allocations are being made. #SEMAwarenessWeek #AlamedaCounty #SexualAssaultawarenessAndPreventionMonth #SAAPM2024 #allsurvivorsallgendersalloptions #StartByBelieving

Thank you to our Interim Board Chair, Dr. Campbell for highlighting Leah Kimble-Price's visit to KTVU this afternoon to speak with Heather Holmes about Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, the harm of stigma, how to #startbybelieving and what potential cuts in federal VOCA funding will mean for survivor serving organizations across the country.