Press Room

For Immediate Release
February 24, 2006

Contact
Paul Murphy:
(801)538-1892
pmurphy@utah.gov

TOWN HALL II

A.G. & SAFETY NET COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS POLYGAMY ISSUES

     Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and the Utah/Arizona Safety Net Committee are inviting the public to join a discussion about efforts to end the isolation and increase safety in polygamous communities. The Town Hall Meeting in Salt Lake City is following up on a similar gathering held in St. George last year. Panelists with a wide array of opinions about polygamy will offer input on what has happened in the past and what still needs to be done, especially concerning ways to help victims of domestic violence and child abuse.

     "Some remarkable things started happening once people started talking. Social workers, educators and ordinary citizens are making a significant difference in some polygamous communities," says Shurtleff. "This Town Hall Meeting will allows others to join in and help."

     The Safety Net Committee has been meeting for the past 3 years in Salt Lake City, St. George and Colorado City. A new Safety Net Committee recently started in Creston, British Columbia. The committee brings government agencies, non-profit organizations and others together to make sure people living in polygamous communities have equal access to justice, safety and services.

     The public is invited to attend the Town Hall Meeting but seating is limited. No one under 12 will be permitted.

###