BELLEVUE — LifeWire presented state Sen. Manka Dhingra with the Norm Maleng Award for her work to end domestic violence on Tuesday.
Dhingra, chair of the Senate Law & Justice Committee said, “I started working on behalf of survivors of gender-based violence while I was in college and have continued to advocate for victims my entire life. It is especially special to me to get an award named after Norm Maleng to continue this legacy…. since I was hired by him to be a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in 2000.”
Dhingra cofounded Chaya, an organization that assists South Asian survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.
LifeWire is a Bellevue nonprofit that provides legal advocacy, emergency shelter, housing, and other services for survivors of domestic violence
Theresa Anderson, president of the LifeWire Board of Directors, said this year alone, Dhingra has helped to fill the federal funding gap facing domestic violence advocates and increased the rights of domestic violence survivors.