Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson has relaunched the domestic violence advisory council to help combat high domestic violence rates in the Bronx, she announced at a press conference Tuesday. 

The relaunch starts off Domestic Violence Awareness Month in the borough.

“We are out here saving lives each and every day, reminding those who are victims of domestic and gender-based violence that they are never alone,” said Gibson in a press conference. “Reminding them that their circumstance does not define who they are, but they can survive being a victim and turn into a victor of their circumstance.”

According to the NYPD Domestic Violence Report, from 2015 to 2020, eight out of 15 community boards in the Bronx – community boards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 – had the highest rates of inmate partner homicides citywide.

A $1 million grant was awarded to Gibson’s office that, in partnership with the Bronx district attorney’s office, will provide affected families with services and resources over the next three years, Gibson said.

Gibson revealed three objectives for the task force: increase the number of families served, increase advocacy, and increase coordination among service providers to better service high-risk communities. 

“The goal of this project is to help high-risk victims of DV (domestic violence) manage their risks, to hold offenders accountable, and to reduce the number of DV homicides victims in the Bronx,” she said. 

Gibson said the council will be composed of partners, community-based providers and organizations. She added that domestic violence is prone to affect women and women of color in the borough.