The Greenbook Initiative Final Evaluation Report (pdf)
"The Greenbook national evaluation results are presented in three reports. The Greenbook Demonstration Initiative: Process Evaluation Report: Phase 1 focused on the planning and goal setting phase of the Greenbook initiative in the sites. This final evaluation report assesses the extent to which the Greenbook implementation activities facilitated cross-system and within system change and practice in the child welfare agencies, dependency courts, and domestic violence service providers."
A fact sheet on youth violence compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detailing risk factors, consequences, occurrence, and much more.
"An examination of 944 victim narratives from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) finds that one in five women who reveal an incident of sexual victimization to the NCVS excuse or justify their situations, largely by drawing on social vocabularies that suggest male sexual aggression is natural, normal within dating relationships, or the victim's fault. The study's findings substantiate the influence that rape myths and gender stereotypes have on victims' perceptions of their own unwanted sexual situations and demonstrate the ways in which cultural language delimits victims' recognition of sexual victimization as crime and inhibits reporting to the police."
"She hit me too" - Identifying the Primary Aggressor: A Prosecutor's Perspective (pdf)
This article is based on law enforcement in the state of California. It has a number of points that can be important to keep in mind whenever the question of 'primary aggressor'comes up.
"This report provides an analysis of patterns of human rights abuses against women who are exposed to the risk of or are already living with HIV in rural contexts of widespread poverty and unemployment."
(Un)heard Voices: Domestic Violence in the Asian American Community (pdf)
This publication is based on the results of a focus group with Asian immigrant women and Asian American women from different backgrounds. Various questions and issues are addressed such as identifying victims and perpetrators, prevalence of domestic violence in Asian communities, barriers confronting Asian women and more. The report also gives recommendations to service providers and a national list of organizations committed to serving battered Asian women.
101 Things You Can Do to Combat the Harms of Pornography
"This blog is here to help you & other good people to become effective anti-porn activists & make the world a better place for everyone, especially girls & women. Please enjoy the many resources, & thank you for being part of the solution!"
15 Years of the United Nations Rapporteur on Violence against Women, Its Causes and Consequences (pdf)
This report reviews the status of violence against women as researched in 14 annual reports, 32 country mission reports, and 11 communication reports published as recently as December 2008. The report focuses on reproductive health and rights, poverty, migration, internally displaced persons (IDPs), women refugees, trafficking, aging, and adolescent girls. It also highlights how the mandate on violence against women has changed, what has been learned, and problems still to be addressed.
2006 Hennepin County Domestic Violence Court Report, a WATCH report (pdf)
"In November 2001, WATCH published its first domestic violence report entitled, Judicial Response and Demeanor in Domestic Violence Court. The 2001 report highlighted a variety of themes and patterns of inconsistency within the new court and offered recommendations for improvement. In this report, five years later, WATCH revisits those recommendations and takes a closer look at the effectiveness of the Hennepin County Domestic Violence Court in handling cases of misdemeanor domestic abuse."
2006 WATCH Victim Impact Statement Study (pdf)
This study addresses victim impact statements as given in court regarding incidences of domestic violence and/or sexual assault and the effect these statements had on the judge regarding sentencing.
2008 Status of Egyptian Women Report (pdf)
"The Egyptian Center for Women's Rights recently released its 2008 report on the status of Egyptian women. The report evaluated the current situation for women in Egypt, identifying the particular areas where action is most urgently needed in order to advance women's rights within the country."
2009 State Law Report Cards on Teen Dating Violence
A 2009 State-by-State Teen Dating Violence Report Card from Break The Cycle. Includes recommendations for improving state laws and policies to better protect victims, changes in the laws that affect teens experiencing abuse, and a revised scoring system that better assesses the impact of state laws on teens seeking protection orders.
52 Days of Domestic Violence Flu in America (pdf)
In this article, the author highlights that in the midst of public health concerns such as the swine flu, domestic violence is another pandemic that often goes unnoticed with majority of the fatalities involving men as the perpetrators of violence against women and children. The article concludes with a list of victims and their killers and serves as a reminder that domestic violence has been, and continues to be a concern for all to address.
A Blueprint for Responding to Children Exposed to Domestic Violence in Pediatric Health Care (pdf)
The purpose of this document is to provide training for health care providers when working with and screening for children exposed to domestic violence. A list of recommendations is included.
This study was undertaken by an interdisciplinary cross-cultural research team from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Venezuela and the United States who came together to push the boundaries of disciplinary and governmental thinking on trafficking and sexual exploitation. The researchers examined the structural factors responsible for the increase in sex trafficking worldwide.
"Whether or not to file domestic violence cases when the victim does not support prosecution is a difficult decision. Previous research provides contradictory evidence regarding the effects on victim safety, empowerment, and official measures of recidivism of prosecuting despite victim opposition. This study compared a jurisdiction that tends not to file cases if the victim opposes prosecution (the Bronx), with a jurisdiction that files all domestic violence cases (Brooklyn).
A Comprehensive Theory of Family Violence
A brainstorming paper written to inform interested others on the status of a project and to elicit comments. Please share your comments with Jane Gilgun; email: jgilgun@tc.umn.edu.
A Coordinated Response to Child Abuse and Neglect: The Foundation for Practice
Written for new child protective services (CPS) caseworkers, professionals working with children and families, other professionals and concerned community members, this manual addresses the definition, scope, causes, and consequences of child abuse and neglect. It presents an overview of prevention efforts and the child protection process from identification and reporting through investigation and assessment to service provision and case closure.
"This study examines the current state of transitional housing programs (THPs) and discusses future program considerations, including the need for evaluation studies that consider the possible impact that transitional housing programs have on the rates of violence toward women and their children, and on women's ability to achieve economic stability after separating from their abusive partners."
A Family Resource Guide on International Parental Kidnapping (pdf)
Presents practical and detailed advice about preventing international kidnapping and increasing the chance that children who are kidnapped or wrongfully retained will be returned. It provides descriptions and realistic assessments of the civil and criminal remedies available in international parental kidnapping cases, explains applicable laws and identifies both the public and private resources that may be called upon when an international abduction occurs or is threatened, and prepares parents for the legal and emotional difficulties they may experience.
A Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (pdf)
"A new report on human trafficking that provides a global overview on legislation, the criminal justice response, trafficking patterns, intra-and-international flows, and monitoring. The UNODC also highlights the situation of a variety of countries from all regions of the world."
A Guide to Addressing Teen Dating Violence and Sexual Assault in a School Setting
"This guide details schools' responsibility to take a leadership role to prevent and respond to teen dating and sexual violence in schools and in the community. While the information is specific to California, much can be applied nationally."
A High-Tech Twist on Abuse (pdf)
Advances in technology can be perilous and beneficial to survivors. Safety Net, a project dedicated to advancing knowledge and policies on the impact of technology on victim safety, describes how abusers are using technology against victims and how victims can use technology to enhance safety.
A High-Tech Twist on Abuse: Technology, Intimate Partner Stalking, and Advocacy
This Violence Against Women Online Resources commissioned document summarizes the existing knowledge on the use of technology to stalk. The author uses both published literature and contributions provided by numerous survivors’ reports to provide current information on the variety of sophisticated tools that are being used to stalk current and former intimate partners. The article also provides specific strategies for advocates, including safety planning information, a resource list, and a handout for survivors.
A Judge's Bench Card Regarding Full Faith and Credit
A publication designed to help judges understand the necessary steps to supporting implementation of the Full Faith and Credit Provision of the Violence Against Women Act.
A Judicial Checklist for Children and Youth Exposed to Violence (Actual Checklist for Consideration) (pdf)
A detailed checklist outlining information for judges to consider when working with cases where children or youth have been exposed to violence. A technical assistance brief detailing educational information and knowledge that is important for judges to be familiar with, can be found under the additional title.
A Judicial Checklist for Children and Youth Exposed to Violence (Informational Reading) (pdf)
A technical assistance brief that addresses the need for judges to understand the impact violence has on children and adolescents. The detailed checklist outlining information for judges to consider is located separate from this material.
A League Table of Child Maltreatment Deaths in Rich Nations (pdf)
This report represents the first ever attempt to draw a comparative picture of the physical abuse of children in the 27 richest nations of the world. UNICEF research estimates that almost 3,500 children under the age of 15 die from physical abuse and neglect every year in the industrialized world.
OCDV and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene developed a training and reference guide for healthcare providers as part of a campaign to reduce cultural, linguistic and systemic barriers preventing domestic violence victims, particularly immigrant women and women of color, from reporting abuse to their healthcare providers.
A meta-analysis of the relationship of child sexual abuse to adult psychological adjustment
"This paper reports on meta-analyses of the relations of child sexual abuse to adult psychological adjustment. Results indicated statistically significant relationships between the experience of child sexual abuse and subsequent difficulties in psychological adjustment as measured by psychological symptomatology, depression, and self-esteem."
A National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations
This protocol was developed with the input of national, local, and tribal experts throughout the country, including law enforcement representatives, prosecutors, advocates, medical personnel, forensic scientists and others, as a guide for criminal justice and health care practitioners who respond to victims of sexual assault. The protocol is intended to assist jurisdictions in developing a response that is sensitive to victims of sexual assault and promotes offender accountability.
"This article describes the CARE ( Collaborative for Abuse Prevention in Racial and Ethnic Communities) model, network formation, initial attempts to build collaboration and cultural competence, outreach and education activities, and organizational-level changes resulting from the establishment of the networks. The challenges, successes, and lessons learned in implementing this network model are also discussed."
A Parent's Guide to Internet Safety
Discusses signs that your child may be at risk online, what to do if you suspect your child is communicating with a sexual predator online, and what you can do to minimize the chances of your child being victimized online.
A pilot study of abuse among Vietnamese Amerasians
"This report describes a pilot study of the prevalence of physical and sexual abuse, and current levels of psychological distress correlated with a history of abuse, in a group of Vietnamese Amerasians bound for the United States. Abused male Amerasians reported significantly higher levels of psychological distress than nonabused male Amerasians, while abused and nonabused female Amerasians did not differ in their levels of psychological distress."
This document provides three optional program guides for health care providers and managers to eliminate gender-based violence.
A Practical Guide to Evaluating Domestic Violence Coordinating Councils (pdf)
The goal of this manual is to make evaluation a little easier by providing some practical strategies for evaluating the work of your council.
"This preliminary experiment tests whether African American and European American abused women who give testimony about their experiences of intimate partner violence and learn how to use yogic breathing techniques have reduced feelings of depression. Results indicate that learning yogic breathing techniques alone and combined with giving testimony significantly reduces feelings of depression. "
A Preliminary Study of Intimate Partner Violence Among Nepali Women in the United States
"The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of and vulnerabilities to (intimate partner violence) IPV among 45 Nepali immigrant women residing in the New York metropolitan area. The findings demonstrated that 75.6% of women had been verbally insulted by their current partners, and 62.2% had to seek permission from their partners to go to their friends' or relatives' houses."
A Prevention Primer for Domestic Violence: Terminology, Tools, and the Public Health Approach
This document provides an introduction to basic prevention concepts by exploring the public health approach, two classification systems, a planning tool used to develop more comprehensive initiatives, and the importance of understanding terminology.
A Process Evaluation of the Clark County Domestic Violence Court
This is an evaluation of the Clark County Domestic Violence Court in Washington. It includes an examination of statistics that reveal the extent of the domestic violence problem in Clark County, with discussion about the creation of the domestic violence court, including the philosophies that guide the Clark County Domestic Violence Court, and the specific components of the court.
This study prospectively evaluated perpetrator risk factors for sexual assault perpetration,including peer influences, beliefs and attitudes about sexuality, alcohol use, and token resistance.
A Research Agenda for Sexual Revictimization: Priority Areas and Innovative Statistical Methods
"This article develops an agenda for further research on sexual violence revictimization by identifying three priority areas for investigation, including prospective research, revictimization resilience, and contextualizing revictimization. Next, the article overviews cutting-edge statistical methods that offer innovative ways to investigate these priority areas including growth, multilevel, and person-centered models. Recommendations for revictimization measurement and sampling are also given."
A Response to the Abuse of Vulnerable Adults (pdf)
This report document is the result of a 2000 survey of state adult protective services.
A Review of Standards for Batterer Intervention Programs
This document reports on the current status of standards for batterer intervention programs in each U.S. state, describes the common elements of standards, and explores the positive and negative aspects of standards. It includes a chart outlining the status of standards in each state.
A Review of the Domestic Violence System Response: Fort Royal, Viginia (pdf)
This document outlines the procedures and results of a safety audit conducted in Fort Royal, Virginia.
A Summary of Articles from Justice Research and Policy (pdf)
"JRP Digest contains research summaries for policymakers from Justice Research and Policy, the journal of the Justice Research and Statistics Association."
A Survey of Online Harassment at a University Campus
"This study’s sample of students was taken from the University of New Hampshire campus and found that more than half of the students received unwanted pornography and 10% to 15% of students reported receiving repeated unwanted online messages via email or instant message. The study also found that sexual minority students were more likely to be harassed online than were heterosexual students. Implications for further research and policy/program development are also discussed."
A Vague and Dangerous Dance: The Politics of Justice For Domestic Assault Victims in a Rural County (pdf)
This study explores the stories of five women who entered a rural court system as victims of domestic violence in search of justice and presents the women's narratives regarding their experiences. Themes and recommendations were developed from a workshop of participants who had read one another's stories. The author presents recommendations for change to the system.
ABA Commission on Domestic Violence eNewsletter on DV and Child Protection
An e-newsletter featuring articles from experts on the intersection of domestic violence and child protection.
Abuse and Women with Disabilities
This document highlights the prevalence of violence against women with disabilities, examines abuse interventions for women with disabilities, and offers a critique of studies on abuse and disability. The authors also provide recommendations for research and program development.
Abuse During Pregnancy in Industrialized and Developing Countries
"Abuse during pregnancy has increasingly been identified as an important problem with significant consequences for maternal and infant health, particularly in North America. The authors review available evidence of the prevalence and consequences of abuse during pregnancy, including maternal mortality, outside of North America."
Abuse in Later Life Wheel (pdf)
This power and control wheel is developed for older victims and is adapted from the original power/equality wheel by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project in Duluth, MN.
Abuse of Children by Priests in the Boston Archdiocese: Violations of Applicable Standards of Care
This article outlines the history of child abuse by priests in a local diocese and outlines the consequences/outcomes from several fundamental cases. Ethical considerations and standards of care are also addressed.
Abuse of Pregnant Women and Adverse Birth Outcome: Current Knowledge and Implications for Practice
This study summarizes the prevalence of abuse among women who are pregnant and the subsequent implications associated with their delivery and the health of the newborn infant.
Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation In Licensed Facilities
Offers information and resources on elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation in licensed facilities.
Access to HHS-Funded Services for Immigrant Survivors of Domestic Violence
January 2001 Factsheet. Provides guidance on eligibility for programs and services funded by HHS.
Acculturation, Partner Violence, and Psychological Distress in Refugee Women From Somalia
"This study examined the relations among acculturation, domestic violence, and mental health in 62 married refugee women from Somalia. The results showed that women who reported greater ability to speak English also reported more experiences of partner psychological abuse and physical aggression. Experiences of more psychological abuse and physical aggressions also predicted more psychological distress. Implications for future research and psychological services are addressed."
This report offers an analysis and recommendations to address the impact of domestic violence and child welfare systems in communities of color. Six culture-specific organizations were partnered with to create a multi-dimensional analysis for this report. The Dialogues section offers analysis and describes some of the common findings and issues, while the Recommendations section addresses these issues. Thus, critiques and system changes go hand in hand, and are offered in the spirit of constructive engagement and strengthening communities
Adaptation Guidelines for Serving Latino Children and Families Affected by Trauma
"This document was created by experts in the fields of child trauma research, clinical practice, policy and cultural diversity to serve as a resource for anyone who works with Latino families who have experienced traumatic events. There are 12 priority areas covered ranging from micro issues (assessment and provision of therapy) to macro issues (organizational competence and policy). Each one includes an overview of the priority area, recommendations for improving practice based on that priority area, and additional resources for further information. Portions of these guidelines are geared for advocates and therapists, while other priority areas are designed for program administrators and policy makers."
Additional Scripts for Clinic Assessment (pdf)
This document is created for healthcare professionals and provides a series of scripted questions and responses when working with victims of violence. The information is intended to help communicate all the information needed to give to a patient as well as responding to immediate safety issues and making referrals.
Addressing Culture in Batterers Intervention: The Asian Indian Community as an Illustrative Example
"The authors in this article utilize the Cultural Context Model(CCM) a community development and treatment model. The CCM approaches intervention with batterers and their families from a perspective that acknowledges a multilayered experience of culture. It requires accountability from batterers and supports the empowerment of victims and children at the same time as it recognizes the impact of a number of social forces related to culture and cultural differences on communities, families, and individuals. These forces include sexism, racism, and heterosexism, as well as experiences with immigration, colonization, and capitalism. Although the treatment approach is applicable cross-culturally, this article primarily focuses on examples involving families from Asian Indian-American communities."
Addressing Elder Sexual Abuse: Developing a Community Response
This multimedia curriculum is created to promote community partnerships in combating elder sexual abuse. This is a joint project of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape and the Pennsylvania Department of Aging and is funded bythe Pennsylvania Department of Aging and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency.
Addressing Gender-based Violence: UNFPA Strategy and Framework for Action (pdf)
"This report identifies the particular areas where action is most urgently needed and proposes general policy frameworks for combating gender-based violence. The proposals, which focus on reducing gender inequality and discrimination, are aimed at UNFPA's overarching goal of eliminating violence against women and girls. The report critically examines existing policy frameworks, and suggests where future efforts need to be concentrated. "
Addressing Stalking in Indian Country
This article discusses the results of a June 1999 survey Mending the Sacred Hoop sent to approximately 150 tribes regarding tribal anti-stalking laws.
Addressing the Problem of Juvenile Bullying
2-page Fact Sheet posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The Fact Sheet describes bullying and its effects and provides information about the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, which is designed to reduce bullying among elementary, middle, and junior high school children.
Addressing Youth Victimization
2001 Bulletin. The Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention published Combating Violence and Delinquency: The National Juvenile Justice Action Plan in 1996. This report established eight objectives as the foundation for innovative and effective action by Federal, State, and local governments, in partnership with private sector organizations, to reduce juvenile violence and victimization. This Bulletin, the first in a series on the implementation of the Action Plan, summarizes the accomplishments of Council member agencies in meeting one of the Action Plan's eight objectives and numerous related action steps.
Adolescent Femal Aggression: Proposal for a Research Agenda
Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the Canadian Psychological Association, June 29 to July 1, 2000, Ottawa.
Adolescent Sex Offenders and Children with Sexual Behavior Problems (pdf)
"This bibliography lists selected readings on adolescent sex offenders and children with sexual behavior problems. It includes research, guidelines, and clinical articles as well as websites and ordering information for selected articles."
Adolescent Sex Offenders: Common Misconceptions vs. Current Evidence (pdf)
"This fact sheet offers information on myths and facts about adolescent sex offenders."
Adult Domestic Violence in Cases of International Parental Child Abduction (pdf)
"This article discusses the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and its impact on battered mothers and their children seeking safety in the United States."
Advancing the Nation's Health: A Guide to Public Health Research Needs, 2006-2015 (pdf)
"This guide is meant to serve as a critical resource for research areas that should be addressed during the next decade by CDC and its partners in response to current and future public health needs and events."
Advancing the Study of Violence Against Women: Evolving Research Agendas Into Science
"This review extends beyond prior reviews to explore the field of violence against women's unique challenges, its community of scientists, and the state of its written knowledge. This article argues for moving beyond "research agendas" and proposes creation of a transdisciplinary science for the field of study of violence against women."
Adverse Consequences of Intimate Partner Abuse among Women in Non-Urban Domestic Violence Shelters
"This study examined the health consequences of having experienced both sexual and physical abuse relative to women experiencing physical abuse but not sexual abuse."
"This report indicates that persons who report having experienced IPV during their lifetimes also are more likely to report current adverse health conditions and health risk behaviors, underscoring the need for IPV assessment in health-care settings."
Advocacy Beyond Leaving: Helping Battered Women in Contact With Current or Former Partners (pdf)
A guide for domestic violence advocates providing information on improving outreach and responses to domestic violence victims who are in contact with their partners or children’s fathers. This guide addresses how to identify safety strategies, find resources and to know what to say when a victim’s focus and goals are to remain in contact, remain in the relationship or to improve their children’s relationship with their father.
Advocacy in a Coordinated Community Response: Overview and Highlights of Three Programs
This article gives an overview of advocacy - namely individual advocacy and systems advocacy and describes them as an integral part of community response. It also stresses the importance of each type of advocacy working collectively in enabling battered women to overcome obstacles.
Advocacy Matters: Helping Mothers and Their Children Involved with the Child Protection System
This publication gives domestic violence experts the information they need to deal successfully with child protection systems and to help battered mothers whose children have been removed from their care. Advocacy Matters includes general information and tips that help advocates better address the needs of battered mothers and their children.
