Welcome to Policy Matters, a quarterly presentation from Maitri Policy Advocacy, where we discuss public policies that shape the prevention, intervention, and overall attention to domestic violence within our communities.

In your Second Episode, we revisit the need for funding Domestic violence services in CA. Earlier in January of this year, Governor Newsom announced the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, and it failed to take into account what advocates have been asking for: increased funding for domestic violence services. We reverberate the response released by the VOCA Advocacy Alliance of CA and seek your support in reaching out to the Legislatures.

This episode is created by Maitri Policy Advocacy and voiced by Smitha Chandrasekhar, Smitha Chandrasekhar is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in Biology. She is currently on the pre-med track and intends to focus on a career in women’s reproductive health and oncology. Smitha has been volunteering with Maitri for almost a year and is deeply invested in promoting the rights of survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault to their own bodies and autonomy.

Resources in the Episode

California VOCA Funding Advocacy

https://www.cpedv.org/voca-funding-advocacy

California VOCA Alliance

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bHy24HKsyVC0Sth0fM666Y188_xDVwqZ/edit

UN Secretary-General's statement on domestic violence during COVID-19

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJgVTeZrWLk&ab_channel=UnitedNationsinIndia

Maitri VOCA Advocacy in VALOR US Platform in 2022

https://www.facebook.com/reel/2310663309127820