The Inclusion Mandate, a key provision of the recently passed Violence Against Women Act, bans discrimination on the basis of color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.

The Centers for Disease Control has found that men and women engage in intimate partner abuse at nearly identical rates. But gender-biased predominant aggressor arrest policies often lead to the arrest of the man, even if the woman strikes the first blow.

We believe much of the problem lies with biased police training programs. For instance, one curriculum claims that "by and large, abusers are men and victims are women," a statement that stands in marked contrast to the Centers for Disease Control research.

To counter this misinformation and discrimination, SAVE offers evidence-based training programs for law enforcement.

If you haven't yet, visit SAVE's Inclusive-VAWA Resource Center: http://www.saveservices.org/inclusive-vawa/resources.

Teri Stoddard, Program Director

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments

www.saveservices.org