Advocates Serve a Distinct and Different Role Than Paralegal Prosecution Staff
A report about the differences between advocates and paralegals and how each role affects the justice system.
ADVOCATING FOR COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENTS IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASES
"Many jurisdictions handle domestic violence cases on a one-size-fits-all basis, with a presumption in favor of a finding of child neglect and removal when children are exposed to domestic violence. This author proposes that states develop a standard for both courts and child protective agencies that carefully examines each domestic violence case using an individualized factual analysis and attempt to mitigate the effects of a child’s exposure to domestic violence by means other than a presumption for or against removal (temporary or permanent) in every case."
Advocating for Domestic Violence Victims Who Have Been Arrested for Domestic Violence
This article examines the impact of increasing arrest rates of women in domestic violence investigations and offers advocates information on how to assist victims that have been arrested.
The handbook consisits of various practical forms which were developed by advocates to evaluate criminal justice services for women in cases of rape, domestic violence and child abuse. It also has theoretical chapters on understanding how criminal justice systems can help and harm women.
Age at First Sexual Assault and Current Substance Use and Depression
This article explores how the association between sexual violence and substance use and mental health differs by race and life course stage. Although sexual violence does not heighten the risk of problem drinking for White women, minority women victimized in adulthood are significantly more likely to engage in problem drinking and use illicit drugs. This suggests that for minority women the effects of recent victimization experiences result in immediate and potentially long-lasting consequences. The findings with respect to the association between sexual violence and depression are consistent with the child and adolescent development literature. It is Hispanic women who are more likely to suffer depression as a consequence of child sexual assault.
Alcohol and Sexual Violence Perpetration
This Applied Research paper examines the frequent co-occurrence of alcohol and sexual violence perpetration. Identifying the different ways alcohol relates to perpetration can aid in the development of effective sexual violence prevention strategies. The authors off suggestions for practitioners based on available scientific knowledge.
All Too Familiar: Sexual Abuse of Women in US State Prisons
This report examines the sexual abuse of female prisoners largely at the hands of male correctional employees at eleven state prisons located in the north, south, east, and west of the United States.
Posted by the Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Discusses arrest, immunity, notice of rights, report required, and training.
A March 2000 report intended to be more than a five-year review of progress since the Beijing Conference. It is intended as a resource document, a reference tool that will help serve as a guide through the maze of government agencies and programs, both general programs and women-specific ones, that benefit women.
This is a draft of these standards, which are presented for review by the ABA Center of Children and the Law.
American Indians and Crime (pdf)
"Reports rates and characteristics of violent crimes experienced by Native Americans and summarizes data on Native Americans in the criminal justice system."
American Indians and Suicide: A Neglected Area of Research
"Published studies indicate that American Indians experience the highest rate of suicide of all ethnic groups in the United States. This article synthesizes the epidemiology and risk factors associated with suicide among American Indians, barriers to research, prevention, mental-health services, and recommendations for research and practice."
An Activity Book for African-American Families: Helping Children Cope with Crisis
Crises receive extensive media coverage, and while adults may understand what they see and hear and can place things in context, children often cannot. Helping families face everyday hardships, such as crime and poverty, can also enhance the strength and togetherness that is necessary during times of major crisis. This publication identifies information and strategies that are meaningful to families coping with crisis. The authors consulted parents about their concerns and received input on tools they would find useful. This collaboration arises from a commitment to share the best knowledge with the American people. It represents the kind of public-private partnership that uses the strengths of all partners to improve the lives of children.
An Advocate's Guide to Full Faith and Credit
This guide was developed for advocates who assist victims of domestic violence with orders for protection. It provides a glossary of full faith and credit terminology, advocate tips, and information about enforcement of full faith and credit legislation.
An Assessment of Minnesota's Health Care and Public Health Response to Violence Against Women (pdf)
Examines the prevention of violence against women through literature, current policy and practices and lists recommendations for change.
An Educators' Guide To Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats (pdf)
This document provides information about cyberbullying and cyberthreats for educators and other professionals who focus on youth safety and well-being and sets forth recommendations for a comprehensive school and community based approach to address these concerns.
An End to Silence: Prisoners’ Handbook on Identifying and Addressing Sexual Misconduct (pdf)
This report addresses staff sexual misconduct to against all inmates; both female and male. The report explores the ways to identify staff sexual misconduct, effects of sexual conducts to the victims, and the steps to address the issue.
This report is about Minnesota's shelters for battered women and their children. Shelters include residential facilities and a network of hotels, motels, and safe homes used by shelter providers. Residential shelters offer, at a minimum, security, lodging, and meals, and are available 24 hours per day. Shelter staff and volunteers also advocate for battered women and offer a variety of services to help women escape abuse and move on to a better life. Although shelters are independent, nonprofit entities, they receive most of their financial support from the state.
An Evaluation of Safe Dates, an Adolescent Dating Violence Prevention Program
This paper presents the results of a program focused on preventing violence among teenage dating partners. Decreased violence was perpetrated against a dating partner for those who participated in the program compared to a control group.
An Evidence-Based Review of Sexual Assault Preventive Intervention Programs (pdf)
RTI International performed a comprehensive literature review of existing Sexual Assault Preventive Programs (SAPIs). This document provides an evidence-based review of their findings and includes extensive evaluations of existing SAPIs, identifies areas where there appear to be significant gaps, as well as provides recommendations for the change of current/future SAPIs. *This file is very large, please be patient as it downloads*
An Impact Evaluation of a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program (pdf)
This impact evaluation assesses the Albuquerque Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner services in the areas of healthcare, victim services, law enforcement, and prosecution. The evaluation compares the experiences of women who sought services at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center in the two years prior to the inception of the SANE program with those of women who sought services at the Albuquerque SANE Collaborative from its inception in October 1996 through to the end of 1999. The report concludes that the "data strongly suggest that a SANE unit greatly enhances the healthcare quality of women who have been sexuaIly assaulted, improves the quality of forensic evidence, improves law enforcement's ability to collect information and to file charges, and increases the likelihood of successful prosecution"
This white paper is intended to assist court planners in the design and implementation of domestic violence court technology. It spells out the basic principles that have animated domestic violence technology in New York and walks through the principle features of New York's computer application.
An Islamic Perspective on Violence Against Women
This is a statement describing how those who perpetrate violence against women are not following the true tenants of the Quran.
An Overview of Intimate Partner Violence Among Latinos
"This article reviews the existing literature on intimate partner violence (IPV) among Latinos to put the findings of this special issue into context. This review of the literature suggests that IPV occurs as frequently among Latinos as among non-Latinos when confounders are controlled for. Role strain, especially as a result of immigration and acculturation, might be unique to Latinos, and its importance, and the importance of male dominance among Latinas experiencing IPV, deserve more research."
An Update on the Cycle of Violence (pdf)
This document presents updated results of a longitudinal study that compared the arrest records of abused and/or neglected children with arrest records for children who were not abused or maltreated.
Objective: Ten to 30% of students engage in bullying behavior. Bullies stand out on account of increased anger, poor interpersonal relationships, and poor quality of life. Our aim was to determine the effectiveness of outpatient family psychotherapy as a monotherapy for anger reduction and improvement of behavior and interpersonal relationships and of health-related quality of life in male youths with bullying behavior. Methods: Twenty-two boys with bullying behavior took part in a family therapy program for 6 months. The control group was also composed of 22 youths and took part in a placebo intervention program. Every 2 weeks, results were checked with the Adolescents Risky-Behavior Scale (ARBS), the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-D), and the SF-36 Health Survey (SF-36). Follow-up testing took place 12 months after treatment. Results: In comparison with the control group (according to the intention-to-treat principle), bullying behavior was reduced (family therapy group: from n = 22 to n = 6; control group: from n = 22 to n = 20). Significant changes on all ARBS scales and on the STAXI scales State-Anger, Trait-Anger, Anger-Out, and Anger-Control were observed after 6 months. In the IIP-D, significant differences were found on the scales for overly autocratic, overly competitive, overly introverted, overly expressive, and exploitable/compliant. In the SF-36, significant differences were observed in general health perceptions, vitality, social functioning, role-emotional, and mental health. The reduction in expression of anger correlated with a reduction in several scales of the ARBS, IIP-D, and SF-36. Follow-up after 1 year showed relatively stable, lasting treatment effects. Conclusion: The results of this study show that outpatient family therapy seems to be an effective method of reducing anger and improving interpersonal relationships and health-related quality of life in male youths with bullying behavior.
Animal Abuse and Youth Violence
15-page Bulletin posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). This Bulletin describes psychiatric, psychological, and criminal research linking animal abuse to violence perpetrated by juveniles and adults. Particular attention is focused on the prevalence of cruelty to animals by children and adolescents and to the role of animal abuse as a possible symptom of conduct disorder. In addition, the motivations and etiology underlying the maltreatment of animals are thoroughly reviewed. The Bulletin includes recommendations to curb such cruelty, while providing contact information for additional resources concerned with violence perpetrated against animals and people.
Animal Cruelty/Human Violence (pdf)
"This fact sheet offers statistics from several research studies investigating the connection between animal cruelty and human violence, domestic violence, and child abuse."
Annual Report on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Domestic Violence in 2000 (pdf)
This report describes incidents of domestic violence in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community that were reported during the year 2000 to community-based anti-violence organizations in nine regions throughout the U.S.
Annual Report on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Domestic Violence in 1998
The purpose of this report is to investigate the following research questions and to summarize findings: 1) How prevalent is domestic violence among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people? 2) Do state statutes permit victims of same-sex domestic violence to obtain domestic violence protective orders? Footnotes are downloadable in Microsoft Word as well.
Annual Report on Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual Domestic Violence in 1999 (pdf)
This report describes incidents of domestic violence in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community that were reported during the year 1999 to community-based anti-violence organizations in nine regions throughout the U.S.
Anti-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Violence in 2002 (pdf)
Discusses the trends in violence towards the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.
Anti-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Violence in 2003 (pdf)
This report discusses the trends in violence towards the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities in 2003.
Anti-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender National Hate Crimes Report in 2003 (pdf)
Discusses the trends in violence towards the lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual communities.
Anti-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender National Hate Crimes Report in 2004 (pdf)
Discusses hate crimes of violence towards the lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual communities.
Anti-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender National Hate Crimes Report in 2005 (pdf)
Discusses hate crimes of violence towards the lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual communities.
Anti-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Violence in 2003 (pdf)
Discusses the trends in violence towards the lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual communities.
Anti-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Violence in 2004 (pdf)
This report is about bias related incidents targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals in the US.
Anti-Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual Violence in 1998
Discusses the trends in violence towards the lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual communities.
Anti-Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual Violence in 1999
Discusses the trends in violence towards the lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual communities.
Anti-Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual Violence in 2000
Discusses the trends in violence towards the lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual communities.
Anti-Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual Violence in 2001
Discusses the trends in violence towards the lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual communities.
Are Heterosexual Men Also Victims of Intimate Partner Abuse?
This VAWnet document summarizes the research on rates of intimate partner abuse (IPA) committed by women against men and discusses the arguments that have been made to explain the significant discrepancies in scholars' interpretations of findings regarding women's use of violence against intimate partners. The authors also provide recommendations for research and practice.
An informative brochure on stalking created by the National Center for Victims of Crime with information on steps to take if you or someone you know is being stalked. They also offer help in creating a safety plan.
Are You Being Stalked? (Spanish)
An informative brochure on stalking created in Spanish by the National Center for Victims of Crime with information on steps to take if you or someone you know is being stalked. They also offer help in creating a safety plan.
Assault Advocacy Guide: An Advocate's Guide to Sexual Assault Policy
"This manual contains a variety of information around understanding the federal legislative process, including action tools such as tips for meeting with your legislator."
"This study's purpose was to test the multidimensionality of the Acceptance of Interpersonal Violence Scale (AIV). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on half a sample of 772 male participants and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the other half. EFA indicated a two-factor solution. Factors were labeled Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence. The CFA showed this model provided a good fit and was superior to the original one-factor model. Potential problems when using the single sum score and the applicability of the derived factor structure to violence research are discussed."
Assessing Child Exposure to Adult Domestic Violence (word)
This article addresses the current available assessment tools for measuring the level of exposure to domestic violence children have witnessed within the home. A brief review of the existing measurements is offered as well as the need for a more thoroughly refined assessment tool. Suggestions are offered.
Offers information to health care providers and counselors on the importance of screening for reproductive coercion. Also offers a framework for assessing and responding to sensitive reproductive information.
This document contains an assessment tool for jurisdictions to use in developing effective responses by law enforcement, prosecution, and the courts.
Assessing Risk To Children From Batterers (pdf)
This document provides an overview of potential sources of physical and psychological injury to children from contact with batterers, details recommendations for evaluating the risk to children and provides assessment guidelines that professionals can apply in cases where a batterer admits to a history of abusiveness by asserting that he has changed. Information is also provided regarding the necessary context for children's recovery from exposure to battering behavior.
Assessing Social Risks of Battered Women (pdf)
This document explores the concept of safety planning. Specifically that effective risk assessment must take into account the diverse social factors of a battered woman’s life that impact her choices and decisions, especially regarding her experiences of battering.
The third website installment profiles 13 communities that have undertaken efforts to reduce and prevent violence against women. The communities have developed a coordinated criminal justice response while maintaining a focus on victim safety and offender accountability.
Assessment and evaluation of men who batter women
"Reviews research on characteristics of batterers and encourages ethnically and culturally sensitive approaches to assessment that are to plan effective interventions. Includes considerations regarding assessments for substance abuse, homicide, and more."
Assessment for Lifetime Exposure to Violence as a Pathway to Prevention
Provides a brief overview of the research on lifetime exposure to violence and the long-term health consequences of violence. It also examines how assessment for lifetime exposure to violence can create a pathway to prevention and addresses the long-term consequences of exposure to violence over the lifespan.
Assessment of U.S. Government Activities to Combat Trafficking in Persons (pdf)
Describes the U.S. government's successes in combating human trafficking and provides recommendations on ways to improve efforts.
Assisting Immigrant and Refugee Women Abused by Ther Sponsors: A Guide for Service Providers (pdf)
This guide is written for social service providers in Canada who deal with immigrant and refugee women who are abused by their visa sponsors under the family sponsorship program.
Attitudes of Jordanian Society Toward Wife Abuse
"This study was conducted among a sample of 260 Jordanian men and women, using self-administered open and closed questions to examine the participants' approach toward wife abuse. There was a strong tendency to consider wife abuse a personal and familial issue rather than a social and legal problem. The preferred method for coping with wife abuse and violence was the expectation that the abused wife should change her behavior and assume responsibility to change her husband followed by resorting to informal agents (family or community or religious figures). The implications of this study's findings for future research, interventions, and policy formulation are discussed."
Awareness and Attitudes About Domestic Violence
"This brief report summarizes findings from 2 focus groups and a telephone poll of 600 women in June, 2006 regarding their views about domestic violence. Demonstrates understanding of domestic violence and attitudes towards accountability and intervention."
Backlash and Whiplash: A Critique of Statistics Canada's 1999 General Social Survey on Victimization
Throughout North America and in many other countries, the late 1970s and early 1980s were marked by protests that not only was the criminal justice system stacked against battered women, but that researchers had completely ignored their plight. These earlier studies, including Statistics Canada’s own 1993 national Violence Against Women Survey (VAWS)1 and others like it are now the basis behind the claim that researchers were biased against men in the past. The main objective is to show that Statistics Canada made a specific effort to return newer studies to the late 1970s and early 1980s, when researchers methods that portrayed an inaccurate picture of relationship violence.
Balancing the Harms - Protecting Children
The author addresses the need for change in the child protection system and the current means through which children are removed from the home in domestic violence situations. The page provides a short video clip from the author's work-in-progress which addresses actual cases.
Barbara J. Hart's Collected Writings
18 of Barbara J. Hart's most recent writings. Barbara J. Hart is the Legal Director of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Associate Director of the Battered Women's Justice Project, and Legal Consultant to the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence.
Battered Immigrant Mexican Women’s Perspectives Regarding Abuse and Help-Seeking (pdf)
"A qualitative, pilot study employing in-depth ethno-graphic interviews was conducted to examine perceptions and attitudes towards abuse and the help-seeking behaviors of a sample of ten battered immigrant Mexican women. Findings indicated that participants’ attitudes about seeking help were influenced more by cultural factors (e.g., gender-role expectations, famialism) than by psycho-social stressors (e.g., immigrant status, financial dependency). Suggestions for further research and intervention with this population and a model of internal and external determinants of help-seeking behavior are presented."
Battered Immigrant Women Resources
This site provides a number of tools, books and brochures to help immigrant survivors of DV.
Battered Immigrants and U.S. Citizen Spouses (pdf)
Designed to help adjudicators who decide cases involving battered immigrant women to better understand and consider the evidence presented, this paper reviews and provided data about the dynamics of domestic violence experienced by immigrant women. The authors demonstrate how power and control over the immigration status of an immigrant partner enhances the likelihood and severity of abuse. Examples of immigration-related tactics of abuse are provided.
Battered Women and Their Children
Battered Women and Their Children is a website devoted to a professional and scholarly examination of the connections between domestic violence (woman abuse) and child maltreatment (child abuse and neglect).
Battered Women's Reports of Their Partner's and Children's Cruelty to Animals (pdf)
"This research study describes how abuse of pets is a method employed by batterers to control their partners, contributes to the impact on children exposed to violence, and may also be related to batterers' lethality."
Batterer Intervention Program Enrollment and Completion Among Immigrant Men in Massachusetts
"This study describes immigrant clients enrolled in Massachusetts batterer intervention (BI) programs from 2002 to 2004. The study seeks to describe the immigrant men enrolled in Massachusetts BI programs, investigate whether immigrants were more or less likely to complete BI programs than were nonimmigrants, and investigate whether immigrants in non-English, culturally specific groups were more or less likely to complete BI programs than were immigrants in mainstream groups."
Batterer Intervention Programs: Where Do We Go From Here? (pdf)
This report analyzes the possibility that previous batterer intervention program evaluations may be methodologically flawed and/or that something may be wrong with the programs themselves.
Batterer Intervention State Standards
This is an extensive directory of state and county standards for batterer intervention and domestic violence education.
Batterer Intervention: Program Approaches and Criminal Justice Strategies
This February 1998 report strives to improve the working relationship and mutual understanding between criminal justice personnel and batterer program staff. A secondary goal is to expand the debate about innovative batterer intervention approaches to include criminal justice personnel who work with batterers daily and criminal justice policymakers who are concerned with domestic violence. Published by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs at the National Institute of Justice.
Batterer Intervention: Where Do We Go From Here? - Workshop Notes
This article documents the main conversations held at the Batterer Intervention Workshop. Participants discussed several areas that need attention: the definition of a successful outcome, researcher-practitioner partnerships, determining which evaluation designs are most effective under which circumstances, and recruitment and attrition issues. The Workshop was held January 17, 2002.
Before it Occurs: Primary Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse (pdf)
Focusing on primary prevention and applying lessons learned from past successes, our chapter presents a framework for meaningful health sector involvement in initiating the environmental change necessary to stop intimate partner violence and abuse before it occurs.
Behind Closed Doors: The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children (pdf)
This document is a collection of information about the extent of child exposure, the key finding of the research in this field, and recommendations for policymakers.
Benefits and Costs of Prevention and Early Intervention Programs for Youth
"This report describes findings and analysis regarding the cost-effectiveness of research-based prevention and early intervention programs for youth with a demonstrated ability to achieve 7 outcomes including reduction in child abuse and domestic violence."
Best Practices of Youth Violence Prevention: A Sourcebook for Community Action
Looks at the effectiveness of specific violence prevention practices in four key areas: parents and families; home visiting; social and conflict resolution skills; and mentoring.
Best Practices of Youth Violence Prevention: A Sourcebook for Community Action
Best Practices is the first of its kind to look at the effectiveness of specific violence prevention practices in four key areas: parents and families; home visiting; social and conflict resolution skills; and mentoring. These programs are drawn from real-world experiences of professionals and advocates who have successfully worked to prevent violence among children and adolescents. As a CDC publication, the sourcebook also documents the science behind each best practice and offers a comprehensive directory of resources for more information about programs that have used these practices. This publication is out of print and only available electronically. Copia en Espanol en .pdf
Beyond 'Drink Spiking': Drug and Alcohol Facilitated Sexual Assault (pdf)
"This report from Australia focuses on the issue of drug-facilitated sexual assault and "drink spiking", and the fact that it is problematic to overlook the real issues related to sexual assault, alcohol comsumption, and victim-blaming."
Beyond Child Labour, Affirming Rights (pdf)
Beyond Child Labour shows how UNICEF and its major partners are working to end child labour, a cause of poverty.
BEYOND OBSERVATION: Considerations for Advancing Domestic Violence Practice in Supervised Visitation (pdf)
"This paper presents considerations for expanded practice in the Supervised Visitation Grant Program and describes interventions that go beyond observation in the supervised visitation setting."
