NTU and Alliant University Join Forces against Violence and Child Abuse

Dr. Joyce Yen Feng (right) represents NTU in signing MOU with Alliant International University.

National Taiwan University and Alliant International University signed a memorandum of understanding on Jan. 5 to mark an important partnership to support the end of violence and abuse in their respective countries and across the world. The initiative between Alliant’s Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma and NTU’s Children and Family Research Center includes academic, research and training collaborations, with a special emphasis on forensic interviewing and evaluation of children in physical and sexual abuse cases.

Dr. Geoffrey Cox, president of Alliant International University, Dr. Robert Geffner, president of IVAT, and Dr. Joyce Yen Feng (馮燕), R.O.C. minister without portfolio and advisory committee member of the NTU Children and Family Research Center, were on hand to officiate the signing which took place on the San Diego campus of Alliant International University.

The event was followed by a tour of IVAT’s Mock House, a training facility located on the Alliant campus that simulates a two-bedroom, one-bath house designed to enhance hands-on training for forensic interviewers, investigators and prosecutors involved in child abuse cases.

Facilities and exercises like the Mock House are a key point of collaboration between IVAT and NTU. One of their shared goals is to reduce the suffering of victims of child abuse during the legal and investigative process by helping legal professionals to better conduct appropriate and effective forensic interviews with children. IVAT is a well-regarded leader in this arena -- expertise that will assist NTU in the development of training protocol and standards for prosecutors, policy makers and social workers in Taiwan, where forensic interviewers do not currently exist within the system.

Additional planned collaborations include research activities, joint publications and editorial responsibilities in scientific journals, and shared academic and professional training events, as well as speaking engagements by IVAT’s Dr. Geffner and NTU’s Dr. April Chiung-Tao Shen (沈瓊桃). Shen, a recently appointed distinguished fellow for IVAT, will serve as keynote speaker NTU’s international conference in November and is on the planning committee for the 20th International Summit on Violence, Abuse and Trauma hosted by IVAT in August in San Diego.

About the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma

The Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma was founded in 2006, when the nationally acclaimed Family Violence and Sexual Assault Institute (FVSAI), founded in 1984 by Dr. Robert Geffner, joined Alliant International University. IVAT strives to be a comprehensive resource, training and research center dealing with all aspects of violence, abuse and trauma. IVAT interfaces with Alliant International University’s academic schools and centers, which provide resource support and educational training. Through a focus on collaborations with various partnering organizations, IVAT desires to bridge gaps and help improve current systems of care on a local, national and global level. Learn more at ivatcenters.org .

About the National Taiwan University Children and Family Research Center

The National Taiwan University Children and Family Research Center was founded through a cooperative agreement between National Taiwan University (NTU) and Chinatrust Charity Foundation in 2012. With the rapid social, economic, demographic and family changes in Taiwan, Taiwan is encountering many social problems related to children and family, such as the declining fertility rate, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, adolescent drug abuse, and so on. In search of measures and strategies to address these social problems, the National Taiwan University collaborated with Chinatrust Charity Foundation to establish this research center. The center aims to explore problems related to families and especially children, provide innovative service models and policy recommendations, publish academic research outcomes and promote international collaboration. The center expects to become the leading think-tank in Taiwan in regard to children and family issues. Learn more at http://cfrc.ntu.edu.tw .

About Alliant International University

Alliant International University is a global institution of higher education with graduate and undergraduate programs spanning psychology and mental health, education, business and management, criminology, and law. Alliant focuses on preparing students for professional careers of service and leadership, with more than one million hours of community service performed by our students each year. Alliant is recognized as one of the leading U.S. universities in diversity and minority education by INSIGHT Into Diversity and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazines, and as a military-friendly school by Military Times EDGE Magazine and Victory media. Degree programs are available in six California cities: Fresno, Irvine, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco; in three international capitals: Mexico City, Hong Kong and Tokyo; and online. Alliant is a private university accredited by the Western Association of Senior Colleges and by other specialized and international accreditors. For more information, visit www.alliant.edu .