News Releases

Phoenix (September 25, 2024) —It has been 25 years since the brutal murder of a young mother in front of her children galvanized the regional community and led to the creation of the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Regional Domestic Violence Council. The following decades have seen the region implement a number of initiatives to protect domestic violence victims of all ages, incomes, and backgrounds, including the creation of regional protocols to hold abusers accountable.

The MAG Regional Council today approved a resolution recognizing the accomplishments of the Regional Domestic Violence Council over the past 25 years and honoring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, with a formal celebration scheduled in October.

“The MAG Regional Domestic Violence Council was one of the first and the largest coordinating bodies of its kind in the country to take action toward ending domestic violence,” said MAG Chair Kevin Hartke, mayor of Chandler. “Domestic violence is an insidious social issue that continues to impact the lives of women, men and children across the region, and MAG will continue its work to address domestic violence in the years ahead.”

The anniversary will formally be celebrated during the next meeting of the Regional Domestic Violence Council at 2 p.m. on October 3, 2024, at the MAG offices, 302 N. 1^st Avenue, 2^nd floor, Phoenix. The Council will hear reflections on the history of the region’s successes from Peggy Bilsten, the first chair of the Council, as well as from current chair D.C. (Dolores) Ernst on the importance of continuing the work to address domestic violence.

In 1998, the greater Phoenix region was shaken by the murder of Laura Muñoz. She had decided to take her six children and leave her abusive husband, but after three weeks of being turned away from the eight existing domestic violence shelters due to a lack of beds, Muñoz was forced to remain in her home. She was stabbed to death in front of her children. Shock turned into action, and in 1999, MAG formed the Regional Domestic Violence Council, bringing together governments, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, healthcare, shelter and service providers, and other community leaders to address and prevent domestic violence in the region.

“Until the Regional Domestic Violence Council was created, there was no holistic collaboration being conducted in the region, there was no consistency,” recalls Bilsten. “Inconsistencies ranged from how domestic violence was defined, to how evidence was collected, to how abusers were arrested and prosecuted. Domestic violence calls were among the most dangerous calls police officers responded to and there was no standard way of responding to that.”

Efforts of the Council have included:

• Developing a model of best practices for law enforcement to establish consistent protocols for arresting offenders
• Creating a resource guide for employers to address workplace violence
• Distributing a toolkit for healthcare workers that contained materials for screening and treating domestic violence victims in the emergency room
• Regionwide placement of brochures with safety tips and laminated shoe cards in restrooms across the region to provide emergency numbers and information in a place where abusers couldn’t follow.
• Press conferences featuring survivors of all ages and incomes, with topics focused on teen violence, older adult abuse, the link between domestic violence and animal abuse, legal rights, tech safety, the establishment of text to 9-1-1, lethality assessments, protective orders, emotional abuse, employer safety, how to recognize the signs of domestic violence, how to speak up, the link between domestic violence and homelessness, and more.

But current Regional Domestic Violence Char D.C. (Dolores) Ernst says there is more work to do.

“About one in four women and nearly one in 10 men have experienced sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime,” says Ernst. “We want them to know we remain dedicated to preventing and eradicating domestic violence, and that they are not forgotten.”

If you are in immediate danger, call or text 9-1-1, or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.

Regional Council wearing purple during the September 24 meeting in recognition of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.