"The domestic violence advocacy and family court communities have each grown dramatically over the last three decades. Although these professional communities share many values in common, they often find themselves at odds with one another on a host of issues. This article examines the practical, political, definitional, and ideological differences between the two communities and calls for them to join forces and collaborate on behalf of children and families."
Beyond Surviving: Toward a Movement of Preventing Child Sexual Abuse (pdf)
This document offers a place to begin broader discussion around child sexual abuse (CSA) and understand the complexities of the issue. The report outlines barriers to addressing child sexual abuse on a grassroots level and describes beginning ideas for moving this work forward to its next step. It is not a meeting summary, nor is it a comprehensive paper on the issues surrounding child sexual abuse. The document should be used as a springboard to launch public ownership and discussion that will move us toward long-term solutions to end child sexual abuse.
"This manual is dedicated to answering a simple question: What do you do when a sexual assault victim walks through your door and asks for legal help?"
Bibliography of Sexual and Domestic Violence in the Jewish Community (pdf)
"In addition to providing a list of organizations working on this issue, this bibliography lists the following types of resources: Periodicals; Books; Journal Articles; Newspaper Articles; Newsletter Articles; and Directories."
Bibliography: Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence and Persons with Disabilities (pdf)
"This bibliography lists several resources and research materials for use by advocates, researchers, students, survivors, and others interested in the subject matter."
Blame, Shame, and Community: Justice Responses to Violence Against Women
August 2000 speech delivered at the 108th annual APA meeting.
Blaming the Victim: Domestic Violence and the CoDependency Model (pdf)
This article addresses the hazards of applying a label of co-dependent upon a battered woman, and discusses the differences between being a victim of abuse and being co-dependent.
Blueprints for Violence Prevention
15-page Bulletin posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Through the Blueprints for Violence Prevention Initiative, OJJDP provides information to communities on a broad array of violence prevention and intervention programs that have proven to be effective. This Bulletin describes the demanding criteria established by CSPV to designate model Blueprints programs and the activities of the 11 programs out of the more than 500 reviewed to date that have been found to meet those standards. Contact information is provided for each program, and replication and funding resources are discussed.
Blueprints for Violence Prevention (pdf)
This document describes the Blueprints for Violence Prevention initiative, presents lessons learned about program implementation, and provides recommendations for program designers, funders, and implementing agencies and organizations.After reviewing more than 600 violence prevention programs, the Blueprints initiative has identified 11 model programs and 21 promising programs that prevent violence and drug use and treat youth with problem behaviors.
Blueprints for Violence Prevention
This report by the OJJDP describes 11 model programs and 21 promising programs that demonstrated evidence of effectiveness in delinquency, violence, and substance abuse prevention and reduction. The report describes the Blueprints programs, presents lessons learned about program implementation and provides recommendations for program designers, funders, and implementing agencies and organizations.
Body Evidence: Intimate Violence against South Asian Women in America
"In Body Evidence, more than twenty scholars and public health professionals uncover the unique challenges faced by victims of violence in intimate spaces . . . within families, communities and trusted relationships in South Asian American communities. Topics include cultural obsession with women's chastity and virginity; the continued silence surrounding intimate violence among women who identify themselves as lesbian, bisexual, or transgender; the consequences of refusing marriage proposals or failing to meet dowry demands; and, ultimately, the ways in which the United States courts often confuse and exacerbate the plights of these women."
Bonding and Attachment in Maltreated Children: Consequences of Emotional Neglect in Childhood (pdf)
This article is designed for parents, teachers and working professionals interested in learning about attachment and how it is affected by emotional absences in early development.
This curriculum guideline offers information, exercises and more to help batterer intervention programs to help fathers who have perpetrated family violence relate to their children in positive ways.
Breaking the Links Between Poverty and Violence against Women: A Resource Guide (pdf)
"This resource guide explores the ways in which poverty and violence are linked. It acknowledges the efforts of women’s groups, community organizations and service agencies that support low-income women to take control of and deal with the poverty and violence in their lives. Another area of focus is to inspire community-based groups to take action on poverty and violence issues by providing practical examples of what others are doing."
Breaking the Silence: A Training Manual for Activists, Advocates, and Latina Organizers (pdf)
"A guide for domestic violence service providers, activists, counselors and others focused on advancing the rights of battered immigrant women. Based on the FVPF's successful pilot project, the manual provides essential details on how to start organizing and maintaining a group of activists and counselors. This guide is also available in Spanish."
Breaking the Silence: A Training Manual for Activists, Advocates, and Latina Organizers (Spanish) (pdf)
"The first ever guide for domestic violence service providers, activists, counselors and others focused on advancing the rights of battered immigrant women. Based on the FVPF's successful pilot project, the manual provides essential details on how to start organizing and maintaining a group of activists and counselors. This guide is also available in English."
Bridging the Gap: Financing Gender Equality (pdf)
"This booklet is intended for those who wish to better understand the links between gender equality, public policy formation and development financing. It highlights the importance of expanding policy choices in setting the framework for national development plans, and emphasizes the central role of strategies to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women in achieving development effectiveness."
Bringing the Greenbook to Life: a Resource Guide for Communities (pdf)
"This guide is designed for communities seeking to develop interventions that will improve their responses to families suffering both domestic violence and child maltreatment."
Broadening Our Understanding of Violence Against Women Among Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Minorities
This article documents the main discussions that evolved from a workshop. The document explores what is known and unknown about the dynamics of violence experienced by women from diverse communities and how criminal justice and social science providers can better respond to it. The workshop was held in October 2001 and attended by approximately 30 practitioners and researchers, including representatives from the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services.
Broken Rainbow Conference Report 2002
The report summarizes the Broken Rainbow Conference, which was held in London, England on May 12, 2002 to discuss how to change the situation of LGBT people facing domestic violence and abuse.
Building Academic Capacity and Expertise in the HEALTH EFFECTS OF VIOLENCE AND ABUSE (pdf)
This report was created from the Proceedings from a Pre-Conference Symposium at the Family Violence Prevention Fund which offers a blueprint on advancing professional health education from a perspective on the health effects on violence and abuse.
Building Bridges Between Domestic Violence Advocates and Healthcare Providers
This paper addresses the role of domestic violence advocates as they face new challenges in the field of health care, with growing demands to provide health care-based training, interventions, and policy initiatives.
Building Bridges Between Domestic Violence Organizations and Child Protective Services
This paper provides both background information and a framework for collaboration with child protection agencies that will support the work of domestic violence advocates as they try to improve safety for women and their children.
Building Bridges Between Healthy Marriage, Responsible Fatherhood, and Domestic Violence Programs (pdf)
The authors discuss the disconnect between professionals working in domestic violence, healthy marriages, and responsible fatherhood and highlights the needs and benefits of collaboration.
Contents Include: Barriers Facing Immigrant Victims of Violence against Women; Effective Strategies for Reaching & Serving Immigrant Victims of Violence against Women; Promising Models for Reaching & Serving Immigrant Victims of Violence against Women. The .pdf file size is very large.
Building Capacity in Child Welfare Systems: Domestic Violence Specialized Positions (pdf)
"The report seeks to assist policymakers and practitioners in developing specialist positions that are tailored to the circumstances of their communities and states. We offer observations about initial expectations for these positions and the evolution of the positions over time. We also set forth composite examples of each of the major types of specialized positions and lay out the components of each, including responsibilities, auspices and settings, competencies, and funding sources. By doing so, we highlight different approaches to improving understanding 2 of domestic violence and strengthening the likelihood of achieving safety for non-offending parents and their children."
This report provides recommendations regarding public health surveillance and research on violence against women developed during a workshop, "Building Data Systems for Monitoring and Responding to Violence Against Women." The Workshop, which was convened October 29--30, 1998, was co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Building Opportunities for Battered Women's Safety and Self-Sufficiency
Practice paper from a series of papers for an initiative to provide technical assistance to state administrators and domestic violence advocates implementing the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) in TANF and child support enforcement (CSE) contexts. This initiative is a partnership between the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRC) and the Administration for Children and Families, DHHS. This paper, Practice Paper #1, includes background information about domestic violence and the options battered women need to be safe and self-sufficient, and concise discussions of key implementation issues.
Building Safety for Battered Women and Their Children into the Child Protection System (pdf)
This is a report based on three separate consultations by Praxis with communities wanting to explore the use of the Safety and Accountability Audit in child protection cases where there has been a history of domestic violence. This report shows how to use case files and focus groups to locate systemic problems in the handling of these cases. It is a preliminary examination of the problematic practices in working with battered women within a child protection case.
This manual provides suggestions and guidance on how to organize projects at improving services and eliminating barriers for ensuring safety for battered rural immigrant women.
California Batterer Intervention Systems Study
This study on batterer intervention programs in the state of California encompasses 5 counties, 53 batterer intervention programs that provide client data, and over 1,000 men enrolled in those programs. The study found that the individual characteristics of the offenders, and not the program they were enrolled in nor the features of the specific court they were sentenced in, were the strongest predictors of outcomes.
Campus Stalking (pdf)
"Highlights issues and suggests practical options for responding to stalking incidents that occur in college and university campus communities. Includes a review of the history, definitions, and statistics related to stalking, offering useful resources."
Canadian Domestic Violence Policy and Indian Immigrant Women
"This article explores the problems of Indian immigrant women who face cultural constraints in accessing the benefits of Canadian policies for domestically abused women. They expose the pressures of cultural, social, and family ties that prevent these women from getting necessary help for domestic violence. The limitations of Canadian policies and programs for these women and the means to improve their access to these policies and programs are discussed."
Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect: 2003 (pdf)
This report presents the major findings of the second cycle of the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS-2003). In this initiative, data are collected every five years on child maltreatment reported to, and investigated by, child welfare agencies in Canada.
Casa de Esperanza: Mobilizing Latinas and Latino Communities to End Domestic Violence
This issue of the BCS newsletter features the strengths-based, community engagement approach of Casa de Esperanza, of St. Paul, MN. The main article describes their work of mobilizing Latinas and Latino communities to end domestic violence. Lessons learned are highlighted.
Case Studies in Partner Violence
Discusses that interpersonal violence and abuse, especially between relatives and domestic partners, are leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Published in American Family Physician.
Casey Gwinn Blog, Family Justice Center Alliance
In his blog, he writes about the current work he is doing with the Family Justice Center on issues surrounding domestic violence. Casey Gwinn has played a key role in developing the President’s Family Justice Center Initiative and currently assists communities across America in developing Family Justice Centers.
Causing Pain: Real Stories of Dating Abuse and Violence (video)
A 30-minute video containing true stories of teens, parents, and professionals who have been in or witnessed abusive relationships. They describe their experiences and insights so that teens and parents can recognize and prevent dating abuse in their own lives or in the lives of their friends.
This article explains the importance of coordingating system change activities in child welfare agencies with many collaborative activities."
This research report describes how and why two Midwestern domestic violence organizations use Internet and wireless communication technologies.
Characteristics of Batterers in A Multi-Site Evaluation of Batterer Intervention Systems
Includes: A summary of findings for a 12-month follow-up; A summary of findings for a 15-month follow-up; and List of Papers and Staff
Characteristics of Crimes Against Juveniles
12-page Bulletin posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). This Bulletin reviews data from the 1997 NIBRS data file that pertain to juvenile victims.
Child Abuse and Accidents in Black Families: A Controlled Comparative Study
This study identified significant socioeconomic factors that increased the stress in families. Controlled comparative samples of children were used and matched on the basis of race, SES and age.
Child Abuse and Domestic Violence
Discussion of the study, "Relation Between Childhood Sexual and Physical Abuse and Risk of Revictimisation in Women: A Cross-Sectional Survey", that shows women who are physically and/or sexually abused in childhood are at risk of being victims of abuse as adults.
November 1997. This paper is meant to serve as a working document rather than the "last word," and it will be subject to revision as child welfare and domestic violence agencies on the vanguard of creating partnerships learn more about the link between child abuse and domestic violence, and how to best protect both children and their abused mothers. While the suggested practices and policies are by no means exhaustive, it is hoped that setting them out will save agencies from having to "reinvent the wheel," and will, at the same time, motivate them to add additional "spokes."
November 1997. This paper is meant to serve as a working document rather than the "last word," and it will be subject to revision as child welfare and domestic violence agencies on the vanguard of creating partnerships learn more about the link between child abuse and domestic violence, and how to best protect both children and their abused mothers. While the suggested practices and policies are by no means exhaustive, it is hoped that setting them out will save agencies from having to "reinvent the wheel," and will, at the same time, motivate them to add additional "spokes."
Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities: Statistics and Interventions (pdf)
"This 2008 brief report presents statistical information on maltreatment-related fatalities of children including who are the victims and perpetrators and how communities often respond. "
Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention : Reports from the Field and Ideas for the Future (pdf)
"This report summarizes findings from a PPN project conducted for the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's Child Abuse Prevention Program. The project sought to assess the current state of the child abuse and neglect prevention field as well as identify potential future directions for the field in terms of emerging priorities and prevention strategies."
Child Abuse and Neglect: Compendia of Civil and Criminal State Laws
"This compendia list how each state in the U.S. defines child abuse and neglect. The compendia of civil state laws are to help legal and non-legal professionals in the analysis, formulation, and implementation of child protection and child welfare legislation. The Compendia (previously titled State Statutes Elements) contain citations and text of key civil statutes pertaining to child maltreatment, child welfare, and domestic violence. The Compendia are intended as research tools and do not substitute for the official version of any statute."
Child Abuse and Pediatric Social Illness: An Epidemiological Analysis and Ecological Reformulation
This study discusses the findings as determined by a case-control study of children placed in the hospital for immediate medical attention and their caregivers who brought them there. The comparative samples are those who are suspected to have experienced a form of child abuse/neglect versus those children with comparable presenting symptoms but not likely to have experience child abuse/neglect.
Child Abuse and Safety Web Videos by Marc Klaas
This site offers useful information on child safety in the home and in cyberspace.
Child Abuse Incidence and Reporting by Hospitals: Significance of Severity, Class, and Race
The study summarizes the data collected from a study that measured the variation in treatment and child protection cases reported by hospital workers. Findings suggested that race, the income and living situation of the family, alleged offender responsible for the child abuse, as well as the degree and type of abuse that occurred were all factors that dictated whether or not a hospital filed a report with child protection on behalf of the child's safety.
Child Abuse Prevention: Accomplishments and Challenges (pdf)
This paper begins by briefly outlining the theoretical framework that has shaped the development of prevention programming in the area of child abuse. It then summarizes the key program models emerging it this field and the empirical base regarding the relative effectiveness of these strategies.
Child Abuse Reported to the Police (pdf)
Describes how data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System can be used to depict police experience with child abuse.
Child abuse, child pornography and the internet (pdf)
This report seeks to determine to what extent the internet facilitates sexually abusive behavior in individuals. The report also discusses the role that child pornography can play in stimulating individuals with sexual interest in children to go on committing real life offences against children. The author concludes by proposing ways to increase protection for children using the internet and reduce the amount of child pornography being posted on the internet.
Child Abuse: Statistics, Research, and Resources
Gives historical contexts, sources of statistics, and statistical tools. Also includes official statistics on child abuse for the United States, Canada, Australia, and England. Discusses the prevalance of the sexual abuse of boys and the effects of child abuse, and gives resources for parents and caregivers.
Child Abuse: The Current Theory Base and Future Research Needs
This study briefly summarizes the literature findings on the effects and theories behind child abuse and then addresses implications for the future.
A surprising number of battered women lose custody of their children to their abusive partners. This document describes some of the legal and cultural trends surrounding custody and visitation decisions and the social science evidence supporting a need to consider domestic violence in these decisions.
Describes major legal and social trends surrounding custody and visitation decisions and the social science evidence supporting the need to consider domestic violence. Recommendations for custody and visitation decisions are explored.
"Describes major legal and social trends surrounding custody and visitation decisions and the social science evidence supporting the need to consider domestic violence. Recommendations for custody and visitation decisions are explored."
Child Development-Community Policing: Partnership in a Climate of Violence (pdf)
This article is available through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The article discusses a unique collaborative program to address the psychological impact of the chronic exposure to community violence on children and families. The Child Development-CommunityPolicing (CD-CP) program brings police officers and mental health professionals together to provide each other with training, consultation, and support, and to provide direct interdisciplinary intervention to children who are victims, witnesses, or perpetrators of violent crime.
Child Exploitation Statutes and Legislation
Posted by the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Criminal Division of the United States Department of Justice. Includes information on the Child Online Protection Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Predators Act.
Child Maltreatment 2006 Report (pdf)
"The latest Child Maltreatment annual report reports statistical data from the states on reports of maltreatment, characteristics of the children involved and their perpetrators, fatalities tied to maltreatment, and services provided to prevent maltreatment or to address the consequences of maltreatment."
Child Physical Abuse: A Problematic Rediscovery
This article addresses the waxing and waning attention that childhood physical abuse has received over the course of history.
Child Pornography: Findings From the National Incident-Based Reporting System (pdf)
This document presents findings from the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). By collecting data on pornography/obscene material offenses from law enforcement jurisdictions, NIBRS enables researchers to draw conclusions about the number, locations, and characteristics of these crimes. NIBRS data suggest that approximately 2,900 crime incidents of pornography with juvenile involvement were known to state and local police in 2000; these offenses most often were committed by a lone adult male offender, occurred in a residence, and did not involve a computer. Currently, NIBRS data represent about 14 percent of the population. As more jurisdictions support uniform reporting of accurate data to NIBRS and as its codes become more refined, NIBRS will become even more useful in identifying and tracking trends in child pornography.
Child prostitution: global health burden, research needs, and interventions
"In this article we estimate morbidity and mortality among prostituted children, and propose research strategies and interventions to mitigate such health consequences."
Child Protection Information Sheets (pdf)
"This booklet comprises 14 information sheets which highlight how child protection is crucial to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Covering different forms of abuse, these sheets also outline how to build a protective environment for children and what UNICEF is doing on the ground to protect children."
Child Protective Services for Children of Battered Women: Practice and Controversy
1995. A look at the difficulties that child protection workers face when trying to make a situation safe for children who witness woman abuse.
Child Safety on the Information Highway
This document gives tips for becoming smart about the Web. Guidelines for parents are provided, along with 10 specific suggestions for safeguarding children's online activities and an explaination for how to deal with everything from suggestive or misleading content to possible online-arranged meetings with strangers.
Child Sexual Abuse and Subsequent Psychopathology: Results From the National Comorbidity Survey
"This study examines the relationship between child sexual abuse (CSA) and subsequent onset of psychiatric disorders, accounting for other childhood adversities, CSA type, and chronicity of the abuse."
Child Sexual Abuse: Child Survivors, Mothers, and Perpetrators Tell Their Stories (pdf)
This book is full of hard-to-find information about child sexual abuse and is based on interviews with children, mothers, and perpetrators. Through these interviews, questions many people have surrounding this issue are answered. This book reveals how our culture gangs up on child victims to the benefit of perpetrators.
Child Trafficking for Sexual Purposes Report (pdf)
End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT International) released a report in November 2008 on the global problem of child sex trafficking. The report sums up progress countries have made since passing laws to combat child sex trafficking. Finally, the report highlights key lessons learned and discusses six recommendations to improve strategies and policies.
Child Welfare Outcomes 2003: Annual Report
Improved efforts are needed to ensure that child victims do not experience recurrence of abuse or neglect, according to this year´s annual report to Congress from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Children´s Bureau. While the overall performance of state child welfare services generally improved from 2000 to 2003, the 2006 report, Child Welfare Outcomes 2003: Annual Report to Congress, recognizes that particularly with regard to maltreatment of children, the reported data do not always include all instances of abuse or neglect. In measuring the recurrence of child abuse and neglect, the report notes that child victim rates varied considerably across states, ranging from 1.6 per 1,000 children in the state's population in Pennsylvania to 42.2 in Alaska, with a median of 10.6. In seven states, there were fewer than five child victims per 1,000 children (Arizona, Idaho, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington). In contrast, in six states, there were more than 20 child victims per 1,000 (Alaska, District of Columbia, Florida, Massachusetts, South Dakota, and West Virginia); in two of these six states (Alaska and Florida) there were more than 35 child victims per 1,000. The full report with state-by-state results plus nation-wide data can be downloaded from the Children's Bureau Web site above.
Child Welfare Practices for Cases with Domestic Violence (pdf)
This is the third edition of Child Welfare Practice for Cases with Domestic Violence, developed as part of an overall effort to increase the safety of adults and children through collaboration of domestic violence services and child protective services.
Child Welfare: Health & Human Services
This website provides a number of documents and related resources, particlarly for child welfare workers. Training resources and interventions are provided as well.
Child Witnesses in Canada (pdf)
This paper reviews the legal reforms of the 1980s that opened the courtrooms of Canada to hearing the evidence of children. Topics covered include best practice approaches, a research agenda for child witnesses, a "bill of rights" for children who have to testify, and the results of a follow-up with former clients 12 years after they were referred.
