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Family Issues

FAMILY ISSUES: Domestic violence, gender and sexuality, marriage and divorce, and unmarried couples. Please Note: These links will open in a new browser window.


Domestic Violence:

ABA Commission on Domestic Violence
http://www.abanet.org/domviol/home.html 
The ABA Commission on Domestic Violence seeks to “mobilize the legal profession to provide access to justice and safety for victims of domestic violence.”  It focuses on improving the legal response to domestic violence and related issues.  Various online training materials and resources are available to attorneys. Another section offers information and resources to victims of domestic violence.

Other resources offered include public education brochures, abstractions of publications and videos, resources for teaching domestic violence law, and a general bibliography of ABA related publications. The site also offers domestic violence telephone numbers and the Model Code on Domestic and Family Violence.

Family Violence Prevention Fund
http://endabuse.org/  
Preventing violence in the home and in the community and helping those whose lives are devastated by violence is the work of the Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF). It has been instrumental in developing the Violence Against Women Act passed by Congress in 1994. Program resources and information are available on children and domestic violence, health, immigrant women, public education, public policy and other topics or issues.  Other resources offer general facts, men and domestic violence, personal stories, what victims should do, FVPF contact information, and news releases. A search engine is available. 

Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse - University of Minnesota
http://www.mincava.umn.edu/ 
The mission of MINCAVA is to support research, education, and access to related resources. MINCAVA is considered a leader in innovative violence-related education, research and Internet publishing and now coordinates four nationally and internationally renowned projects.  Its project information is extensive and includes, among others, the MINCAVA Electronic Clearinghouse for up-to-date educational resources about all types of violence; Violence Against Women Online Resources for resource materials about effective interventions, services, and coordinated community responses to violence against women; The Link Project, a research, demonstration, and information dissemination project that reports collected information on children and domestic violence; and VAWnet (Applied Research Forum) which publishes online research, summaries, and discussions. A search engine and site index is available.

National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence
http://www.ncdsv.org/
The National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence assists professionals and local, state, and federal agencies and organizations who work with victims and perpetrators. This website includes articles and research on a variety of abuse issues and future dates for training professionals to deal with abuse issues.

US Department of Justice Violence Against Women Office
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo/ 

The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) handles the Justice Department’s legal and policy issues regarding violence against women. The Office offers grant programs to help state, tribal, and local governments and community-based agencies train personnel, establish specialized domestic violence and sexual assault units, assist victims of violence, and hold perpetrators accountable.  Online resources include Federal VAW Laws & Regulations, DOJ Research & Statistical Publications, press releases, information on interventions to stop violence against women for criminal justice practitioners, advocates, and social service professionals, VAW Publications and links to related publications and resources. A search engine with advanced search capabilities is available to the site user. 

Gender and Sexuality Issues:

The Center for Reproductive Rights
http://www.crlp.org/  
The Center for Reproductive Rights is a non-profit legal advocacy organization dedicated to promoting and defending women’s reproductive rights worldwide.  Informational resources include legislative and lobbying efforts in Washington to promote and ensure reproductive rights for all individuals, international and U.S. reproductive policy issues, court and legal news, press releases, online and print publications, reports and FAQs, and general articles. A search engine is available for users of the site.

Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy
http://www.law.duke.edu/journals/djglp/ 
This online journal is an interdisciplinary publication devoted to discussion and consideration of gender issues in the context of law and public policy. The journal is advised by a faculty board whose members are drawn from the faculties of the Law School, the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy, and the Women's Studies Program. Researchers are offered full-text articles. A current issue and a limited number of back issues are available. A search engine is available for searching the site contents.  

GayLawNet

http://www.gaylawnet.com/  
This site is “dedicated to providing general information, news and resources concerning the law as it affects the global gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual and intersex (GLBTI) community and the simplest access to a gay or lesbian (or gay or lesbian-friendly) lawyer.” It offers researchers an index of subjects and topics, a site map, and a useful search engine. General offerings include a worldwide compilation of legal resources for gays, news archives, forms, legislation, and related links. Topics include discrimination, law reform, privacy, immigration, HIV/AIDS, intellectual property, wills, and related topics.

Lesbian and Gay Law Notes
http://www.le-gal.org/lesbian&.htm  
Lesbian/Gay Law Notes is a publication of the Lesbian and Gay Law Association Foundation of Greater New York. It tracks new legislation, reports on new court decisions, administrative rulings, executive actions, and highlights new publications of interest. Its focus is primarily US law. This subscription online journal is indexed by year and month of publication. A search engine is available to search the site contents.

