AUGUSTA – Victims of domestic violence attempting to elude their assailants are receiving an extra measure of protection as a result of a recently enacted confidentiality law endorsed by state officials and women’s assistance workers.

During a Thursday morning news conference, Maine Secretary of State Dan A. Gwadosky said participation in the state’s Address Confidentiality Program is expected to grow as more women are referred to it by crisis intervention agencies and law enforcement officers.

Legislation creating the address shield program was passed by lawmakers two years ago, but ensuing rule-making procedures delayed its implementation until February, Gwadosky said. Open to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, the program provides a designated address to individuals who have relocated or plan to move to a location unknown to their abuser. It further provides participants with a first-class-mail forwarding service and a designated address that has no relationship to the participant’s actual address.

Gwadosky said that as a result of the program, victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking are able to interact with businesses, government agencies and other organizations without disclosing their actual address.

“The ACP is intended to offer a layer of protection to a victim’s overall safety plan by providing a designated address to use whenever their home, work or school address might be required,” Gwadosky said. “ACP allows both state and local agencies to contribute to the safety of victims by denying abusers the opportunity to use public records – in this case, first-class mail – as a possible means to locate and potentially violate the rights of others.”

The new confidentiality provision is being promoted throughout the state at a time when statistics released by the Maine Department of Public Safety conclude that reported cases of domestic violence have increased by 11.4 percent during 2003. Enrollment in the ACP program is determined by trained application assistants at domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking advocate programs throughout the state. Gwadosky said more than 50 application assistants have been trained in all of the state’s 16 counties.

“An individual that’s interested in becoming involved in this particular program can make an application in person at one of the designated ACP assistance locations across the state,” Gwadosky said. “Application assistance provides information about the program and will then make a determination on whether ACP should be part of the victim’s overall safety plan.”

Program participants receive a laminated ACP participant card, which they are required to present when obtaining state and local government services such as applying for a driver’s license, food stamps, Medicaid, car registrations and other services, permissions or programs. The law requires state and local governments to accept and use the ACP address whenever a participant’s residence, school or work address is required. A program participant cannot be required to disclose their actual address.

“Maine is one of 18 states that have similar programs to protect victims,” Gwadosky said. “We currently have a dozen individuals enrolled in the program.”

Further information about the program can be found on the Secretary of State’s Web site at: http://www.state.me.us/sos/news/2004/ACP.htm.