Child Witnesses to Domestic Violence - Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions about child witnessing of domestic violence are answered along with information about how children are impacted, the long-term effects, and how to help.
Child Witnesses to Domestic Violence: A Meta-Analytic Review (pdf)
This study compared children exposed to domestic violence to children not so exposed. The results showed that child witnesses to domestic violence exhibit more negative outcomes.
"This report presents findings from the National Juvenile Online Victimization (N-JOV) Study describing arrests and characteristics of offenses and offenders for Internet-related sex crimes committed against minors."
Child/Youth Confidentiality in Domestic Violence Programs (pdf)
This series was created through a collaboration of the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Vermont Department for Children and Families and the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services. Part IV addresses ideas to consider when making decisions about children's confidentiality issues, provides "best practices" for direct services and schools and discusses teen-specific service considerations.
"Abuse studies from the author’s laboratory, studies of children in orphanages who lacked emotional contact, and a large number of animal deprivation and enrichment studies point to the need for children and young nonhuman mammals to have both stable emotional attachments with and touch from primary adult caregivers, and spontaneous interactions with peers. If these connections are lacking, brain development both of caring behavior and cognitive capacities is damaged in a lasting fashion. The effects of the childhood environment, favorable or unfavorable, interact with all the processes of neurodevelopment."
Childhood Sex Abuse Increases Risk for Drug Dependence in Adult Women
"The article briefly discusses the data results gathered from interviews of women revealing that those who experienced any type of sexual abuse in their childhood were roughly three times more likely than unabused girls to report drug dependence as adults."
This study confirms previous research that shows a strong relationship between all types of child abuse (physical, sexual, and emotional) and neglect and delinquency, adult criminality, and violent criminal behavior. The authors analyzed 877 substantiated cases of child maltreatment in court records from the mid-1980s and compared them with a control group of matched children.
Childhood Victimization: Early Adversity, Later Psychopathology (pdf)
This article examines the long-term consequences of childhood victimization and the processes linking it to outcomes later in life. This article discusses what is known from earlier studies and also presents the findings of more recent research.
Children Abducted by Family Members: National Estimates and Characteristics (pdf)
This document summarizes findings from the Second National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children (NISMART–2). The series offers national estimates of missing children based on surveys of households, juvenile residential facilities, and law enforcement agencies. It also presents statistical profiles of these children, including their demographic characteristics and the circumstances of their disappearance.
Children Abducted by Family Members: National Estimates and Characteristics (pdf)
This bulletin presents national estimates of children abducted by family members in 1999, their demographic characteristics, and the characteristics of perpetrators and episodes. The bulletin is part of a series summarizing findings from the second National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children. Of the estimated 203,900 children who experienced a family abduction, 117,200 were classified as caretaker missing and 56,500 were reported as missing to law enforcement or other agencies. Younger children were at greatest risk of being abducted by a family member. Use of threats or physical force was uncommon. The bulletin also discusses policy implications of the findings.
Children and Domestic Violence
A variety of resources are provided for professionals and for any person interested in learning more about children and domestic violence, including books and training materials.
Children and Domestic Violence (pdf)
This document is based on a presentation done by Steve Cohen. It reviews the impact of exposure to domestic violence on children, the scope of the problem, and a variety of resources are also provided.
Children and Family Violence: The Unnoticed Victims
May 1994 report based on a New Zealand study. This document goes into detail about child exposure to domestic violence and the consequences of such witnessing.
May 2000. This 23-page Bulletin was derived from "Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report." It is one of a series of Bulletins designed to give readers quick access to some of the most critical data from the wealth of data in the 222-page Report, which was compiled for OJJDP by the National Center for Juvenile Justice. This Bulletin documents the impact of crime on society's most vulnerable victims--children.
Children Exposed to Domestic Violence (pdf)
In this brief, an outline is provided that details the domestic violence problem, how it effects children by age and gender, the connection between DV and child abuse, and Rhode Islands specific efforts to combat the problem.
Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence (pdf)
The information provided in this article centers on the effects of child exposure to domestic violence, parenting practices, the need for collaboration between domestic violence advocates and child protection workers, and interventions for exposed children.
Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence: Research Findings and Implications for Intervention
Prevalence rates are discussed in addition to moderating factors for childrens' responses to domestic violence. Group and individual interventions are reviewed in the context of witnessing DV.
This handbook is for domestic violence specialists and trainers in police departments. It is designed to increase the understanding of children’s exposure to domestic violence by officers responding to these situations.
This 26-page resource helps educators understand how violence affects children at different ages, what teachers may see in the classroom, teaching strategies, handling parent-attended events, and supporting students who disclose.
Children Exposed to Violence: Current Status, Gaps, and Research Priorities (pdf)
This is a workshop summary of the July 24-26, 2002 conference in Washington DC. It includes conference findings that explore the definition and conceptualization of child maltreatment, differentiating exposure to violence and child abuse, measuring violence exposure, services and interventions, and legal and policy issues.
Children Hurt Too: How You Can Help (pdf)
This booklet contains information put together by King County in Washington, that can help parents to talk to their children about the violence, and help children to recover from their experience so they don’t become abusers or victims themselves.
Children Who Witness Domestic Violence: The Invisible Victims (pdf)
A review of the effects of exposure to both domestic violence and community violence is the focus of this work, and the author discusses what is learned by children who witness such violence. Further directions for research are also included.
Children with Sexual Behavior Problems: Common Misconceptions vs. Current Findings (pdf)
"This fact sheet provides information about children who demonstrate developmentally inappropriate or aggressive sexual behavior. It addresses some common myths about this population and provides findings from research on the issue."
Children's Domestic Violence Assessment Tool (pdf)
"The purpose of this tool is to help assess safety, risk, strengths and needs. It may be used to assist in decision making and service planning during any stage of the CPS case (assessment through case planning and case management) in conjunction with required Structured Decision Making Tools. The tool is designed for use with the child(ren) in CPS cases involving domestic violence."
Children's Exposure to Domestic Violence
This article reviews the various effects, possible symptoms, protective factors, and the professional response.
Children's Exposure to Domestic Violence: A Guide to Research and Resources (pdf)
Published in collaborative work with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, this document outlines: the impace of domestic violence on children, the legal issues and system responses affecting children exposed to domestic violence, and provides useful resources which address this specific area of interest.
Children's Exposure to Domestic Violence: Is It Child Abuse?
"Each year, millions of children are exposed to incidents of adult domestic violence. Children in violent households are at increased risk of physical abuse and often experience heightened levels of depression, anxiety and aggression. Policymakers are concerned about the effects of domestic violence on children's safety and well-being. Some are considering whether to treat exposure to domestic violence as child maltreatment and to require that such exposure be reported to and investigated by child welfare authorities. Some domestic violence experts have criticized this approach as unnecessary and counterproductive. This report reviews what states have done, summarizes the arguments for and against this new and controversial strategy, briefly reviews some alternative policy approaches to the problem, and identifies some key issues for legislators."
Children's Exposure to Domestic Violence: Striving Toward an Ecological Framework for Interventions (pdf)
The authors discuss the implications for childhood exposure to domestic violence and reviews a myriad of interventions that have been shown to counteract some of the consequences.
Children's Exposure to Violence
This website provides access to research articles about a variety of topics related to child exposure to domestic violence. Articles can be searched for by topic.
Children's Exposure to Violence: The Safe Start Initiative
An April 2001 Factsheet presents an overview of the Safe Start Initiative. Researchers estimate that as many as 10 million U.S. children witness or are victims of violence in their homes or communities each year. The Safe Start Initiative, which was developed by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in partnership with the Office of Justice Programs and the Department of Health and Human Services, is designed to prevent and reduce the impact of violence on young children and their families through the development of comprehensive and collaborative service delivery systems.
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998
TITLE XIII-Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998
This ToolKit includes information and materials to assist in a creating a program for children who have experienced trauma. Its design lends itself to using components individually or in combination. It can easily be customized to meet individual program needs.
Children's Witnessing of Adult Domestic Violence
This article focuses on understanding on how witnessing violence in defined, what we know about its effects on children, and how such information may be used or misused.
Children, Young People and Domestic Violence (pdf)
The author explores "the ways in which children and young people experience domestic violence," as well as the impact it has on child development and the response by professionals and the child protection system is also reviewed.
Choose Respect Video Discussion Guide (pdf)
Discussion guide for parents, teachers, and other adults regarding the video "Causing Pain: Real Stories of Dating Abuse and Violence".
Choosing and Using Child Victimization Questionnaires
15-page Bulletin posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). This Bulletin notes several benefits deriving from the use of standardized questionnaires. Specific guidelines are provided to help youth service professionals determine what type of victimization is to be measured, what questionnaire should be administered, whether the results need to correspond to crime and child protection categories, what period of time is being surveyed, what the children's ages are, and whether the results will be compared with national norms. Specific questionnaires are reviewed, and recommendations for further reading are offered.
This series was created through a collaboration of the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Vermont Department for Children and Families and the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services. Part II of the series provides well-documented information for policy development regarding criminal and civil responses to issues impacting children exposed to domestic violence that hold batterers accountable. The paper incudes a discussion of unintended consequences of these policies, a review of several state statutes and a model response and recommendations for Vermont.
This guide is inteded for use by qualified health care providers in developing protocols for the management of rape survivors.
Close the Book on Hate: Responding to Hate Motivated Behaviors in Schools
Discusses hate incidents and hate crimes. Gives lesson plans and teaching tips regarding responding to hate-motivated behavior in schools, holiday activities guidelines, anti-bias education, creating a positive environment in which to raise diversity issues, and resources.
Closing the Quality Chasm in Child Abuse Treatment: Identifying and Disseminating Best Practices (pdf)
Three intervention protocols emerged as clear, consensus choices as "Best Practices" in the field of child abuse treatment: 1. Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT); 2. Abuse Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT); 3. Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
Coerced First Intercourse and Reproductive Health Among Adolescent Women in Rakai, Uganda
This paper addresses linkages between coerced first sex and selected reproductive health behaviors and outcomes in a sample of 575 sexually experienced adolescent women in rural Uganda.
Collaborating for Family Safety: Results From the Greenbook Multisite Evaluation
"This special issue of the Journal of Interpersonal Violence features results from a multisite developmental evaluation of best practices at the intersection of child maltreatment and adult domestic violence."
This article explains the importance of collaborative efforts to responding to families experiencing domestic violence and child maltreatment. The Greenbook Initiative provided a framework for developing a multisystem collaborative approach to working with families.
"This article describes the first national survey of violence against women in Pakistan from 2001 to 2004 covering 23,430 women. The training module for interviewers focused on empathy with respondents, notably increasing disclosure rates. The authors conclude that surveys of violence against women in Pakistan not using methods to minimize underreporting could seriously underestimate prevalence."
College Professors as Potential Victims of Stalking: Awareness and Prevention: National Implications (pdf)
"The stalking of professors by students can create considerable difficulty for both faculty and administration. Particular attributes of college and university environments contribute to potential stalking behaviors, especially among poorly adjusted students. Recommendations are made regarding materials with evidentiary value that should be collected if a professor believes she or he is being stalked. Behaviors that college instructors should avoid during student-instructor interactions are provided. Institutional policies regarding intimate relationships between faculty and students are also presented by the authors."
Discusses reasons for establishing a program, guidelines for employers, guidelines for law enforcement agencies and where to get additional information.
"This article uses multiple methods to compile information about research ethics with vulnerable participants as well as with recruitment and follow-up strategies, and shows how considering research ethics may actually enhance recruitment and follow-up strategies with women experiencing partner violence victimization."
Commodifying Honor in Female Sexuality: Honor Killings in Palestine
Discusses honor killings and the history of this practice in Palestine.
Common Myths and Misconceptions (pdf)
"Summary of myths and misconceptions about the definition of human trafficking and the types of human trafficking operations that exist in the U.S."
Community Action Kit - "Helping Preteens and Teens Build Healthy Relationships" (pdf)
Presents information and resources for adults and parents to help reduce dating violence.
Community Insights on Domestic Violence Among African Americans (pdf)
This document examines community perceptions of domestic violence in the lives of African Americans living in the San Francisco/Oakland, California area.
Community Survey Project: Factors That Influence Disclosure of Domestic Abuse to Providers
The Whatcom County Domestic Violence Comprehensive Plan, completed by the Bellingham-Whatcom County Commission Against Domestic Violence in June 2000, identified the need for increased knowledge about experiences of victims and survivors of domestic violence, as they interface with Whatcom County community and health care providers. To find out more about how victims experience the prospect of disclosing domestic violence to providers, the commission surveyed 1081 women in the county.
Compendium of Research on Violence Against Women, 1993-2008 (pdf)
"This is a comprehensive compilation of National Institute of Justice (NIJ)-funded research including a table of contents, index, and descriptions of projects available through the Violence Against Women & Family Violence (VAW&FV) program."
Confidentiality & Information Sharing (pdf)
This document addresses the legal and confidentiality issues advocates face when working with the child protection system and juvenile courts. It also encourages advocacy, and focuses on the information issues advocates face when they counsel battered mothers whose children have been placed in the child protection system. Advocates need to know what to do with the information they gather from victims of domestic violence and what the laws say about how they use that information. Each section offers tips and suggestions for advocates, questions for their consideration, and examples of effective practices. The appendix features worksheets that expand upon the topics addressed in each section.
Confronting the Sexual Abuse of Women with Disabilities
This VAWnet paper provides a brief summary of the research on sexual abuse of women with disabilities. The document also covers the origins of our knowledge concerning the sexual abuse of women with disabilities, the methodological quandaries related to sexual abuse research in general and the data on women with disabilities and the men who abuse them, and concludes with an exploration of the efforts of women with disabilities and their allies to counter sexual abuse.
Consensus and Difference Among Hospital Professionals in Evaluating Child Maltreatment
This article summarizes the findings revealed through multidisciplinary consultation assessing the severity of known child abuse cases, and reported their conclusions in survey-format. An exploratory factor analysis yielded five categories of maltreatment: physical abuse, sexual abuse, general failures in care, minor neglect/discipline, and lifestyles/values.
This study explored the cultural context of how intimate partner violence affects accessibility to services for Haitian women. The study revealed that the nature and context of intimate partner violence in this immigrant community contribute to the women's hesitation to pursue services and that mainstream services were not accessible to them as well. The author concludes by giving suggesstions on overcoming these barriers and improving service delivery.
Considering the Victim in the Implementation of Megan's Laws
This Violence Against Women Online Resources commissioned document focuses on the mixture of opinions and the limited attempts at evaluating community notification as they relate to victim and community safety. It examines notification through the lens of victim safety and privacy rather than through the lens of criminal justice issues.
Controversies and Recent Studies of Batterer Intervention Program Effectiveness
This VAWnet document examines the effectiveness of batterer intervention programs and particularly addresses how they work, for whom do they work best, and which elements of the program are most important.
This document explores the attitudes and perceptions of women of color survivors with children. The overarching objective was to hear what women had to say about efforts to engage men and fathers of color as allies in stopping intimate partner violence and restoring health in partnership and parenting. The research was undertaken by the Family Violence Prevention Fund as part of the development of our national violence prevention campaign.
"The goal of this initiative was to increase community capacity to assist dually victimized families. This article focuses on the DV service organizations in the demonstration with regard to collaborations with other agencies and work within the DV system to respond to dually victimized families."
Corporal punishment as a Stressor Among Youth (pdf)
"This article addresses the impact of corporal punishment by parents on the psychological well being of youth. Based on the authors' findings, the research indicates a positive association between the frequency of corporal punishment and both psychological distress and depression."
"The author presents the results of meta-analyses of the association between parental corporal punishment and 11 child behaviors and experiences. Parental corporal punishment was associated with all child constructs, including higher levels of immediate compliance and aggression and lower levels of moral internalization and mental health. The author then presents a process– context model to explain how parental corporal punishment might cause particular child outcomes and considers alternative explanations. The article concludes by identifying 7 major remaining issues for future research."
"Using data on 4,401 couples who participated in the National Family Violence Survey, this article reports modeling of cultural norms or other processes that could account for the link between corporal punishment and partner violence. Because corporal punishment of adolescents occurs in over half of U.S. families, the findings suggest that elimination of this practice can reduce some of the psychological and social processes that increase the likelihood of future marital violence and perhaps other violence as well."
Corporal Punishment of Children and Adult Depression and Suicidal Ideation
Article that discusses the physical and psychological effects of child abuse.
Corporate Liability: Sharing The Blame for Workplace Violence
This document outlines several issues related to violence in the workplace, including: the consequences corporations may face, special programs for addressing occupational violence, as well as different initiatives that corporations may face.
Cost of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in the United States (pdf)
This report describes briefly the development of the requested study; presents findings for the estimated incidence, prevalence, and costs of nonfatal and fatal IPV; identifies future research needs; and highlights CDC’s research priorities for IPV prevention.
This report summarizes studies that have estimated economic costs of intimate partner violence against women, and lays out a framework to measure the costs of intimate partner violence in developing countries, factoring in prevention, response, and opportunity costs.
Costs of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in the United States (pdf)
"Describes briefly the development of the requested study; presents findings for the estimated incidence, prevalence, and costs of nonfatal and fatal IPV; identifies future research needs; and highlights CDC's research priorities for IPV prevention."
Costs of Sexual Violence in Minnesota, July 2007 (pdf)
"The state's first-ever report on the estimated economic impact of rape and other forms of sexual assault, which reports costs of almost $8 billion in 2005, including medical and mental health care for victims, lost work and other quality of life issues, victim services, and criminal justice costs."
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices from 1999 til present
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: 1999
This report discusses the status of internationally recognized human rights in various countries.
Covering Domestic Violence: A Guide for Journalists and Other Media Professionals
The information in this guide will help link journalists to domestic violence advocates in their community, who can be utilized as sources to improve coverage. By accurately covering domestic violence homicides and avoiding sources and questions that perpetuate myths, journalists can make a significant difference in helping the community understand how domestic violence can go unchecked to the point of murder.
Crafting the Greenbook: Framers Reflect on the Vision, Process, and Lessons Learned
"As part of the evaluation of the Greenbook initiative, the evaluation team asked the national experts who helped frame the Greenbook to reflect on the processes used and the decisions that shaped the document. In addition, the experts were asked to describe their expectations for the systems and communities that implemented the recommendations, including anticipated challenges."
Creating a Safe Place: Family Peacemaking Materials for Clergy, Lay Leaders, Staff & Laity
Family peacemaking materials for clergy, lay leaders, staff and laity. This manual has four parts with separate purposes and components that are interdependent. While the focus of these materials is Christian, it is hoped that other faith communities can modify the materials to reflect their particular faiths.
Creating an Effective Stalking Protocol (pdf)
This document addresses how law enforcement agencies can enhance its response to stalking. The focus is on collaborative community partnerships and protocols to help police department address stalking. It includes early intervention, preventive action, and proactive problem-solving in stalking cases.
Creating Safe Environments: Violence Prevention Strategies and Programs
This document addresses the increased need for specific primary prevention programs of various types of violence. Gang-violence, Sexual Violence, Adolescent and Adult Intimate Partner Violence, as well as others are addressed. Specific examples of promising programs and practices currently in existence throughout the United States are detailed.
Creating Social Change in Cyberspace: 10 Years Strong
Article published by the University of Minnesota Gateway to Reseach & Innovations regarding the success of the Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse in providing knowledge to prevent violence.
Crime and the Nation's Households, 2003
"Presents national prevalence estimates for the percentage of households with one or more persons who were victimized by crime as measured by the National Crime Victimization Survey."
Crime and the Nation's Households, 2004 (pdf)
"Presents information on the percentage of households or persons in households who are victimized as measured by the National Crime Victimization Survey. Findings are presented by region; urban, suburban or rural location; and by household size."
Crime in the Schools: Reducing Conflict With Student Problem Solving
July 1999. This NIJ Research in Brief discusses an investigation of a student-based problem-solving model for reducing crime in the Nation's schools. Results of this study indicate that a guided group process can reduce school crime and improve the overall school climate. However, most of the conflicts uncovered during this project concerned everyday school interactions rather than gangs, drugs, and armed agitators.
Crime Index Trends, 2000 Preliminary Figures
"These statistics show the degree to which 'serious crimes' (murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft) were reported to and filed by U.S. law enforcement."
Crimes Against Children by Babysitters
7-page Bulletin posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). This Bulletin, part of OJJDP's Crimes Against Children Series, draws on the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System to provide data on the frequency and nature of crimes against children committed by babysitters.
Criminal Prosecution of Domestic Violence
This article identifies appropriate goals to be pursued in woman battering and the special challenges these cases present to prosecutors. It offers guidelines for improving collaboration between prosecutors and advocates.
Criminalization of Domestic Violence: Promises and Limits
This is a report to the National Institute of Justice, written January 1996.
Crisis Support Network Domestic Violence Hotline
This website from Washington state contains articles, information about safety planning, and check-lists regarding abuse, as well as a toll-free number to call for help.
Critique of the "Battered Woman Syndrome" Model
This document provides an overview of the concept "battered women syndrome" and examines the inadequacy of the model for describing battered women's experiences, whether it is used in expert testimony, counseling, or advocacy.
