State takes lead in fighting battering

Friday, Feb. 27, 1998 | 10:17 a.m.

Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa's message was simple and direct: "There is no excuse for violence."

Del Papa was keynote speaker Thursday at a conference of professionals and concerned members of the community attending a one-day domestic violence prevention conference at University Medical Center. For Nevada's size, she said the state is becoming a national leader in the fight against domestic abuse.

"Our state was the first state to mandate that judges receive a day of training on domestic violence," Del Papa said. "You (those in attendance), in choosing to learn more about this, will make a difference in your state."

Del Papa said that more than 36,000 women are battered a year in Nevada and a woman is assaulted every 8 seconds.

Nevada recently received more than $2.5 million from the federal Violence Against Women Act, Del Papa said. This money has been mandated for domestic violence training for law enforcement, prosecutors, advocacy groups and discretionary state educational programs.

The state, the attorney general said, is scheduled to get another $1.1 million this year.

The Nevada Commission for Women has produced a domestic violence informational handbook designed to offer survival techniques including where to go for emergency assistance and what legal remedies are available.

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