Enhancing Cultural Responsiveness in the Courts Webinar Series
This two-part webinar series will focus on enhancing access to justice by fostering more culturally responsive courts, court staff, and judges. Identify role-specific responsibilities in implementing culturally responsive practices in the courts. Assess culturally-specific barriers survivors may face in the civil, family, and criminal justice systems and design strategies for overcoming those challenges.
Who should participate?
- Justice for Families, , ICJR and Rural grantees, STOP, State Sexual and Domestic Violence Coalitions and CSSP grantees and their OVW grant partners.
- Family violence and sexual assault advocates.
- Law enforcement based victim service providers.
Session II: Protections in Court Proceedings and Sensitive Locations for Immigrant Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence Under VAWA Confidentiality Protections
Date: Monday October 22nd, 2018
Time: 12:00pm-1:30pm (CST)
This webinar will discuss the special protections for immigrant victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking under Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) confidentiality laws and their effect on best practices in court systems, as well as for victim advocacy, legal representation, and safety planning. Participants will learn about the VAWA confidentiality laws and the: prohibitions that prevent immigration officials from relying on perpetrator provided information to harm victims; immigration case confidentiality rules that limit discovery of information about the existence of, action taken in and the contents of VAWA confidentiality protected immigration case filings; protected locations at which immigration enforcement against immigrant victims cannot occur except in very limited circumstances with high level supervisory approval; and potential protections from removal proceedings.This webinar will also discuss the additional protections available to immigrant victims under Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policies limiting immigration enforcement at courthouses and sensitive locations.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to do the following:
- Take steps that help immigrant domestic and sexual violence victims receive VAWA confidentiality protections early in advocates’ work with immigrant victims
- Rule on, file objections to, or seek pretrial rulings on limiting discovery in family, civil and criminal court cases about VAWA confidentiality-protected case files and information
- Respond effectively should an immigrant survivor of domestic or sexual violence become the target of an immigration enforcement action, including ones conducted at protected or sensitive locations.
Presenters:
Rocio Molina, Associate Director for National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project (NIWAP) at American University’s Washington College of Law
Rocio Molina, Associate Director for National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project (NIWAP) at American University’s Washington College of Law, is an immigration attorney serving immigrant survivors for over ten years. Rocío provides legal counsel, research, technical assistance, and training for the benefit of immigrant victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. Prior to this position, Rocío worked with the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence, where she represented hundreds of immigrant victims in both immigration and family court proceedings. Rocio leads NIWAP’s Community of Practice for Family Law Attorney’s and Roundtables for Law Enforcement and Prosecutors. She serves regularly as faculty for the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women conferences and events immigration and family law issues.
Leslye Orloff, Adjunct Professor and Director of the National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project (NIWAP) at American University Washington College of Law
Leslye Orloff is an Adjunct Professor and Director of the National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project (NIWAP) at American University Washington College of Law. Ms. Orloff’s 35-year career includes working collaboratively with experts across the country to develop and implement immigration relief, public benefits access and family law protections for immigrant women, children and survivors. She was involved in drafting the immigration protections in the Violence Against Women Acts (VAWA) 1994, 2000, 2005, and 2013 and the Trafficking Victims Protection Acts of 2000 and 2008. Ms. Orloff is a family law expert with years of litigation experience representing immigrant victims in custody, protection order and divorce actions. She was recently appointed to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Advisory Committee on Family Residential Centers where she chairs the subcommittee on Health, Mental Health and Trauma.
Register now.
This project was supported by Grant No. 2015-TA-AX-K007 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.