Cultural Beliefs and Service Utilization by Battered Arab Immigrant Women
"This study examines the relationship between cultural beliefs and the utilization of services among Arab immigrant women. Significant correlations were found between the holding of traditional attitudes toward gender in general and wife battering in particular by the women and the utilization of formal mental services. The study's limitations, policy implications, and the impacts of 9/11 on the Arab immigrant community and on their use of services are discussed."
This report provides an in-depth understanding of domestic violence and as well as the service utilization among eight ethnic minority communities and LGBT populations in King county, Washington.
Culture Handbook (pdf)
"This handbook is designed to be used by advocates and professionals who work with those who are victims of domestic and sexual violence. It provides some basic information on how to understand culture and begin the process of challenging oneself to become more aware of the ways in which culture impacts our work and the lives of those who are victims."
Cumulative Experiences of Violence Among High-Risk Urban Youth
"This study examines type-specific and cumulative experiences of violence among a vulnerable population of youth. Sixty high-risk, shelter-dwelling, urban youth were interviewed regarding their history of childhood maltreatment, exposure to community violence (ECV), and experience with intimate partner violence (IPV). Results show a high prevalence and high degree of overlap among multiple types of violence exposure. Childhood physical, sexual (CSA), and emotional (CEA) abuse were interrelated and were associated with ECV. Findings suggest that cumulative exposures to violence create cumulative risk for experiencing more violence."
Current Trends in Psychological Assessment and Treatment Approaches for Survivors of Sexual Trauma (pdf)
This document provides a review and critique of current trends in mental health assessment and treatment for sexual trauma survivors with an emphasis on early intervention. Treatment approaches are restricted to psychotherapy.
This article addresses the likely and realistic outcome regarding custodial care decisions during divorce battles. It would seem aparent that the parent responsible for inflicting abuse upon their child is often the one to receive unsupervised visitation rights and often even full legal custody as well.
This tool, taken from the Identifying Risk Factors for Femicide in Violent Intimate Relationships website, assesses severity and frequency of battering by presenting women with a calendar of the past year. Women are asked to mark the approximate days when physically abusive incidents occurr, and to rank the severity of the incident on a 1 to 5 (1=slap, pushing, no injuries and/or lasting pain through 5=use of weapon, wounds from weapon) scale. The second part of the original DA is a 15-item yes/no dichotomous response format of risk factors associated with intimate partner homicide. Both portions of the instrument take a total of approximately 20 minutes to complete.
Danger Zone: Battered Mothers and Their Families in Supervised Visitation
"This paper outlines research conducted at a supervised visitation center specifically for serving families where domestic violence was the primary reason for referral. The authors have classified their experiences based on these main subjects: battered women in supervised visitation, how battering continues during supervised visitation, how the rules of the supervised visitation center evolved during the first 18 months of implementation, the importance of well-trained visit monitors, and the need to include supervised visitation centers within a larger context of coordinated community responses to domestic violence."
Data Collections for the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (pdf)
This report includes highlights of the legislation and addresses some of the complexities of collecting sensitive data from various correctional populations. The report also contains descriptions of new data collection efforts that BJS is undertaking in order to meet the requirements of the legislation.
Date Rape: A Hidden Crime (pdf)
"This Australian report provides an overview of main issues underlying date rape including: incidence, difficulties in measuring extent; complicated issues around sexual consent; impact on victims; and, obstacles and options in prevention and treatment."
Dealing with Workplace Violence: A Guide for Agency Planners
This handbook is the result of a cooperative effort of many federal agencies sharing their expertise in preventing and dealing with workplace violence. It is intended to assist those who are responsible for establishing workplace violence initiatives at their agencies. This is full-text online book available to read in its entirety or by chapters.
Debunking the Myths in the US Global AIDS Strategy: An Evidence Based Analysis (pdf)
This evidence based research document criticizes assumptions that American global strategies on AIDS stand on and describes how such assumptions harm women and girls.
Deciding Child Custody When There is Domestic Violence: A Benchbook for Pennsylvania Courts (2005)
A variety of links to documents and articles related to childhood exposure to domestic violence are provided on this website, as well as information pertaining to custody issues and the laws regarding child exposure.
"This report articulates a corporate strategy for working with governments and partners in promoting gender equality."
Detecting the Potential for Violence
Checklist for Detecting the Potential for Violence is also available.
Deterring Staff Sexual Abuse of Federal Inmates (pdf)
This report examines the prevalence of the sexual abuse of inmates by correctional staff and also analyzes the laws that exist to deter this type of abuse.
This handbook is intended for organizations of any size that are interested in developing a bilingual or multilingual legal referral hotline to assist recent immigrant communities with their legal needs. The handbook presents ten fundamental steps to guide any organization. The previous .pdf file containing the handbook is no longer available. The link is to an order form for those who are interested.
Developing Culturally-Relevant Responses to Domestic Abuse: Asha Family Services, Inc. (pdf)
A model program, Asha Family Services, Inc., is a comprehensive family violence intervention and prevention agency located in Milwaukee, WI. Asha, the first and only recognized culturally-specific family violence intervention and prevention program in Wisconsin, employs methods specific to African American families.
This guide provides best practice guidelines used by organizations to develop linguistically and culturally responsive materials for Latino survivors of domestic violence. The guide also includes a list of Spanish speaking agencieis.
Development and Evaluation of School-Based Violence Prevention Programs (pdf)
This article reviews practical issues in the development of school-based violence prevention programs.
Developmental Status and Early Intervention Service Needs of Maltreated Children (pdf)
"In this report, published by the Institute for Social and Economic Development, the authors analyze findings from the National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study and the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being. They provide information about the developmental status and early intervention service needs of children under age three who are substantiated for maltreatment. Topics include: 1) the extent to which maltreated children have developmental problems or are subject to factors associated with poor developmental outcomes; 2) the services maltreated children might be eligible for and ones they receive through the child welfare systems; 3) case characteristics, such as child welfare setting, that impact the effect of developmental services; and 4) existing barriers to services."
DID YOU KNOW YOUR RELATIONSHIP AFFECTS YOUR HEALTH? (pdf)
A tri-fold patient safety card which contains a checklist to assess safety, healthy/unhealthy relationships, and children's exposure to violence. The card also provides resources and information on how to get help.
DID YOU KNOW YOUR RELATIONSHIP AFFECTS YOUR HEALTH? (Spanish) (pdf)
A tri-fold patient safety card which contains a checklist to assess safety, healthy/unhealthy relationships, and children's exposure to violence. The card also provides resources and information on how to get help.
Discharge Criteria for Batterer Programs
Clinical judgement typically plays a central role in the discharge of the patients from alcohol and mental health treatment. Batterer programs instead rely almost exclusively on program attendance to determine discharge. This paper uses a 10-item set of criteria to rate participants in a 13-week court mandated batterer program. It concludes with a discussion of methodological limitations, practical issues, and alternative applications of discharge criteria.
Discipline vs. Punishment (pdf)
This document provides a list of weblinks to sites regarding healthy discipline strategies for parents.
Disclosing Sexual Assault to Parents: The Influence of Parental Messages About Sex
"This qualitative study explores the relation between parental discussion and messages about sex and women's decisions of whether to disclose sexual assault to parents. Participants were 18 women from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Findings indicate that women more often disclosed sexual assault to parents who discussed sex with them in a frank and positive manner. In addition to the role of disclosure in recovery, implications for sex and parent education are discussed."
Dissociative symptoms in relation to childhood physical and sexual abuse
"This study found that subjects with a history of childhood abuse reported higher levels of dissociative symptoms than those who did not."
Distracted by Drama: How California Newspapers Portray Intimate Partner Violence (pdf)
"The publication describes the results of a study analyzing how violence is reported in two nationally prominent CA newspapers during the course of a year. Findings of the study are described in detail to reveal how contemporary reporting portrays IPV."
Diverting Children from a Life of Crime
Diverting Children from a Life of Crime: Measuring Costs and Benefits is a study from Rand, a public policy organization. The report looks at several prevention strategies to reduce youth involvement in the juvenile justice system. A few of the approaches studied are also utilized as child abuse prevention efforts.
This article examines the complexities of the question: "Do batterer's programs work?" It begins by exploring the word "works". It then scrutinizes published outcome data on the issue through various lenses of public debate on treatment effectiveness. It concludes with suggested policy and program directions for future interventions.
Do Children Sexually Abuse Other Children? (pdf)
This is a piece of education material intended for all audiences that overviews childhood sexual abuse and the high incidence rates of children under the age of 18 years that are perpetrators.
Do You Know a Woman Who is Being Abused: A Legal Rights Handbook (pdf)
This handbook is a guide to the legal system for women in abusive relationships.
Documenting Domestic Violence: How Health Care Providers Can Help Victims
This Research in Brief outlines how health care providers can improve the admissibility of evidence and strengthen the case of domestic violence victims.
Domestic & Sexual Violence Advocate Handbook on Human Trafficking, 2nd Edition (pdf)
A handbook designed to aid domestic and sexual violence advocates in working with victims of trafficking and in better understanding the issues involved with trafficking. Contents include basic information and definitions, an overview of benefits available to victims of trafficking, relevant laws, tips and questions to consider when working with victims, a review of the role of domestic violence centers in responding to the issue, and additional resources and tips for advocacy. Although the booklet does include Florida-specific information, it contains information that can be utilized in many communities across the US.
This VAWnet document summarizes research addressing domestic abuse in later life, which is defined as male and female victims, age 50 and older, abused by someone in a trusted, ongoing relationship such as spouse or partner, family member, and/or some caregivers or older battered women. Fifty-four articles published from 1988 to 2002 were reviewed.
Domestic Violence against Women (pdf)
"This briefing kit in Spanish provides concise information on violence against women (VAW) in Latin America and the Caribbean. It consists of fact sheets in easy-to understand language, and is aimed at parliamentarians to help them advance or amend legislation on VAW."
Domestic Violence Against Women and Girls
"Highlights issues of abuse; femicide; forced prostitution; sexual abuse of children; sex-selective abortion, female infanticide and differential access to food and medical care; and, traditional and cultural practices that affect women's health and lives."
Domestic Violence and Child Welfare Services
Statistics and links to helpful resources and information related to child welfare and domestic violence are provided in this document.
Domestic Violence and Children (pdf)
The author discusses the consequences of domestic violence on children and empahsized the role that primary care providers play in forestalling child maltreatment and the negative impacts.
Domestic Violence and Children: A Children's Health Fund Report (pdf)
The author discusses domestic violence as a pediatric issue and as a valuable source for intervention.
Domestic Violence and children: Analysis and Recommendations (pdf)
This document reviews the prevalence of child exposure to domestic violence by documenting their existence in all segments of the community. The impact of exposure on children is also discussed.
Domestic Violence and Children: Creating a Public Response (pdf)
The authors of this paper address children's exposure to domestic violence as a factor in healthy development. Research findings suggest that children who witness domestic violence are often unnoticed and underserved by other agencies in the community. Principles serving as a guiding framework for policy and service are outlined, as well as recommendations for communities and governmental bodies to help children experiencing domestic violence.
Domestic Violence and Communities of Faith: An Information Packet (pdf)
This document provides a brief overview of how to recognize domestic violence in faith communities (mostly Christian), suggestions for intervention and resource guide.
Domestic Violence and Dependency Courts: The Greenbook Demonstration Experience
"This article focuses on the dependency court, where child maltreatment cases are heard, specifically court participation in collaborative activities and court practice improvements."
Domestic Violence and Faith Based Communities: Focus on African American Communities
"We know that domestic violence crosses all racial lines and that the root causes are sexism and the acceptance of violence against women in society. However, the dynamics of and contributors to domestic violence are culturally specific. This forum highlights some of the common, complex and culturally specific contributors to violence against African American women. It addresses the role of faith as a resource and a roadblock and offer concrete ways in which faith communities can respond to and support abused women and their children in the African American Community. Hosted by: Aleese Moore-Orbih"
This paper is part of series of paper that addresses the way to mobilize community and programatic resources to provide responsive help to children and families affected both by domestic violence and poverty. This particular paper provides recommendations to family support staff and administrator to address issue of domestic violence.
"This article examined the prevalence of physical and sexual violence among 1,974 married women from 40 low-income communities in Chennai, India. The authors found a 99% and 75% lifetime prevalence of physical abuse and forced sex, respectively, whereas 65% of women experienced more than five episodes of physical abuse in the 3 months preceding the survey. These domestic violence rates exceed those in prior Indian reports, suggesting women in slums may be at increased risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections."
Domestic Violence and Homelessness (pdf)
"This fact sheet covers homelessness and DV, DV and poverty, and how women can be trapped by homelessness and violence. This piece encourages policy that reduces the risk of homeless for survivors through housing discrimination protection."
Domestic Violence and Homelessness Factsheet (pdf)
This is a clear and concise statement of the overlap between these two problems.
Domestic Violence and Housing (pdf)
"This fact sheet shows the risks of homelessness for DV survivors, the difficulty in obtaining permanent housing, and housing discrimination."
Domestic Violence and Poverty: The Narratives of Homeless Women
"This article is based on research conducted in homeless and domestic violence shelters in Phoenix, Arizona, from 1994 to 1996. The author’s report includes results of interviews with thirty-three women."
Domestic Violence and Probation
This article offers specialized management techniques that probation officers can use to monitor batterers and intervene in domestic violence cases more effectively. The author offers suggestions on how to manage offenders on probation, respond to common excuses, and handle those offenders least likely to be held accountable.
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Data Collection Systems in the States, Final Report (pdf)
This report summarizes the findings of the domestic violence and sexual violence data collection systems. The report offers recommendations for further recording of data and how each of the States collect violenc related data.
Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence in Minnesota: Strategies for Prevention and Intervention (pdf)
This planning tool addresses the issue of domestic and sexual violence as they relate to health care and public health in Minnesota.
This article presents basic information about the extent of stalking in the U.S. and discusses the origin and current status of stalking laws. An analysis of the proposed NIJ anti-stalking code discusses their effectiveness and limitations from a domestic violence perspective.
The author looks at domestic violence among women on welfare, the impact on children who are exposed to violence in the home, and methods to increase the stability of marriages.
Domestic Violence and Welfare Reform
From the September 1997, issue of Issue Notes by the Welfare Information Network. Reports how various states approach welfare reform for victims of domestic violence.
Domestic Violence as a Form of Child Abuse: Identification and Prevention
By looking at the ways child exposure to domestic violence manifests itself during the various stages of a child's life, the author documents ways to identify problems in exposed children and discusses specific intervention strategies.
Domestic Violence Campus Organizing Guide for Health Professional Students and Faculty (pdf)
"This folio was created for professional health students and faculty to help raise awareness that domestic violence is a health care issue on campus and beyond. The folio provides recommendations on increasing student activism, curricular reform, on-campus trainings, community collaborations, faculty support, and provides examples of innovative approaches other professional health students have undertaken nationwide."
Domestic Violence Counts 2008: A 24-hour census of domestic violence shelters and services
This report is the most recent data documenting the number of individuals who seek services in a 24 hour period, the types of services requested, the number of service requests that went unmet because of lack of resources, and the issues and barriers that domestic violence programs are facing as they strive tirelessly to provide services to victims of domestic violence. Also contains a state by state report on services requested and provided.
This 2008 report contains data documenting the number of individuals who seek services in a 24 hour period, the types of services requested, the number of service requests that went unmet because of lack of resources, and the issues and barriers that domestic violence programs are facing as they strive tirelessly to provide services to victims of domestic violence. Also contains a state by state report on services requested and provided.
Domestic Violence Counts: NCDVS Census Report 2006
A 24-hour census of domestic violence shelters and services across the United States.
Domestic Violence Courts: A Desriptive Study
This study provides a description of what courts are doing to meet the challenge of domestic violence and suggests several areas for future consideration. This description of domestic violence courts is intended to serve as a summary of current court procedures and efforts to enhance the safety of children and victims, ensure the accountability of batterers, and improve the administration and accessibility of justice.
These factoids come from Richard J. Gelles's investigation of commonly-used statistics -- some turn out to be accurate while others are mere fantasy.
Domestic Violence Has a Significant and Lasting Impact on Our Community and Beyond
This document begins with statistics about domestic violence in the Chicago suburban area, then moves on to provide statistics on a state level, a national level, and a global level.
Domestic Violence Homicide: The Children Left Behind (pdf)
This is a link to an audio presentation given by the author regarding her research findings from interviews with adults who lost their parent(s) as children due to fatal acts of domestic violence. A powerpoint presentation is also available on this link that addresses the points discussed in her lecture.
These publications are designed to help researchers, students, human rights practitioners, and the general public gain a better understanding of human rights. Specifically, these publications address domestic violence issues affecting women in the countries that are listed.
Domestic Violence in Communities of Color (pdf)
"This "Facts & Stats Collection" paper highlights specific issues and distinguishing dynamics that confront different women of color, including African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American/Alaskan Indian women."
Domestic Violence in Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual Communities: Participant Manual (pdf)
This manual gives health and human service providers the knowledge and skills necessary to sensitively and effectively respond to LGTB victims of domestic violence.
Domestic Violence in Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual Communities: Trainers Manual (pdf)
This manual gives trainers for health and human service providers the knowledge and skills necessary to sensitively and effectively respond to LGTB victims of domestic violence.
Domestic Violence in the Vietnamese Immigrant Community: An Exploratory Study
"This study examines domestic violence in Vietnamese American families, focusing on changes in socioeconomic structure and culture, to identify factors associated with wife abuse. "
Domestic Violence is associated with environmental suppression of IQ in young children
The researchers document the consequences of early childhood stress, such as exposure to domestic violence, on brain development, which subsequently can lead to a lower IQ.
Domestic Violence Law Map (pdf)
This US map shows which state accepts gender neutral law with regards to domestic violence.
Domestic Violence Legislation Affecting Police and Prosecutor Responsibilities in the U.S.
This paper is available to read on-line or download from The Institute for Law and Justice at http://www.ilj.org/research.htm and click on 2004 Legislative Update, Domestic Violence at the lower right hand corner.
Domestic Violence Organizations Online: Risks, Ethical Dilemmas, and Liability Issues
The Violence Against Women Online Resources commissioned document outlines the risk and liability issues related to use of the Internet and suggests risk-management guidelines to protect organizations from liability. This paper also discusses the lack of empirical research in online service delivery and suggests research approaches for further understanding of the use of online services.
Domestic Violence Prevention Training: Participant Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes (pdf)
"The present study used intake assessments to identify family background, childhood memories and experiences with violence, substance abuse, male violence histories, and social interactions among the population who attended a Domestic Violence Prevention Training Program."
Domestic Violence Project of Santa Clara County, California
This website includes victim/survivor information (Domestic Information and Referral Handbook), domestic violence protocols on-line, local resources, a vast, indexed set of domestic violence research links, and numerous other useful domestic violence resources.
Domestic Violence Protocol for Law Enforcement (pdf)
This document, adopted in 2002, provides guidelines and establishes standards for public safety call takers, dispatchers, first responders and investigators in handling domestic violence incidents. The Protocol seeks to interpret and apply statutory and case law relating to domestic violence incident response and investigation. Particular attention is given to protecting victims of domestic violence, including children, other members of the household, and pets, through enforcement of restraining orders, provision of medical care, and working with support agencies to provide alternate shelter, relocation services, counseling and legal services.
Domestic Violence Reading List
"This reading list was compiled by experts in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. It includes important recent work as well as classic books and articles on domestic violence by Network and other experts in the field."
Domestic Violence Resources for Professionals
Being knowledgeable about domestic violence services available to families, particularly children who have been exposed to violence in the home, has become increasingly important. This document offers an array of links, information, and resources related to such services.
Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, and Youth Violence: Strategies for Prevention and Early Intervention
Another Family Violence Prevention Fund publication that argues for a collaborative, community-based approach to combatting child abuse, domestic violence and youth violence.
Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, and Youth Violence: Strategies for Prevention and Early Intervention
Another Family Violence Prevention Fund publication that argues for a collaborative, community-based approach to combatting child abuse, domestic violence and youth violence.
Domestic Violence, Mental Health & Trauma: Research Highlights (pdf)
"Provides statistical information and findings from several research reports. Statistics are provided on the prevalence of domestic violence and mental health in the U.S., followed by research findings supporting the connection between trauma and mental health."
A comprehensive training manual for rural Native American communities addressing domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking through training, research and educational programming. Note: This document provides a general overview. When developing a plan for your community, look to your own tribal codes and state and federal laws concerning confidentiality and explore methods which can be used in the civil or criminal justice arenas which would enhance victim safety.
Domestic Violence, Visitations and Custody Decisions in New York Family Courts (pdf)
The study reported here was designed to examine the extent to which visitation or custody was sought and granted in cases involving domestic violence, through a review of Family Court records in New York City.
Domestic Violence: A Primary Care Issue for Rural Women (pdf)
This article underscores the role of a primary health care provider for rural women who experience domestic violence.
Don't Turn Your Back On Girls: Sexual Violence Against Girls In Haiti (pdf)
A comprehensive report on sexual violence against girls in Haiti released by Amnesty International in late November of 2008. Over half of the 105 rapes reported in Haiti by the end of November were committed against girls under the age of 18, according to one of the few organizations in the country which collect rape statistics. The report includes findings on rape as a political weapon, the role of discrimination and poverty, and the state’s response.
Dossier on Domestic Violence in Latin America and the Caribbean
"This publication includes a detailed balance of the work developed in Latin American and the Caribbean to eliminate violence against women. The objective of the publication is to have a tool that will help to design future activities in a more accurate way that take into account the economic, cultural and geographical women's reality of the Region in order to eliminate domestic violence. It also contains guidelines and recommendations for the future work on women’s rights for a life free of violence."
Dowry and Its Link to Violence Against Women in India
"This article conducts a feminist psychological analysis of the dowry phenomenon, its link to domestic violence against women, and the role of the perpetrators. Existing and new explanations of the dowry system and its ramifications are explored. Psychologically based interventions and the implications of dowry related violence in the larger context of Asian Indians living in North America and the United Kingdom are discussed."
This study examined the effect immigration had on a sample of adolescents and their immigrant parents, as well as on the adolescents' adaptation to the organization of conflict in the neighborhood where their parents lived.
For community organizers fighting drug abuse and violence in their communities. Drug Resistant Properties includes identifying problems in the community, dealing with management and security issues, and how to gain participation from residents.
Drug-Facilitated Rape: Looking for the Missing Pieces (pdf)
"Describes rape-facilitating drugs and what is known about how often these drugs are used, efforts to reduce drug-facilitated rape, and specific strategies needed to respond including investigation policies and suggestions of future research."
Drug-facilitated, Incapacitated, and Forcible Rape: A National Study
"This study provides important information regarding the lifetime prevalence, past year prevalence, characteristics, and mental health impact of rape among adult women residing in U.S. households as well as among U.S. female college students."
Drugs, Alcohol and Domestic Violence in Memphis (pdf)
This 1997 report is posted by the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS). Dr. Brookoff studied the prevalence of and contributing factors to domestic violence in Memphis. The summary suggests almost all of the assailants used drugs or alcohol the day of the assault, were on probation or parole at the time of the assault, and a majority of battering incidents involved the assailant's use of a weapon.
This is part of a series that was created through a collaboration of the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Vermont Department for Children and Families and the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services. Part VI discusses actual and perceived conflicts of interest when service providers act in more than one role or relationship, providing recommendations on how to address these dilemmas/questions.
DVERT Training CD and Lesson Plan
Video clips and lesson plan from the DVERT Training CD, a video-rich program that provides a clear and succinct overview of the principles and practices the DVERT collaboration follows in combating domestic violence.
Dying of Sadness: Gender, Sexual Violence and the HIV Epidemic
This paper aims to explore the relationship between sexual violence and the HIV epidemic. The paper explores this complex phehomenon with multiple determinants, consequences and manifestations.
E-mail Use Among a Sample of Intimate Partner Violence Shelter Residents
"Although it is estimated that approximately 75% of U.S. adults have e-mail access, the proportion of battered women's shelter residents who use e-mail is currently unknown. Among a convenience sample of residents of 11 Massachusetts shelters (N = 57), the authors find that 47% had a current e-mail account. Among those with e-mail accounts, 89% used e-mail in locations other than their own homes; 81% reported that, to their knowledge, their e-mail accounts had never been accessed by unauthorized dating partners; and 88% reported that they thought it would be safe for the shelter to e-mail them following their departure. Additional research assessing the feasibility (i.e., safety, acceptability, and cost benefit) of remaining in contact with shelter residents via the Internet would be beneficial."
Early Identification of Risk Factors for Parental Abduction (pdf)
12-page Bulletin posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The bulletin provides information regarding the risk factors associated with parental kidnaping and strategies that can be used to intervene with families at greatest risk. They address such critical factors as the characteristics of parents who abduct their own children, the role family violence plays in increasing the likelihood of parental abduction, ways of identifying children at risk of being abducted by a parent or other family member, and steps that can be taken to protect children from family abduction.
Early Precursors of Gang Membership: A Study of Seattle Youth
5-page Bulletin. Posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The Seattle Social Development Study is a longitudinal study of youth living in high-crime neighborhoods. Its findings offer an opportunity to enhance understanding of the predictors of gang participation.
Economic Violence To Women and Girls: Is It Receiving the Necessary Attention?
"This paper seeks to draw attention to the types of economic violence experienced by women, and describes its consequences on health and development. Recommendations for practice, policy, and research are also given."
Educating to End Domestic Violence: A Law School Report
This report stems from a meeting of a select group of law school professors who teach domestic violence seminars or clinical programs. They provide information about current law school practices and recommendations for the future.
Research Brief, No. 2, September 1997 of the Soros Foundation's newsletter Center on Crime, Communities, and Culture. This research brief presents data on the impact of education on crime and crime prevention, and examines the debate on providing higher education to inmates.
Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing Literature (pdf)
This literature review of sexual abuse and sexual misconduct responds to the mandate in Section 5414 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended, to conduct a study of sexual abuse in U.S. schools. To satisfy this mandate, the Department of Education contracted with Dr. Charol Shakeshaft of Hofstra University. Using the limited research that is available in this area, her literature review describes, among other topics: prevalence of educator sexual misconduct, offender characteristics, targets of educator sexual misconduct, and recommendations for prevention of educator sexual misconduct.
Effective Intervention in Domestic Violence & Child Maltreatment Cases (Executive Summary)
This is an executive summary of the document "Effective Intervention in Domestic Violence & Child Maltreatment Cases: Guidelines for Policies and Practice." The aim of this document is to offer a more comprehensive set of responses to eliminate or decrease the enormous risks that individual battered mothers, caseworkers, and judges must take on behalf of children.
This 133 page publication addresses a number of issues relevant to family violence within the home and the community and specifically focuses on interventions.
This document examines 4,032 incidents in which males assaulted their female intimate partners, comparing the number of repeat offenses when batterers are and are not arrested.
Effects of Domestic Violence on Children
Binnie discusses the resulting behaviors and manifestations of child exposure to domestic violence, variables/demographics that impact the response, and patterns of abuse, with a focus on Iowa laws.
Effects of Domestic Violence on Children and Adolescents: An Overview
The article examines the prevalence and domestic violence as a cause of traumatic stress in children.
Effects of Domestic Violence on Women: FAQs
Commonly asked questions along with extensive and valuable answers are included in this document. A Safety Plan and a Children's Bill of Rights are provided as well.
Effects of Sexual Victimization
"This brief article lists some of the effects/symptoms that victims of sexual violence may experience."
A discussion about the impact of domestic violence characterizes this document, and is supplemented with a review of the impact at the various stages of child development.
Elder Abuse Fact Sheet (pdf)
Educates persons about the risk factors, consequences, and prevention of elder abuse.
Elder Abuse Prevention and Treatment Resources Page
The Administration on Aging's Elder Abuse Prevention and Treatment Resources Page contains fact sheets, statistics, a state-by-state listing of resources, and conference information.
Elder Abuse Speaker's Kit (pdf)
A resource kit for protecting older people and people with disabilities.
Elder Abuse: A Well Kept Secret
This article focuses on defining the scope of the problem, addressing the related issue of self-neglect, and outlining community resources for caregivers of the elderly.
Elder Mistreatment: Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation in an Aging America
This full book link is provided courtesy of The National Academies Press. This is an online book and can be read in its entirety front to back, by chapter or skimmed by topic of interest. Published in 2002, this book details everything from the definitions and concepts of elder abuse to the public policy implications as well as to the types of interventions available for working with this population.
Electronic Bullying Among Middle School Students (pdf)
"This study examined the prevalence of electronic bullying among middle school students. The most common methods for electronic bullying (as reported by both victims and perpetrators) involved the use of instant messaging, chat rooms, and e-mail. As children’s use of electronic communications technologies is unlikely to wane in coming years, continued attention to electronic bullying is critical. Implications of these findings for youth, parents, and educators are discussed."
Electronic Media and Youth Violence: A CDC Issue Brief for Educators and Caregivers (pdf)
"The brief summarizes what is known about young people and electronic aggression, provides strategies for addressing the issue with young people, and discusses the implications for school staff, education policy makers, and parents and caregivers. "
Electronic Media, Violence, and Adolescents: An Emerging Public Health Problem (pdf)
"Attention is growing about the risk of adolescents to become victims of aggression perpetrated by peers with new technology. In September 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention convened a panel of experts in technology and youth aggression to examine this specific risk. This article presents the data and recommendations for future directions discussed at the meeting. The data supports the argument that electronic aggression is an emerging public health problem in need of additional research to support the development and evaluation of effective prevention programs."
Eliminating Barriers to Services for Latina/o Survivors of Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence (pdf)
This is the position statement by Latino advocates to address barriers to services for Latina/o survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence
Eliminating Violence against Children (pdf)
"Jointly produced by UNICEF and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, this handbook describes measures parliamentarians can take to end violence against children: they can legislate, oversee government activities, allocate financial resources and, as leaders in their nations and communities, raise awareness of issues."
Emerging Responses to Children Exposed to Domestic Violence
"This document reviews the new research, policies, and programs focused on children who have witnessed adult domestic violence. It argues that the diversity of children’s experiences requires equally diverse responses from those who serve them."
Emerging Strategies in the Prevention of Domestic Violence (pdf)
The author describes the strategies based in public health initiatives that could be used to combat domestic violence in a preventative way.
Employee Training on Addressing Sexual Harassment (word)
This module is intended to train in identifying the various forms of sexual harassment, encouraging employees to report it, and discussing options for addressing sexual harassment in the workplace.
Employment Rights for Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Domestic Violence Survivors (pdf)
This fact sheet explains the rights and potential for double discrimination that lesbian, bisexual and transgender women may face in the workplace.
Empowering Women Migrant Workers in Asia: A Briefing Kit
"This briefing kit is informed by the experience of struggle, resilience and creative practice of women migrant workers and their support groups.It enhances an understanding of why and how prevention of discrimination and abuse of overseas women migrant workers should be addressed as issues of promoting gender equality; upholding basic human rights; promoting sustainable development and principles of good governance."
Ending Domestic Violence: Report from the Global Frontlines
"This publication shares inspiring stories of activists and advocates from 8 countries in diverse political contexts and societies: Brazil, Cambodia, China, India, Ireland, Russia, South Africa, and the United States. The countries highlighted here illustrate the many creative methods being applied by activists and advocates in very diverse political contexts and societies."
Ending Gender-Based Violence: A call for global action to involve men
In this report, seven masculinity researchers write about masculinity in different parts of the world and about how masculinity is often linked to violence. These acts of violence are committed not only against women and children, but also against other men. The writers suggest a number of ways in which men can be involved in working to combat men’s violence.
"Discusses gender-based violence as a major public health concern and a violation of human rights."
"Highlights the 2 most prevalent types of abuse in the lives of women and girls around the world: intimate partner violence and rape. Demonstrates how world-wide gender-based violence is a major public health concern, suggesting strategies to respond."
Engaging Bystanders in Sexual Violence Prevention (pdf)
"This book presents a compelling orientation to the importance of engaging bystanders in sexual violence prevention. The narrative provides background on the development of an approach that empowers each of us to be involved in prevention. It discusses various reasons why individuals who witness a range of inappropriate behaviors may or may not take action, and presents ways to encourage and develop greater bystander involvement. Finally, this book serves as an excellent training resource; it provides activities and trainer instructions throughout that make it a useful educational guide on bystander engagement in sexual violence prevention."
Engendering Change: Transforming Gender Roles in Asian & Pacific Islander Communities (pdf)
The introduction begins by providing a description of the societal context in which domestic violence occurs, and leads into a discussion about two batterer intervention programs for Asian men, and concludes with practice implications.
Enhancing Child Safety and Online Technologies
"A Final Report of the Internet Safety Technical Task Force to the Multi-State Working Group on Social Networking of State Attorneys General of the United States. The scope of the Task Force's inquiry was to consider those technologies that industry and end users - including parents - can use to help keep minors safer on the Internet."
The goal of this manual is to expand the definition of what is "enough" when it comes to domestic violence advocacy, so that all domestic violence services are as accessible as possible to all persons regardless to disability.
"A controlled prospective study of child abuse and neglect, failure to thrive, accidents and poisonings included 303 inpatients and 257 outpatients. Analysis of maternal interview and clinical data demonstrated significant differences between cases and controls in summative indices of environmental stress, including housing, employment, and access to essential services." - excerpt from abstract
Equality Wheel (pdf)
Developed by the Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, the equality wheel shows different ways equality is defined in a relationship.
Equality Wheel (Spanish) (pdf)
Developed by the Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, the equality wheel shows different ways equality is defined in a relationship. A Spanish format is now available, called Igualidad.
Estimate of the Incidence of Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault in the U.S. (pdf)
"This report provides an overview of a study that was done to determine the incidence rates of drug-facilitated sexual assault. It also seeks to examine the social aspects surrounding the issue."
"The present study was designed to examine the extent to which ethnic differences in the circumstances of abuse would be related to psychological outcomes and whether the relationship of ethnicity to psychological outcomes would be independent of ethnic differences in the circumstances of abuse."
European Parliament Report on Female Genital Mutilation in the European Union (pdf)
"This new report found that over 500,000 women in Europe, especially refugees and immigrants, have been subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM). The report highlights various reasons for the prevalence of FGM and incorporates different frameworks for addressing the problem, including the human rights perspective, a women’s rights view, and children’s rights."
EVALUATING CHILDREN’S ADVOCACY CENTERS’ RESPONSE TO CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE (pdf)
"With funding from OJJDP, researchers have now completed a four-site evaluation of CACs that, for the first time, contrasts them with comparison communities that did not have a CAC. This Bulletin presents an overview of the results. It examines how CACs affect forensic interviewing, child victim disclosures about abuse, children’s receipt of medical exams and mental health services, prosecution and conviction of offenders, removal of children from their homes, and family satisfaction with child abuse investigations."
Evaluating Coordinated Community Responses to Domestic Violence
This VAWnet report presents a summary and analysis of research on coordinated community responses to domestic violence. It provides an overview of different mechanisms for coordination, examines the individual components of a coordinated community response, and addresses the overall response. The focus here will be on the justice system, advocacy and programs for abusers.
Evaluating Domestic Violence Programs
This quality assessment tool for the evaluation of hospital-based domestic violence programs was developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and cosponsored by the Family Violence Prevention Fund to improve the health care response to victims of domestic violence.
Evaluating G.R.E.A.T : A School-Based Gang Prevention Program (pdf)
Typical programs are directed at active gang members, and most target youths who are at risk for joining gangs. The G.R.E.A.T. program, in contrast, is presented to entire classrooms without attempting to predict which students are most likely to become involved with a gang. G.R.E.A.T. is aimed at middle school students and seeks to (1) reduce their involvement in gangs and delinquent behavior, (2) teach them consequences of gang involvement, and (3) help them develop positive relations with law enforcement. These three objectives are addressed through a nine hour curriculum taught in schools by uniformed law enforcement officers. Students are taught to set positive goals, resist negative pressures, resolve conflicts, and understand how gangs impact the quality of their lives. This report summarizes results of a five year study of the G.R.E.A.T. program. The study revealed that G.R.E.A.T. has modest positive effects on adolescents' attitudes and delinquency risk factors but no effects on their involvement in gangs and actual delinquent behaviors.
This VAWnet document presents the highlights of a guidebook that provides practical assistance and examples in designing and carrying out effective evaluation strategies specifically for domestic violence service providers. [Note: more than one format available.]
Evaluating Violence Against Women Research Reports
This VAWNET document provides introductory guidelines for the use and evaluation of research reports on violence against women.
"This study examines lifetime trauma exposure rates in women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), or neither diagnosis and whether this is related to measures of PTSD, depression, hostility, health symptoms, and health care utilization. Findings indicate that multiple trauma exposures were prevalent in this sample and PTSD and MDD groups reported greater past year health conditions and health care utilization."
Evaluation of Violence Prevention Programs in Middle Schools
This 1995 report is found on the website of the National Justice Information Center.
Evaluations of Advocacy Efforts to End Intimate Male Violence Against Women
This VAWnet paper describes the available research that has evaluated advocacy efforts to end intimate violence against women. The first section describes evaluation of Community Intervention Projects, while the second section presents a longitudinal and experimental evaluation of an advocacy intervention.
This report provides the most recent statistics on Washington state domestic violence fatalities; findings and recommendations from the reviewed cases of the past two years; and tips for utilizing the Fatality Review reports to mobilize change in your community.
This document examines the rates of child maltreatment in the United States and whether these rates differ by race, ethnicity and income level.
Examining the Characteristics of Male Sexual Assault Targets in a Southern Maximum-Security Prison (pdf)
"This study seeks to examine the demographic and behavioral characteristics of male inmate sexual assault targets in order to expand the current knowledge on this issue and offer information for providing a safe environment for all inmates."
This paper was originally delivered as a talk at the Violence Institute of New Jersey, June 21, 2000. This paper discusses the links between the abuse of women and the maltreatment of their children and the connection between domestic violence and poverty.
"This qualitative study examined understandings of sponsorship and marital/resettlement experiences among English-proficient and non-English-proficient South Asian brides who entered Canada after recent immigration policy changes to reduce sponsored women's vulnerability to maltreatment. The author found that English-proficient women were aware of their rights and permanent resident status, and reported significant integration support. In contrast, non-English-proficient women misunderstood sponsorship and faced multiple barriers to participation in Canadian life, along with severe abuse and neglect."
This paper examines the relationship between HIV and sexual coercion in Tanzania.
"The study examined several behavioral mechanisms that link gender-based violence (GBV) to STD among detained, sexually active adolescent girls. GBV was related to chlamydia directly and indirectly through condom failures and through having sexual intercourse while high on drugs and/or alcohol. The study found that sexual risk reduction programs may benefit this population by addressing the role of GBV and its association with STD-associated behaviors."
Exposure to Interparental Violence in Childhood and Psychosocial Adjustment in Young Adulthood (pdf)
The authors discuss how exposure to domestic violence as children manifests itself during the adolescent period. The article concludes that young adults who were exposed to domestic violence during their childhood had increased rates of mental health disorders, substance abuse usage, and criminal recrods.
Exposure to Violence: Psychological and Academic Correlates in Child Witnesses
2001 Report. Inner-city children are frequently exposed to violence; however, there are few data regarding the psychological and academic correlates of such exposure in young children at school entry. This study aims to document exposure to violence in inner-city children aged 7 years; assess their feelings of distress; and evaluate the relationships of exposure to violence with school performance, behavior, and self-esteem.
Exposure to Violence: Psychological and Academic Correlates in Child Witnesses
2001 Report. Inner-city children are frequently exposed to violence; however, there are few data regarding the psychological and academic correlates of such exposure in young children at school entry. This study aims to document exposure to violence in inner-city children aged 7 years; assess their feelings of distress; and evaluate the relationships of exposure to violence with school performance, behavior, and self-esteem.
Extent, Nature, and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence (pdf)
"Presents findings from the NVAW Survey on the extent, nature, and consequences of IPV in the US. The survey compares victimization rates among women and men, specific racial groups, Hispanics and non-Hispanics, and same-sex and opposite-sex cohabitants. "
Despite widespread public education, rape remains a largely underreported crime; and despite increased levels of research over the past few decades, significant gaps remain in understanding rape victimization. This NIJ Special Report takes a detailed look at the National Violence Against Women Survey findings and the researchers' recommendations for future research.
Facing Down Violence is a response to the 1998 tragedy in Littleton, Colorado. An accompanying piece, Violent Persons Construct Their own Worlds from Materials We Give Them is also available.
This article discusses the growing trend toward mandating women into batterer intervention programs and discusses why it occurs.
Fact Sheet: Domestic Violence and Pregnancy (pdf)
"Highlights the prevalence, risks, and lethality of violence against pregnant women."
Fact Sheet: Domestic Violence in the Military (pdf)
"This fact sheet includes statistics that reflect recent research concerning domestic violence in the military."
Fact Sheet: The Effects of Domestic Violence on Children (pdf)
"Addresses the impact of domestic violence on children and the likelihood that men who abuse their partners will also abuse their children. Lists statistics that reflect the most recent research concerning the effects of domestic violence on children."
Factors Associated with the Use of Violence among Urban Black Adolescents (pdf)
The researchers examine the variables that are connected to violence involvement among black teenagers. They looked at how previous exposure to violence, family conflict, degree of corporal discipline,and victimization in the community influenced the use and nonuse of violence among black adolescents.
Facts About Child Sex Tourism (pdf)
This provides a brief overview of the sexual exploitation of children worldwide. This fact sheet includes a definition of child sex tourism, both the global and U.S. response, and suggestions for what governments, citizens and business can do to combat child sex tourism.
Facts About Law and the Elderly
Facts about Law and the Elderly contains information about Law and the Elderly. Also available from the American Bar Association is a listing of web links about elder abuse.
