WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The majority of domestic violence education programs supported by the federal government do not provide a truthful depiction of the problem of partner abuse, according to a report released today. The document, "Most DV Educational Programs Lack Accuracy, Balance, and Truthfulness" concludes that nine out of 10 training, education, and public awareness programs fail to meet minimum standards of objectivity.

The report is issued by Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE), a victim advocacy group working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence. The full report can viewed here: http://www.saveservices.org/downloads/SAVE-DV-Educational-Programs

The SAVE report highlights a Centers for Disease Control survey that shows teenage girls are more likely than boys to be perpetrators of dating violence. But the Department of Justice inexplicably uses the CDC survey to justify the need to "engage men and youth in preventing crimes of violence against women," according to the DoJ website.

More worrisome are training programs for judges that downplay the existence of female aggression and short-circuit legal protections. At one New Jersey seminar, judges were instructed, "Your job is not to become concerned about all the constitutional rights of the man that you're violating as you grant a restraining order."

"The SAVE report documents a methodical, long-standing, and deeply-entrenched neglect of the truth," explains Claudia Cornell, SAVE director. "How can we hope to bring an end to partner abuse when most abuse education programs are serving to mislead lawmakers, judges, and the general public?"

SAVE has established an accreditation program to assure the accuracy of domestic violence training, education, and public awareness (TEPA) activities. More information about the TEPA Accreditation Program can be seen here: http://www.saveservices.org/policymakers/

Christina Hoff-Somers, author of Who Stole Feminism? will be the keynote presenter at a January 27 press conference to explore the documented distortions of abuse education programs. Designed to commemorate the Super Bowl Hoax, the event will take place 12:00 – 1:30pm at the Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20002. Media representatives can register here: [email protected] .

Each year the federal government spends $76 million for domestic violence training, education, and public awareness programs. Few of these programs adhere to standards to ensure their information is accurate and valid.

SOURCE Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE)