Parnell's DV initiative cruising toward victory

Rep. Anna Fairclough looked a little nervous as she rose to speak in support of key domestic violence and sexual assault legislation on the House floor Wednesday night.

By Thursday, she glowed.

Her colleagues in the House and Senate were moving forward with the bills, brought by Gov. Sean Parnell as part of an ambitious 10-year plan to rid Alaska of an ugly black mark -- the highest rates of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse in the entire nation.

Support is coming from all directions, a huge shift in thinking for Alaska, where leaders have found the problem easier not to deal with square-on for decades.

"I've watched the men in this state turn their heads and ignore issues about violence because they didn't know what to do to help, and sort of not recognize the problem," Fairclough said. "And then I watched them look helplessly and become empathetic, but still not know what to do. And now I see men leading to say ‘it's enough.'"

Fairclough, R-Eagle River, is cautious in talking about the paradigm shift, but blunt. There's nothing against men in general, but they've led Alaska and most other states for generations. Domestic violence and sexual assault has largely assumed the role of a women's issue, a war fought by often-liberal females demanding justice -- when the issue is even acknowledged outside the closed doors of the homes ravaged by such crimes.

What's changed?

Attorney General Dan Sullivan attributes the shift to a growing realization among political leaders and the private sector that domestic violence affects jail counts and children's school attendance and can't be left to continue unchecked.

"We've moved out of a period of kind of resignation and despair into a period where a lot of people are saying we cannot have our state, our great state, be the leader in the country on these horrible things," Sullivan said.

And Fairclough largely credits Gov. Sean Parnell, who spoke boldly about his family's personal experiences with domestic violence and their difficulty -- but success -- in breaking the cycle that plagues many families for generations.

From the outset

Parnell's plan, which came out of the first cabinet meeting he held after taking office in July 2009, establishes a coordinator to keep momentum building, adds law enforcement in every village that wants it and includes a public relations campaign to encourage Alaska's men to choose respect -- and to power a shift in the societal norms that keep domestic violence issues behind closed doors.

Testifying before the House Finance Committee earlier this week with Sen. Hollis French at his side, Sullivan pressed for three bills at the center of Parnell's broad strategy to fight the problem.

"The men of Alaska rape and murder our women and sexually assault our children at significantly higher rates than anywhere else in the country," he said. "To me, a guy with three young girls, that's big. But it should be big for anybody ... All three of the bills are really focused on keeping Alaskans safer."

Gathering speed

While the fate of Parnell's other legislation -- bills related to cruise ship taxes, scholarship plans, oil and gas tax breaks and more -- is uncertain with 72 hours left in the session, the domestic violence package (price tag with a new crime lab, which some say is another important tool to fight sexual assault and abuse: about $90 million) is clipping along with the support of an unusual group not typically aligned, politically speaking.

Among them: French, a Democratic contender for governor, and Fairbanks Rep. Jay Ramras, with an eye on the lieutenant governor's job; longtime domestic violence advocates Reps. Lindsey Holmes, D-Anchorage, and Fairclough; true-blood Republicans House Speaker Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, Rules Chairwoman Nancy Dahlstrom, R-Eagle River, and Rep. Mike Hawker, R-Anchorage; Rep. Reggie Joule, D-Kotzebue; and Sen. Lesil McGuire. R-Anchorage.

French, a former prosecutor, said he's pleased to see the progress.

"I think it reflects heightened awareness from both inside the building and out," French said. "There is still a lot of work to be done -- it's one of those subjects where you're never quite done."