Press Release  MOVA AND VWAB HONOR SURVIVORS, ADVOCATES, AND ALLIES AT STATE HOUSE

BOSTON, MA., April. 24, 2024 — In recognition of Crime Victims’ Rights Month, The Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance (MOVA), alongside Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and the Victim and Witness Assistance Board (VWAB), convened to honor crime survivors and providers in a heartfelt award ceremony on April 23rd, 2024, at the Massachusetts State House.

The ceremony united numerous stakeholders to acknowledge the remarkable contributions of this year’s Victims’ Rights Month awardees in advancing innovative, high-quality, and trauma-informed victim rights and services throughout Massachusetts.

Notably, 2024 marks the 40^th anniversary of the Massachusetts Victim Bill of Rights (VBOR), M.G.L. Chapter 258B. Enacted in 1984, the VBOR statutorily ensures rights and services for crime victims and survivors throughout the state. Over the last four decades, service providers, advocates, and survivors, much like this year’s awardees, have dedicated their time and effort toward upholding victim rights and ensuring survivors and communities have access to information, resources, and equitable services.

“Today, we gather to honor exceptional champions of this work and bring survivors to the forefront to remind our community that survivors need to be a part of the discussion about violence,” said Liam Lowney, Executive Director of MOVA, “Not only should survivors' voices be included in these discussions, but they should also lead them.”

This year’s awardees included: Ronit Barkai, Transition House; Julie Devlin, Massachusetts Parole Board; Anthia Elliott, Behavioral Health Network; Sheelah Gobar, Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County; Senator Adam Gomez, The Massachusetts Senate; Amy Hamill, The Second Step;
Kate Lagana, Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office; Jesse Moskowitz, Boston Area Rape Crisis Center; and Shaquera Robinson, Shaquera’s Story Domestic Violence Consulting and Coaching, Inc.

As the ceremony celebrated the accomplishments of awardees, it also highlighted the pressing need for funding so that providers can continue the critical work they do. MOVA and allies are currently advocating for an initiative well known on Beacon Hill as The VOCA Bridge, a supplemental funding request to the Massachusetts legislature aimed at mitigating the disastrous impacts of significantly reduced federal funding for victim services.

“During this year’s awards ceremony, I was proud to honor the tremendous work and achievements of advocates and allies who support victims and survivors through trauma-informed services across our state,” said Attorney General Campbell. “It is imperative that we ensure these critical and often life-changing services are sustained through additional VOCA Bridge funding.”

“Our advocacy for funding echoes our commitment to sustaining the remarkable, much-needed work of providers throughout Massachusetts, several of which we've honored today,” said Lowney, reflecting on the urgent nature of the VOCA Bridge for communities across the Commonwealth.

To learn more about the 40-year history of MOVA and future initiatives, please visit the MOVA website and the VOCA Bridge Digital Toolkit.

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