Facts about Violence: U.S. Statistics & Global
"The article lists 45 facts about violence against women in the U.S. and globally along with their sources."
Facts on Trauma and Homeless Children (pdf)
"This document gives a brief overview of homelessness, the impact of trauma on homeless children, and ways homeless shelter programs can provide services to homeless families who have been exposed to trauma."
Facts: Intimate Partner Violence for the World Report on Violence and Health
"Describes the global epidemic of IPV in the following categories: The Extent of the Problem; The Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence; What are the Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Violence?; & What Can be Done to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence?"
Facts: Sexual Violence for the World Report on Violence and Health
"Pulls from selected national studies to describe the global epidemic of sexual violence: The Extent of the Problem; The Consequences of Sexual Violence; What are the Risk Factors for Sexual Violence?; What Can be Done to Prevent Sexual Violence? "
"The article begins by reviewing up-to-date research suggesting that the rate of false reporting for sexual assault is in the range of 2-8%. It also critiques prior research suggesting that the rate of false reporting is far higher, and explores the reasons why this issue is so challenging for professionals in the field. The article concludes with a discussion of how professionals can work to overcome these challenges, and how to handle the frustrating reality of "real" false reports. "
Family Abductors: Descriptive Profiles and Preventive Interventions
8-page Bulletin posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The Bulletin describes the common characteristics of abducting parents and profiles parents at risk for abducting their children. Constructive interventions are offered for each of the six profiles provided.
Family Violence Handbook for the Dental Community
This is a guide for all members of the dental team. It deals with how to address family violence issues in dental practice, the educational setting, the professional association, and the community at large.
Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile 2004 (pdf)
This annual report provides the most current data on the nature and extent of family violence in Canada, as well as trends over time, as part of an ongoing initiative to inform policy makers and the public about the issue of family violence.
Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile 2006 (pdf)
Recent report from Canada Centre for Justice Statistics on the profile of family violence and its associates.
Family Violence in the Military: A Review of the Literature
"This literature review critically reviews studies that examine child maltreatment and spouse abuse among military families and compares family violence in military versus nonmilitary populations."
Family Violence Intervention: The Role of the Dental Team in Recognition and Referral
Designed by students at the New Jersey Dental School. It addresses the issues of child abuse, elder abuse, and domestic violence.
Family Violence Nursing Curriculum
While nurses must be able to respond skillfully to victims of all types of violence, responding to victims of family violence requires sensitivity rooted in understanding how it differs from other types of violence. The content of this curriculum, which grew out of the 1999 American Association of Colleges of Nursing competencies, was developed in response to those findings to provide Minnesota nursing faculty essential curricular information to develop student competence in preventing, assessing, and responding to family violence across the lifespan.
Family Violence Protocol Development
Practice paper from a series of papers for an initiative to provide technical assistance to state administrators and domestic violence advocates implementing the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) in TANF and child support enforcement (CSE) contexts. This initiative is a partnership between the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRC) and the Administration for Children and Families, DHHS. This practice paper provides detailed guidance on developing family violence protocols for: the disclosure of domestic violence information; TANF/CSE program response to such disclosures; and the safe enforcement of child support when family violence may be a risk.
Family Violence Statistics: Including Statistics on Strangers and Acquaintances
This study compares family and nonfamily violence statistics from victimization through the different stages of the justice system. Family violence is defined as all types of violent crime committed by an offender who is related to the victim and includes spouse abuse, parental violence against a child, and violence among other family members. Nonfamily relationships used for comparison include boyfriends and girlfriends, friends and acquaintances, and strangers. Data are drawn from victimization surveys, official police statistics, State and Federal court statistics, and surveys of inmates in State prisons and local jails.
Family Violence: A Review of the Dysfunctional Behavior Patterns
December 2000 article. This Study examines family violence and the commonality of mental illness and other psychological problems experienced by the victims.
Family Violence: A Statistical Profile
June 1999 report. Provides and examines Canada's violence statistics to provide the most up-to-date data on the nature and extent of family violence in Canada. The report, which is produced annually as a part of the Canadian Government's Family Violence Initiative, monitors trends over time and offers statistics from a variety of sources on domestic violence, as well as child and elder abuse and family homicide. For more information on this report, please visit Statistics Canada.
Family Violence: An Intervention Model for Dental Professionals (pdf)
Efforts to strengthen responses by health care professionals to family violence have increased dramatically in recent years. As a result, more health care providers are able to recognize the signs of abuse and assist patients who are victims. However, dental professionals appear to be the least likely of all clinicians to suspect and intervene in family violence, even though injuries to the head and neck are present in 60 percent or more of abuse cases. Although they may see abuse-related injuries during patient visits, dental professionals typically have not been trained to recognize the causes of these injuries or how to offer intervention and referrals to patients. This bulletin describes a training model that teaches dental professionals how to recognize symptoms and patterns of abuse, create a safe environment for disclosure, intervene appropriately, refer patients to appropriate services, and file mandatory reports. The bulletin also underscores the importance of including dental professionals in community efforts to coordinate response to family violence.
Family Violence: Clinical Guidelines for Nurses
These guidelines are designed to provide current information about family violence and to address prevailing myths; to provide clear direction to nurses in a variety of settings; and to raise the awareness and comfort level of individual nurses as we deal with this complex issue.
Family Violence: Open Directory Project
This page is a comprehensive list of links to various organizations and websites that provide information and resources about children and domestic violence.
Overviews from frequently asked violence against elderly persons.
Federal Housing and Domestic Violence: Introduction to Programs, Policy, and Advocacy Opportunities
This paper provides a basic overview of the laws and policies governing the principal federal housing programs and discusses key policy issues these programs raise for battered women.
Federal Interstate Stalking Law
Provides definitions and interpretations of the Federal Interstate Stalking Law.
Female Delinquency Cases, 1997
2-page Fact Sheet posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The Fact Sheet describes the types of offenses committed by juvenile female offenders and provides additional data on detention, intake decisions, waiver to criminal court, and adjudication and disposition.
Female Gangs: A Focus on Research
12-page Bulletin posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). This Bulletin represents a step toward rectifying the deficiencies of prior research. It summarizes past and present research and tracks the rise in the number of female gangs and the increased public recognition of female gang involvement as a significant social problem. The authors consider the motivations for female gang membership, assess the delinquency and criminal activity of female gang members, examine the influence of ethnicity and gender norms on female gang behavior, and discuss the long-term consequences of gang membership. Recommendations for future research are also offered.
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: A statistical exploration
"This publication analyzes available statistics on female genital mutilation/cutting, with the aim of improving understanding of related issues in the wider context of gender equality and social change."
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Data and Trends (pdf)
The Population Reference Bureau estimates that between 100 and 140 million girls and women worldwide have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) and more than 3 million girls are at risk for cutting each year on the African continent alone. Global and national efforts to end FGM and cutting have supported legislation targeting excisors, medical professionals, and families who perpetuate the practice, but political will and implementation remain an issue.
This student manual is part of a set of training materials which has been prepared by the World Health Organization to facilitate training of health professionals on female genital mutilations.
This teacher's guide is part of a set of training materials prepared by the World Health Organization to facilitate training of health professionals on female genital mutilation.
Femicide Report: Women and Children Murdered (pdf)
MCBW monitors information about women and children murdered in Minnesota to educate the public about the lethality of woman abuse and child abuse. They pledge to remember the women, children, and family members and/or friends who die each year from domestic violence and the woman and children who die while being used in prostitution - a system of violence against women and children. Included in these Femicide Reports are the names of the women and children who have died from woman abuse and child abuse in Minnesota in that year. When you enter the MCBW website, click on the "Femicide" button, then click on the link to the year's report that you wish to read. Reports begin with 1989 and end with 2001.
"International labor migration has emerged as an increasingly regionalized phenomenon, with flows within East and Southeast Asia having gained great momentum. This article examines the debates and issues concerning intersections between women migrant workers' experiences of specifically gender-based violence and violations of their more generalized workers', human, and citizenship rights."
Final Report on the project entitled: Animal Welfare and Domestic Violence (pdf)
"This study assesses animal maltreatment in samples of women seeking safety at shelters and community samples of women. Women in shelter were much more likely (54%) to report partners' hurting or killing of their pets than women not in shelter (3.5%)."
Final Report: Focus Group on Public Law 280 and the Sexual Assault of Native Women
"The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) hosted a focus group in Green Bay, Wisconsin to discuss challenges to, and opportunities for, collaboration between states and tribes in Public Law 280 jurisdictions to address sexual assault in Indian country."
"Themes from this meeting hosted by the Government of Norway in Oslo include: macroeconomic policies, public finance and gender-responsive budgeting, bilateral and multilateral aid, and funding the women’s movement."
Findings About Partner Violence From the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study
July 1999. This NIJ Research in Brief examines the continual nature of antisocial behavior from adolescence through adulthood in an attempt to explain partner violence. Results are derived from a longitudinal study of a birth cohort from Dunedin, New Zealand, conducted over the past 21 years. Among the findings discussed are that partner violence can be linked to a variety of mental illnesses, family adversity, lack of schooling, and conviction of various crimes.
Five Years On: No Justice for Sexual Violence in Darfur
"Drawing on various data sources, this report covers: Sexual Violence in Darfur in 2007-08; Government's Response; International Response; and Sudan's Obligation to Prevent, Investigate and Punish Sexual Violence."
Focus Groups of African-American Men: Perspectives on Addressing Domestic Violence
This study is the first step toward a larger, multi-site project that would obtain valuable information about how to help African-American men prevent or eliminate violence in relationships. The purpose of this paper is to identify realistic approaches by which African-American men can confront friends, neighbors, relatives, co-workers or strangers, who are African-American men who batter. What is unique about this study is that African-American men are the key informants.
This paper explores factors contributing to successful collaborations between practitioners and researchers studying the impact of adult domestic violence and the effectiveness of services aimed at stopping it. The paper identifies potential challenges to research partnerships and, through interviews with the researchers and practitioners from four successful collaborations, highlights strategies for effectively navigating these challenges. It concludes by arguing that collaborative partnerships between science and practice communities strengthen the process of scientific inquiry and program development.
Forced Sexual Intercourse Among Young Adult Women Fact Sheet (pdf)
"This Fact Sheet uses nationally representative data to describe the types of force used during forced sexual intercourse. Variations in rates of forced sexual intercourse by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and sexual history are also examined."
Forensic Evidence Collection and Care of the Sexual Assault Survivor: The SANE-SART Response
This Violence Against Women Online Resources commissioned document outlines the components of a coordinated Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) model and illustrates the techniques and implementation strategies that should be utilized when gathering forensic evidence post sexual assualt.
This report summarizes the dialogues from the Women of Color Network (WOCN) focus groups on domestic violence and child welfare. Over one hundred (100) domestic violence and sexual assault activists of color participated in these focus groups. The report includes a set of recommendations and highlights from their conversations regarding issues and barriers for battered women with children from communities of color.
Form for Evaluating Police Response to Domestic Violence: For Use by Victims and Advocates
This form was put together for use by domestic violence victims and their advocates. It's
designed to assist in evaluating the police
response and the police report on domestic
violence calls. The form should help identify
problems in police response so that these problems can be corrected. It can
also be used provide feedback to the
police department and to the community on how
well police are responding to domestic violence
cases.
This form is also availabe in PDF format http://www.justicewomen.com/police_evaluation.pdf
This form is also available in Spanish at http://www.justicewomen.com/help_police_evaluation_sp.html (HTML version) and http://www.justicewomen.com/police_evaluation_sp.pdf (PDF version).
Spanish translation of article - "Bonding and Attachment in Maltreated Chidren: Consequences of Emotional Neglect in Childhood"
Fractured Families, Fragile Children - The Sexual Vulnerability of Girls in the Aftermath of Divorce
" This article examines overwhelming empirical evidence in countries as geographically and culturally diverse as Costa Rica, Finland, South Africa and Taiwan confirming that divorce magnifies a girl's risk of molestation. This evidence shows that a female child faces a significantly elevated risk of being sexually abused after her parents divorce, either at the hands of a parent, a parent's partner or someone outside the home. Because courts have failed to grasp the extent to which girls in fractured families are at risk of sexual abuse, this article seeks to provide a framework for understanding the link between marital breakdown and subsequent sexual abuse."
"This study estimated the frequency and correlates of intimate partner violence by type (physical, sexual, battering, or emotional abuse) among women seeking primary health care. Efforts to universally screen for partner violence and to effectively intervene to reduce the impact of such violence on women’s lives must be a public health priority."
"This study documented the frequency and perceived effectiveness of battered Mexican-origin women's usage of formal and informal help and personal strategies to survive abuse. This study illuminates battered Mexican-origin women's strengths and barriers that impede their survival efforts."
Frequently Asked Questions on Safe School Policies for LGBT Students (pdf)
Fact sheet designed to address many of the frequently asked questions about how schools can best protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students from harassement and discrimination while at the same time protect themselves from potential liability.
From the Courthouse to the Schoolhouse: Making a Successful Transition
A 16-page bulletin from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). This Bulletin describes effective approaches to reintegrating youth from juvenile justice system settings into the education mainstream and provides information about promising programs, practices, and resources.
From Words To Weapons: The Violence Surrounding Our Schools
Report from a study where 1,802 students of the Los Angeles Unified School District were surveyed on a range of issues related to their experiences with violence, their own and their friends' weapons possession and their suggestions for ways to lessen violence, racial tension and conflict. (This report is 1.5Mb and must be downloaded and read with Acrobat Reader)
Fuerza Unida: A Manual For Engaging Communities
"This attractive, user-friendly manual is a guide to understanding and working with Latino families experiencing domestic violence. Written primarily for government workers, nonprofit staff members, and other professionals working with Latino clients, it will benefit anyone seeking to relate effectively to our growing Latino communities."
Full Faith and Credit Enabling Legislation and Registry Information
The following document provides information about individual states' laws and policies regarding restraining orders, the registration thereof and reciprocity between states. Registry information is also provided for the District of Columbia.
Full Faith and Credit Implementation: Challenges and Solutions
This chapter identifies some of the stumbling blocks to implementation of full faith and credit, including xenophobia, reluctance to change, and procedure-driven traditions of law enforcement. It offers an outline for a problem-solving approach.
Full Faith and Credit Scenarios
Case scenarios with fourteen questions to test your knowledge about full faith and credit issues.
Funding for Collaborative Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Programs (pdf)
This paper identifies different sources to assist Greenbook sites and other communities to create new and sustain ongoing efforts.
Gender Approaches in Conflict and Post-Conflict Situations (pdf)
This manual aims to increase effectiveness of humanitarian and recovery interventions through integration of a gender perspective in conflict and post-conflict situations. It includes a chart to depict different levels of possible gender violence dimensions along the timeline of pre-conflict and post-conflict.
Gender Based Violence: Emerging Issues in Programs Serving Displaced Populations (pdf)
This report provides background and current information about gender-based violence programming with populations affected by armed conflict. It gives concrete advice and examples of programming addressing gender-based violence, and lists valuable resources for further information.
Gender Dimensions of Racial Discrimination (pdf)
This publication produced by the United Nations describes gender and racial discrimination women face and the efforts to combat it with recommendations of action.
This report is generated from a two-day meeting held in Seattle February 7 – 8, 2004 by an ad-hoc INCITE! Community Accountability in Organizations Working Group. This group specifically gathered to address gender oppression including patriarchical political and work environments, sexual harassment, domestic violence, and sexual assault committed against women/girls/women-identified persons of color within progressive, radical and revolutionary people of color organizations and movement.
Gender Responsive Budgeting in Practice: A Training Manual
"This training manual was produced under a UNFPA/UNIFEM strategic partnership aimed at developing a coordinated approach for effective technical assistance to gender-responsive budgeting (GRB)."
This report intends to improve international and local capacities when addressing gender-based violence in refugee, internally-displaced and conflict settings.
General Domestic Violence Statistics Packet: Using Statistics and Evaluating Research (pdf)
"Offers key issues on selecting statistics and questions to ask when reviewing a dataset or research study. Includes an annotated list of various statistics, a chart comparing four national datasets, a bibliography and extensive web site resource list."
Girls and Violence: Is the Gender Gap Closing?
This VAWnet document summarizes the current research on girls' use of violence and reviews evidence regarding youthful female violence. It makes suggestions about what is occurring and briefly suggests ways to address the issue positively.
Girls Count: A Global Investment & Action Agenda
"This report describes why and how to initiate effective investments that will give adolescent girls in developing countries a full and equal chance for rewarding lives and livelihoods."
Global Perspectives on Sexual Violence: Findings from the World Report on Violence and Health (pdf)
This document is a summary of findings specific to sexual violence included in the World Report on Violence and Health (released in 2002 by the World Health Organization). The document seeks to offer a glimpse of the "serious global public health problem" that is sexual violence as well as promising practices and opportunities for those working to end sexual violence.
Global War and Violence: Implications for US Social Workers
The Center for Victims of Torture has published a curriculum for social work instructors who want to prepare their students to work with torture survivors and war-traumatized refugees.
"This article (a) provides an overview of the contemporary IMB (International Marriage Broker) industry, including a discussion of reasons underlying women's choices to use IMB agencies to meet and marry U.S.-based spouses, (b) discusses how this industry's marketing of marriages potentially endangers many women recruits, and (c) offers an update and analysis of new provisions under U.S. immigration law that strengthen protections available for women who immigrate as fiancés and spouses of U.S. citizens, including those in marriages arranged by IMBs."
Guide for Preventing and Responding to School Violence (pdf)
Outlines strategies and approaches for members of school communities to consider when creating safer learning environments. Offers guideance for school violence prevention and response in the following areas: preventing student violence, preparing a threat assessment strategy, planning and training for actual crises, responding to a crisis, considering legal and legislative issues, and covering the crisis in the media. A list of Web sites pertaining to school safety and violence reduction is included.
Guide to the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict (pdf)
"A guide to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child related to children in armed conflict. It describes the context surrounding its adoption, efforts supporting its objectives, key provisions and the legislative processes involved for signature and ratification or accession."
Guidebook on Vicarious Trauma: Recommended Solutions for Anti-Violence Workers (pdf)
This guidebook explains vicarious trauma, associated effects and consequences, and effective coping strategies. It is designed to assist anti-violence workers to recognize and address their own vicarious trauma experiences.
Guidelines for Conducting Family Team Conferences When There is a History of Domestic Violence (pdf)
These guidelines are meant to assist workers who are participating in or facilitating FTCs when there has been a history of domestic violence. The goal is to ensure that the safety of all family members is addressed in a supportive and empowering manner throughout the process of FTC.
HIV counseling and testing offer numerous opportunities for providers to introduce the issue of domestic violence and to ask persons seeking testing relevant screening questions.
Guidelines for Medico-Legal Care for Victim of Sexual Violence (pdf)
These guidelines are designed for healthcare workers to provide comprehensive care for medical, psychological and forensic needs of survivors of sexual assault. The guidelines are currently being pilot tested in various countries.
Guidelines for Men Who Batter Programs
Developed by the People Who Work With People Who Batter, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1997. It is intended that these guidelines be a guide for new and existing programs toward the development and delivery of services to men involved in heterosexual relationships who have acted abusively toward a partner or spouse.
Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Health Care & Social Service Workers
This informational booklet provides a general overview of a particular topic related to OSHA standards.
The guidelines describe model policies, practices, programs, and protocols that address the multiple needs of families and children affected by domestic violence and child maltreatment. They are based on recommendations contained in the Greenbook and on the thoughtful recommendations provided by public child welfare agency directors, domestic violence advocates, child advocates, and legal representatives.
Guidelines for Responding to the Co-occurrence of Child Maltreatment and Domestic Violence (pdf)
The purpose of these Guidelines is to provide direction to child protection staff when responding to situations in which child maltreatment and domestic violence are both occurring.
This handbook is designed to help health professionals address the health care needs of adult female survivors of childhood sexual abuse. It provides background information about childhood sexual abuse and its effects on survivors. It also introduces the principles of sensitive practice and provides practical suggestions that health professionals can incorporate into their clinical practice.
Hate Crime in America Summit Recommendations
The 1998 IACP Hate Crime in America Summit produced 46 recommendations to: Prevent Hate Crime; Respond to Hate Crime; and Measure the Effectiveness of Prevention and Response Efforts.
Hate Crimes Against People with Disabilities
This paper examines hate crimes perpetrated against people with disabilities. The paper outlines some of the differences between hate crimes committed against people with disabilities and those committed against other members of the community.
Hate Violence against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People in the United States (pdf)
This is a report about bias-motivated incidents targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gender, queer, and questioning (LGBT) individuals in the U.S. during the year 2008. The report includes statistics on violence against LGBT people, stories from survivors, information on where to get help, safety tips, and information on hate crime laws.
Based on in-depth interviews with 140 youth and 130 teachers, administrators, counselors, parents, and youth service providers in seven states, this report offers the first comprehensive look at the human rights abuses suffered by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students at the hands of their peers. Teachers and administrators frequently turn their backs on these abuses, refusing to take reports of harassment or hold accountable those who commit these acts; in some instances, officials encourage or themselves participate in these abuses.
