Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin has announced details of a STOP Violence Against Women grant that will be used to help fund domestic violence prevention efforts.

The grant is for a three-year period totaling $375,000 providing $125,000 in funding each year.

The $125,000 per year is equally divided between law enforcement, prosecutors, Turning Point of Lehigh Valley Inc. and the Crime Victims Council of the Lehigh Valley ($31,250 to each).

Of the grant funds available to the district attorney’s office, it will be used to partially fund two Domestic Violence Task Force prosecutors, two investigators with the task force and to partially fund the Victim/Witness Unit headed by Kimberly Silvestri.

The funding is made available to support a multidisciplinary approach to improve criminal, civil and juvenile justice systems’ response to violence against women and to enhance advocacy and services available to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence.

The emphasis on the STOP program is the implementation of comprehensive victim services, health care, law enforcement and prosecutorial strategies addressing violence against women sensitive to the needs and safety of victims and holding offenders accountable for their crimes.

“Members of the district attorney’s office work together in order to help these victims of domestic violence by providing continuity throughout the investigation and being aware of these victims’ special needs and endeavoring to meet them,” Martin said.

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