Wednesday, January
18, 2017 — In his
State of the State Address before a joint session of the 30th Alaska State Legislature,
Governor Bill Walker highlighted violence in our communities and in our homes as a significant challenge to
tackle. Citing statistics from the Alaska Victimization Survey that show that
half of Alaska’s women experience sexualviolence, intimate partner violence, or both in their lifetimes, Governor
Walker renewed his commitment to reducing violence in our communities and in our homes. “While the rate is down from 59 percent in 2010,” Governor Walker said, “it is still deplorable.” The Governor recognized the many individuals and groups that are working on prevention. He also discussed the need to improve responses to sex crimes. “Justice delayed is justice denied,” he explained, and “victims deserve justice.”
The
Alaska Victimization Survey is conducted by the Justice
Center for the
Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA). It provides comprehensive statewide and
regional data to guide planning and policy development and to evaluate the
impact of prevention and intervention services.
New stalking estimates were released on January 17, 2017, showing that 1
in 3 women in Alaska have experienced stalking in their lifetime.