"Same-Sex Marriage Pathfinder" from Rutgers University School of Law (Newark)
http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~axellute/ssm.htm  
This site serves as a research guide to the topic of same sex marriage. Most of the information is current only up to October 1996. Researchers are offered information on legislation, caselaw, monographs and other resources pertaining to same sex marriage. A list of related Websites is also available. Last updated Sept. 19, 2002.

National Center for Lesbian Rights Project 
http://www.nclrights.org/projects/familylaw.htm
NCLR is a national, lesbian, feminist, non-profit law firm. Its mission is to create a world in which every lesbian can live fully, free from discrimination. NCLR activities seek to advance the legal and human rights of lesbians, gay men, and bisexual and transgender individuals across the United States. It is a national leader on LGBT family issues including adoption, child custody and visitation, alternative insemination, partnership protection, domestic partner benefits, and marriage rights. Publications, fact-sheets and other information is available on such issues as: families, parenting, relationship recognition, and parenting.

National Women’s Law Center
The Center educates the public about ways to make the law and public policies work for women and their families.  It includes information about child care, child and family support, and reproductive rights.  Online articles are available on federal and state legislation.


Marriage and Divorce:

Legal Information Institute at Cornell: Marriage
http://www.law.cornell.edu/topics/marriage.html  
The LII offers topical overviews with hyperlinks to primary law on a variety of legal topics. An overview of marriage and divorce is available at the following links:
    
Marriage         http://www.law.cornell.edu/topics/marriage.html
    
Divorce            http://www.law.cornell.edu/topics/divorce.html

Included with the topical narrative are hyperlinks to the full text of the laws as well as the full text of federal and New York cases, as well as links to related print and online information.

DivorceLawInfo
http://www.divorcelawinfo.com/  
This site offers state-specific interactive legal documents and legal tools, enabling pro-se and self-help users to access the law at minimal cost. The site is an informational front end for MyLawyer.com, an organization consisting of lawyers, paralegals, web marketing specialists, legal researchers, and computer professionals. The site provides state-by-state legal guides to marriage, divorce and child custody, as well as state-specific child support calculators. Each state page contains links to state laws, courts, government agencies, bar associations and community resources related to divorce, custody, and child support.

Users should note that the free information is supplemented with a "bookstore" that sells legal forms and self-help books for individuals handling their own divorce. Users should first consult the “Frequently Asked Questions About The Divorcelawinfo.com” to properly understand what is offered. 

DivorceNet
http://www.divorcenet.com  
"Dedicated to helping people through the painful process of divorce and related issues,” this site offers users a nationwide listing of divorce lawyers, information on items pertaining to divorce, and basic legal information. Users have access to a bulletin board with topical discussions devoted to matters such as domestic violence, child support, parental abduction, stepfamilies, and others. Separate pages for each state provide a summary description of the state's divorce laws, with links to full- text statutes; selected articles; child support calculators; and links to related state resources. This site also offers an "answer desk" for questions on law. A site map and a search engine are available for easy navigation.


Divorce Online

http://www.divorceonline.com/  
This site serves as “an electronic resource for people involved in, or facing the prospect of, divorce.” It provides free articles and information on the financial, legal, psychological, real-estate, and other aspects of divorce. It also offers the Professional Referral section of Divorce Online to help users locate professional assistance. Users can register for the site’s bulletin board, read articles on topics relevant to divorce, and pose questions. 

Divorcesource.com
http://www.divorcesource.com/  
This site is similar to other commercial sites offering informational services to persons facing the prospect of a divorce. It is a large, densely packed site with information and links available for both professionals and the general public on matters relating to marriage and divorce. Information is organized both by state and under generic topics and users can register for the site’s bulletin board, read articles on topics relevant to divorce, and pose questions. State-specific pages include legal overviews plus various articles about the process of divorce and related issues. A “locator” is available for finding family lawyers, counselors, mediators, and other professionals.


Other commercial sites that might be of interest to the researcher include:

Divorce Helpline
http://www.divorcehelp.com/

DivorceSupport.com
http://www.divorcesupport.com/

DadsDivorce.com
http://www.dadsdivorce.com/

Unmarried Couples and the Law
http://www.palimony.com/

These four (4) sites are similar in that they offer general state-by-state overview of the law. They also host chat rooms or bulletin boards, provide attorney listings, include links to commercial sites offering various services, and offer specific books, forms, or tools for sale.

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