New Beginnings - APFV

In 1977 the Association for the Prevention of Family Violence, Inc. (APFV) began as a Task Force made up of formerly abused women, law enforcement, clergy, human service professionals and concerned citizens. Former victims of abuse gave testimony regarding the effect of abuse on their own families and the lack of services. Nearly 500 calls regarding domestic abuse were made to law enforcement. Based on this information, in June of 1978 APFV became incorporated, opened an office and began to develop and provide specialized services throughout Walworth County, WI.  In March of 2001, we became a dual service agency, expanding to including victims of sexual assault. Between 2012 and 2017 the agency added services for victims of stalking, harassment and human trafficking. New Beginnings has historically responded to the needs in our community.

In 2018 the organization officially changed its name to New Beginnings APFV and its articles of incorporation to New Beginnings APFV, Inc. New Beginnings APFV is a non-profit organization with offices in Elkhorn, Whitewater and Jefferson. Services are primarily provided to residents of Walworth and Jefferson Counties. We will serve those in other counties and states but those services may be limited. All adult and child services are free of charge and strictly confidential.   

New Beginnings’ primary purpose and mission is to provide services to victims of violent crimes including: survivors of domestic abuse, sexual assault, stalking, harassment and human trafficking. Additionally, we provide services to the children and families of the victims we support. The agency provides public education and works on development of a coordinated community response to victims of violent crimes.

 Our Services include:

- 24 hour crisis line (calls forwarded to Walworth County Dept. of Health & Human Services after hours)* This is a phone line only…

- Safety planning, including help obtaining a restraining order

- Legal advocacy in the criminal and civil court systems

- Accompaniment to sexual assault exams at local hospitals 24/7

- Safe emergency housing

- Support groups

- Personal advocacy and follow-up

- Individual counseling by licensed professionals

- Programming for children and teens

- Information about and referral to other relevant community resources

- Community education & awareness

Per statistics from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence-

20 people per minute abused by an intimate partner in the US. 1 in 4 women are victims of DV and 1 in 7 men may also be victims. In 2019, there were 72 deaths by homicide in WI. 52 involved DV. 56% of the victims occurred after the relationship had ended. In 2020, there were 60 deaths due to Domestic violence in WI. with 8 additional suicides related to DV. 52% of these homicides involved firearms. (No 2020 homicides took place in Walworth County and 1 homicide occurred in Jefferson County)

In 2020, national reports show 23% of women and 9% of men reported at least 1 case of forced sexual violence in their lifetime. Per, 2020 statistics from Wisconsin’s Coalition of Sexual Assault, 20% of women in WI are survivors of rape. 87% of the female survivors knew their perpetrator. Offender ‘control issues’ begin as early as 12-14. This is a significant public health problem.

Human Trafficking includes both Sex Trafficking and Labor Trafficking. Both occur in WI at staggering rates. WI is a main thorough fare in the trafficking world. We have many rural areas, truck stops and motels. These are sought after traits of a ‘safe’ path for traffickers. 38% of those trafficked are children between the ages of 14-17. 25 million individuals globally are trafficked (labor and/or sexual). 30% of trafficking victims are children under 17.

The average length of time a ‘stalking’ case remains active is 4-7 years. Most stalking cases are difficult to prove and process. Stalking can lead to serious injury and even death. 14 of every 1000 persons is stalked every year.

Recent rates have not yet been released but in 2018, there were 101,151 reported harassment cases in the US. 2,248 of those cases occurred in WI.

We at New Beginnings offer support and advocacy for victims of all of the above crimes. We educate our community and raise awareness of the many injustices that result in a loss of basic human rights.

NBAPFV’s Mission:

New Beginnings APFV’s mission is to provide advocacy and supportive services, community education and promote a coordinated community response for persons in our community affected by domestic and/or sexual violence.