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Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff on VAWA:

"I moved back to Utah in 1994 to work as an Assistant Utah Attorney General. That same year, Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”). One of my jobs was to represent the Utah Crime Victims Reparations Board, where VAWA resources were emphasized.

The UDVC mission is "to create a state where domestic violence is intolerable." Ending violence is the foundation for the work, however I believe we can not rest until we create a state where families flourish; where all members of our families and communities are held in high regard and treated with compassion, dignity and respect. None of us or our children are truly safe until we all live in homes free of abuse and violence.

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden join with Eli Manning, Jeremy Lin, Jimmy Rollins, Evan Longoria, David Beckham, Joe Torre and Andy Katz in this PSA to raise awareness about dating violence. Despite the significant progress made in reducing violence against women, young women continue to face the highest rates of dating violence and sexual assault. In the last year, one in 10 teens has reported being physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend. One in five young women has been sexually assaulted while in college. In response to these alarming statistics, Vice President Biden launched the 1is2many campaign last year. This campaign focuses his longstanding commitment to reducing violence against women specifically on teens and young women ages 16-24. By targeting the importance of changing attitudes that lead to violence, and educating the public on the realities of abuse, this Administration is leading the way to stop violence against women before it begins.

Every year domestic violence takes a terrible toll in Utah, 2011 was no exception. There have been thirty-three domestic violence-related deaths. An epidemic of murder suicides emerges in Utah in 2011, leaving families, friends, neighbors and communities devastated. Nineteen of the total deaths were a result of nine perpetrators taking the lives of ten victims before killing themselves.