He Got Himself Drunk — What Did He Think Was Going to Happen?
This article discusses holding the sexual perpetrator accountable for sexual assault, rather than pointing the finger at the victim, particularly when alcohol is involved. He stresses that alcohol is not an excuse for sexual assault, nor is it a reason to put the blame on the victim.
It profiles promising programs that address domestic violence at community health care organizations. This document is designed to encourage primary health care providers to treat domestic violence among their client base and to engage providers, administrators, policymakers and others in a coordinated, community-wide response to domestic violence.
Healing the Hate: A National Hate Crime Prevention Curriculum (pdf)
Originally designed to be used in classroom settings, these materials have also proven useful in a variety of other venues: working with youth who commit hate crimes, working with schools experiencing specific bias crime problems, in after-school programs, and in teacher training settings.
"In this paper, the author will examine both the effectiveness of feminist therapy and its limitations when counseling immigrant and racially visible women who have been abused. The author will also describe the reality of domestic violence among these women and how their needs differ from women in the dominant culture. Strategies for a more inclusive form of feminist therapy will also be offered as alternatives to existing modes of practice and assessment."
Health Care Costs Associated with Violence in Pennsylvania (pdf)
"Reports the impact of violence in Pennsylvania including interpersonal violence (homicide, aggravated assault, rape) domestic violence (partner, child and elder abuse) and self-directed violence (suicide and attempted suicide)."
Health Concerns Across a Woman's Lifespan: CMWF 1998 Survey of Women's Health
This study shows that while more women are receiving preventive care and taking better care of their health, they are still experiencing alarmingly high rates of violence and abuse.
"Presents an overview of the problem of interpersonal violence in the U.S. and the role of treating physician and other health professionals."
Health Privacy Principles for Protecting Victims of Domestic Violence
Since women often interact with the health care system for routine or emergency care before they turn to law enforcement or other domestic violence services, health care professionals are in the unique position to identify abuse and intervene early on. This report discusses working with domestic violence advocates and service providers to respond to victims of domestic violence through screening, assessment, documentation, intervention, and referral.
These packets provide support to those interested in developing a comprehensive health care response to domestic violence (e.g., routine screening, protocols, regular staff trainings and resource materials) in all health care settings. The HRC has several information packets which are available free of charge. Topics include "Battering During Pregnancy," "Domestic Violence Health Care Protocols," "Responding to Diversity," and "Screen Patients for Domestic Violence."
Healthy Marriage and the Legacy of Child Maltreatment: A Child Welfare Perspective (pdf)
"This brief explores how childhood experiences, specifically child maltreatment and involvement with the child welfare system, impact the potential for a healthy, lasting marriage. The author also offers recommendations for addressing the unique needs of couples in which one or both partners have experienced childhood maltreatment."
Help-Seeking Behavior Among Abused Immigrant Women: A Case of Vietnamese American Women
"The present study examines help-seeking behavior among abused Vietnamese American women to understand factors associated with their decisions to seek help. The study found that abused Vietnamese American women have sought help from their personal networks, the criminal justice system, and various victim service agencies. Data analyses suggest that the decisions of Vietnamese American women to reach out are complex and diverse and are shaped by various structural, cultural, and organizational factors."
Helpful or Harmful?: How Innovative Communication Technology Affects Survivors of Intimate Violence
This paper explores: 1) the prevalence of web usage by both survivors of intimate violence and the organizations that serve them; 2) the ways in which batterers misuse communication technology to monitor and control their partners activities; and 3) precautions that survivors and organizations can employ to safeguard themselves from liability, harm, and ethical conundrums.
Helping Children Affected by Domestic Violence (pdf)
This is a comprehensive document about children who have been exposed to domestic violence and is supplemented with specific interventions that have shown to help palliate the impact.
Helping Children Cope with the Stresses of War: A Manual for Parents and Teachers (pdf)
"A tool for parents and teachers in helping children cope with the stresses of war and other forms of systematic violence. This book provides illustrative drawings by children portraying experiences of stress. Guidelines on handling problematic behaviors with which children of various ages respond to stress are also provided."
Helping Children Cope with Violence: A School-Based Program That Works (pdf)
Violence is one of our most significant public health issues. Children exposed to violence frequently develop post-traumatic stress symptoms. They are more likely to have behavioral problems, poorer school performance, more days of school absence, and feelings of depression and anxiety. School officials are often willing to provide help at school. But these professionals face an important question: What works? There have been no randomized controlled trials of intervention effectiveness with which to answer this question. To fill this gap, a team of clinician-researchers from several institutions collaborated to develop, implement, and evaluate an intervention designed to help children traumatized by violence. The team included professionals from the RAND Corporation, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).
Helping Children Exposed to Domestic Violence: Law Enforcement and Community Partnerships (pdf)
March 2001 report. Discusses law enforcement and community responses to children who have been exposed to domestic violence.
This 76-page resource is written for service providers assisting women who have survived woman abuse. Material addresses the needs of abused women as mothers, how abusive men parent, how abusive men affect family dynamics, effects of power and control tactics on mothers, the potential impact of woman abuse on children of different ages, and strategies used by young people to cope with violence in their homes. Guidance on parenting children who have lived with violence is also offered. Forty-four pages are designed as handouts for women, to be distribued as an adjunct to individual or group interventions on woman abuse or on parenting.
Helping Culturally Diverse Victims of Interpersonal Violence: Avoiding Stereotypes & Meetings Needs
"This forum discusses the need to take people's culture into account when providing them with services for interpersonal violence and avoiding the trap of treating people in a cookie-cutter way, based on stereotypes about their culture. This forum is hosted by Lisa Aronson Fontes, PhD. Lisa is a Core Faculty Member in Union Institute & University's Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology and has dedicated almost 20 years to making the social service and mental health systems more responsive to culturally diverse people."
Helping to Prevent Child Abuse and Future Criminal Consequences: Hawaii's Healthy Start (pdf)
This is an October, 1995 paper posted by the National Criminal Justice Reference Service. This article discusses ways to prevent child abuse through a novel program in Hawaii. A focus on criminal consequences should child abuse continue to be ignored is also provided.
Helping Traumatized Children: A Brief Overview for Caregivers (pdf)
This article, designed largely with a child's caregiver in mind, addresses how to talk to children who have experienced trauma and what these experiences may have been like.
Helping with Domestic Violence: Legal Barriers to Serving Teens in Illinois (pdf)
November 2000. Report based on focus groups and interviews with a total of 110 service providers and teen groups in 1999-2000 to determine why so few services were available for teen victims of domestic violence. This research isolated a variety of Illinois laws and regulations that served as barriers. Subsequent review of laws in other states found that on some issues Illinois laws were more helpful to minors, but that in several key instances Illinois laws are in need of change. This report focuses on legal barriers to providing services to teen victims of domestic violence, specifically those that affect access to transitional and long-term housing, orders of protection for domestic violence, and health and mental health services.
Helping Young Children Affected by Domestic Violence: The Role of Pediatric Health Settiings (pdf)
This paper is part of series of paper that addresses the way to mobilize community and programatic resources to provide responsive help to children and families affected both by domestic violence and poverty. This particular paper addresses importance of pediatric health care and mental health care in addressing domestic violence.
Hennepin County Minnesota Community Indicators: 2004 (pdf)
The 2002 Community Indicators Report provides a snapshot of
community well-being. The indicators that are related to violence include:
Indicator 7: Child Abuse and Neglect (Maltreatment,
Indicator 8: Permanency for Children in Placement Settings,
Indicator 9: Crime,
Indicator 10: Domestic Abuse and Violence,
Indicator 11: Vulnerable Adult Abuse and Neglect (Maltreatment).
Her Story of Domestic Violence: A Timeline of the Battered Women's Movement
A timeline of the Battered Women's Movement from 753 B.C. to 1999.
Here is Where We Start (pdf)
This booklet informs men of the extent of sexual and domestic violence and provides them with concrete ideas on how they can become part of the solution for ending these crimes. It outlines steps men can take to change the social norms that support sexual and domestic assaults.
This document describes the abuse of migrant domestic workers in the United States as well as laws, guidelines, procedures, and regulations concerning special visas and their enforcement.
Hidden Slaves: Forced Labor in the United States
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the history and current US laws and regulations against forced labor and trafficking. It illuminates differences between US and international anti-trafficking legal framework. It also includes recomendations for improvement in US policy and legal and social service providers.
Hiding in Plain Sight: A Practical Guide to Identifying Victims of Trafficking in the U.S. (pdf)
A guide which places particular emphasis on identifying victims of sexual trafficking as defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. The document offers a definition of trafficking and suggests how and where one might find a victim of sexual trafficking. The guide also addresses reporting procedures for both the general public and mandated reporters, and concludes by describing the services available to victims of trafficking.
Linda v. Lyle - A Case Study. Looks at the possibility that some or all high-conflict divorces are actually the manifestation of stalking behaviors by wealthy domestic abusers. Part I compares and contrasts the research on batterers and stalkers to the literature on high-conflict divorce. In Part II, an actual high-conflict case is described. Part III explores the lack of consumer protection. Part IV offers a modest proposal that may discourage protracted Family Court litigation and calls for studies that apply stalking and battering dynamics to high-conflict divorce so stalking by way of Family Court can be quantified and illuminated.
Highlights of the 1999 National Youth Gang Survey
2-page Fact Sheet posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The 1999 National Youth Gang Survey is the fifth annual survey conducted by NYGC. The 1999 survey used the same sample as the surveys done from 1996 through 1998 to facilitate comparative and trend analysis.
Hispanic Victims of Violent Crime, 1993-2000 (word)
"Examines violent crimes committed against Hispanic victims including rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated and simple assault. Crime victimizations are compared with those of four non-Hispanic groups: whites, blacks, American Indians, and Asians."
HIV Positive Women Report More Partner Violence (pdf)
The paper examines violence as a risk factor for HIV infection that must be addressed through multilevel prevention approaches.
This report focuses on female migrant workers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka, who worked in the host countries of Bahrain, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates. Researchers' key findings concluded that female migrant workers are vulnerable to HIV during all stages of employment abroad. They face sexual assault, sexual exploitation and being trafficked into the commercial sex industry while applying for or being recruited into employment, or during transit between home countries and host countries. Home countries' policies can also contribute to the problem as banning women from working abroad serves to push worker migration underground.
Homeless in Minnesota 2003 (pdf)
Drawn from interviews with more than 3,000 homeless adults and youth throughout Minnesota, this research describes some of the causes, effects, and circumstances surrounding homelessness. It identifies relationships between homelessness, sexual abuse and domestic violence.
This article, of the Research and Advocacy Digest from the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, focuses on the intersection between sexual victimization and homeless youth, and provides an overview of research on this topic area. Numerous abstracts are detailed and discussed within this context.
Homelessness and Family Trauma: The Case for Early Intervention (pdf)
A publication of Health Care for the Homeless Clinician's Network, National Health Care for the Homeless Council. This article focuses on the impact that homelessness has on children, especially for those who have experienced sexual, physical and/or emotional abuse or are in environments where this abuse is occurring. The issue addresses the need for early intervention and provides clinicians with tips on identifying signs of trauma in homeless children as well as when and how to intervene.
Homicide Trends in the United States
Posted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, this report contains a series of charts that describe homicide patterns and trends in the United States since 1976. Includes a section on intimate homicide.
Homicides of Children and Youth
October 2001 Bulletin report. Provides a statistical portrait of juvenile homicide victimization by drawing on FBI and other data. As part of OJJDP's Crimes Against Children Series, the Bulletin offers detailed information about overall crime patterns and victim age groups. Specific types of juvenile homicide, including maltreatment homicides, abduction homicides, and school homicides, are discussed in further detail. The Bulletin also explores initiatives designed to prevent homicides of children and youth.
Honor Killings: An Islamic Perspective
Discussion of honor killings how the prevailing view that devalues and belittles women is derived from sociocultural factors that are justified by a distorted and erroneous interpretation of religion, especially of Islam.
This report documents how local corruption and the complicity of international officials in Bosnia have allowed a trafficking network to flourish, in which women are tricked, threatened, physically assaulted and sold as chattel.
"This paper offers a research on DV and homelessness and trends in federal housing policy. A model for conducting a community assessment of local housing needs includes critical thinking questions on an organization’s capacity for housing advocacy."
Housing and Battered Women: A Case Study of Domestic Violence Programs in Iowa
The purpose of this paper is to increase the domestic violence advocacy communitys knowledge about housing issues, federal housing programs, and strategies to comprehensively address battered women's needs for housing.
Housing and Battered Women: Increasing Battered Women's Access to Federal Housing Programs
This paper encourages advocates to collaborate in an effort to support proposed federal housing regulations that begin to address some of the housing needs of battered women and to submit comments to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support those sections of the proposed regulations that could give battered women faster access to housing.
This paper provides domestic violence advocates with information and strategies to promote the use of this housing program as a resource to assist battered women moving from welfare to work.
How Children Are Involved in Adult Domestic Violence: Results From a Four City Telephone Survey (pdf)
This article, which was published in Vol. 18, No. 1 of the Journal of Interpersonal Violence (2003), summarizes a study that collected direct reports on domestic violence events. Information was gathered through anonymous telephone interviews with 114 battered mothers in four metropolitan areas across the United States, eliciting detailed information from the women on their children’s observations and responses to the violence being committed against the mothers. The article concludes with recommendations for a greater emphasis on careful assessment of children’s involvement in domestic violence incidents and on assisting mothers to achieve economic stability as well as safety.
How to Answer the Question: "Does Sex Offender Treatment Work?"
This article discusses whether or not sex offender treatments work, and points to consider when assessing treatment outcomes.
How To Integrate Assessment for Violence and Reproductive Coercion Into Clinical Practice (pdf)
A resource for healthcare providers which outlines points to train staff working with victims of violence and reproductive coercion.
How to Investigate Domestic Violence Homicide
A guide for investigating the path leading up to domestic violence homicides, for friends, activists, journalists, and all who care.
How to obtain U Interim Relief: A Brief Manual for Advocates Assisting Immigrant Victims of Crime (pdf)
This manual provides U Visa information for advocates who assist victims of crime, including domestic violence. The author outlines the definition, requirements, and application process for U Visa Interim relief and also offers information on obtaining permanent residency and derivative status for family members.
How to Write a Letter to the Judge for Victims of Rape, Domestic Violence and Child Abuse
Gives information that should help you write a more effective letter. Provides four examples of different kinds of letters you as a victim or victim advocate, may want to write to the judge in the criminal case. Also available in Spanish.
The Human Rights Brief, a student-run publication of the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, reports on developments in international human rights and humanitarian law and provides concise legal analysis of cutting edge human rights issues.
Human Rights Dialogue: Violence Against Women (pdf)
This special edition of the magazine explores how women's advocates are challenging the public/private divide, the cultural and religious objections to granting women's rights, and the common blindness to linkages between violence against women and the deprivation of other rights, specifically economic and social rights.
Human Rights Protections Applicable to Women Migrant Workers: A UNIFEM Briefing Paper (pdf)
"This briefing paper is intended to provide some tools for human rights advocates working to advance the rights of women migrant workers using the five most relevant major human rights conventions: Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the International Covenant on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families (MWC). The publication concludes by providing examples of steps states may be required to take to ensure women migrant workers can enjoy their human rights."
Human Rights Watch: Reports on Violence Against Women
Lists a series of articles from around the world focusing on violence against women issues.
The political and human rights issues related to human trafficking are discussed in this document. Critical thinking questions are posed, along with facts sheets and policy initiatives.
Human Trafficking Cheat Sheet (pdf)
"Two page sheet that defines human trafficking and gives you basic facts about the issues, including statistics."
Human Trafficking in Minnesota, A Report to the Minnesota Legislature (pdf)
"In 2005, the Minnesota legislature passed Minnesota Statute 299A.785, requiring the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to complete annual studies on the extent and type of human trafficking occurring in our state. The first report was completed in September 2006 and this current report is the second annual report in response to that legislation."
Human Trafficking of Children in the United States: A Fact Sheet for Schools
"This fact sheet was developed for those working in school settings and provides an overview of human trafficking, how it affects schools, tips for identifying victims, and steps for reporting human trafficking."
Human Trafficking Service Provider Manual for Certified Domestic Violence Centers (pdf)
This is a manual designed to assist domestic violence advocates in working with victims of trafficking. The manual details considerations and recommendations for service provision, benefits available to victims of trafficking, legal issues, criminal prosecution of traffickers, working with the media, potential funding sources, and additional anti-trafficking resources.
"This is a preliminary report from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center on the first six months of data collection on sexual violence committed in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita."
Husband Abuse: An Overview of Research and Perspectives (pdf)
"This discussion paper provides insight into the issue of abuse against men by their intimate partners. It summarizes information from three sources, offers resources and services for male victims, and describes policy implications."
This report aims to bring attention to medical, psychosocial and socio-economic consequences of sexual violence in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The report is based on medical data and testimonies collected in MSF's work in Eastern DRC.
The guidelines offered here provide specific recommendations for screening and responding to domestic violence in child health settings, which provide a unique and important opportunity to screen for domestic violence and to educate parents about the impact of such violence on children. These guidelines also speak to the need for child health providers to engage in, model, and take leadership in delivering effective primary prevention of domestic violence, as well as other types of family and community violence, by highlighting violence prevention during well child and other routine visits, as a component of routine anticipatory guidance.
The report includes: our most current domestic violence fatality statistics; detailed findings and recommendations based on cases reviewed over the past years; an exploratory study of the connection between domestic violence and suicide; copy-ready pages summarizing key findings and recommendations; and an index of the topic areas covered in all four Fatality Review reports.
"The goal of the current study was to evaluate victimization acknowledgment status as a predictor of posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology using structural equation modeling among a sample of 346 college rape victims. Results showed that whereas acknowledged victims reported more symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, acknowledgment status did not add to the prediction of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in a model including assault violence and other important predictors of these symptoms."
If You Want Legal Assistance But Cannot Afford a Lawyer
Information and referrals. Also on this site is information about safety planning and important resource phone numbers to have.
Immigrant and Refugee Power and Control Wheel
Throughout the world, women are victims of domestic violence just as there are battered women in the United States. Immigrant and refugee women know that in their countries of origin, women have been tortured with sexual abuse by the army/rebels, kidnapped into prostitution, forced into marriages, killed in honor killings, used for sexual slavery, stoned to death and often experience other gender related abuses. This Immigrant and Refugee Power and Control Wheel is an adaptation of the Duluth Power and Conrol wheel created by attendees Immigrant & Refugee Women Support Group in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Immigrant Populations as Victims: Toward a Multicultural Criminal Justice System (pdf)
"This report summarizes findings from a study about the criminal justice system's approach to immigrant victims of crime and barriers that prohibit immigrants from reporting crimes."
Immigrant South Asian Women at Greater Risk for Injury From Intimate Partner Violence
"Factors related to immigration may place South Asian immigrant women at increased risk for intimate partner violence. The purpose of the current study was to assess the relations between immigration-related factors and intimate partner violence among a sample of South Asian women residing in the United States."
Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence: Cultural Challenges and Available Legal Protections
This VAWNET document raises awareness of both the challenges faced by battered immigrant women and some of the legal protections now available to them.
Immigrant Women and Domestic Violence
This special collection highlights the common experiences of immigrant women who are in abusive relationships, the legal protections and public benefits available, and practices and suggestions for increasing the effectiveness of services provided to immigrant women.
Immigrant Women and Domestic Violence: Common Experiences in Different Countries
"In this article, the authors assess the still limited literature on domestic violence among immigrant women in major receiving countries so as to begin delineating a framework to explain how immigrant specific factors exacerbate the already vulnerable position - as dictated by class, gender, and race - of immigrant women in domestic violence situations."
Immigration Reporting Laws: Ethical Dilemmas in Pediatric Practice
"This study assessed the potential impact of immigration reporting requirements on pediatricians' referrals to child protective services. The study concluded that Pediatricians, as mandated reporters of child abuse, will face ethical dilemmas if laws requiring reporting of immigration status is enacted."
Immigration, Domestic Violence, and the Military: The Case of "Military Brides"
"This study addresses the abuse experiences of immigrant women married or engaged to U.S. servicemen and the response of military social service and legal systems.The findings confirm the role of military context, culture, and priorities in the abuse and the military systems' responses. The immigration circumstances and status interact with the military context to compound the abuse, further marginalize victims/survivors, and weaken the military social service and legal systems' response. The implications of the findings for military efforts to address domestic violence within the ranks are discussed."
This preliminary evaluation of The Fourth R comprehensive school program is based on a randomized controlled trial with 20 schools in the Thames Valley District School Board in London, Ontario Canada.
Impact: Feature Issue on Violence Against Women with Developmental or Other Disabilities
Examines how disability service providers, sexual and domestic violence programs, law enforcement, researchers, and women with disabilities can work together to respond to a major civil rights, quality of life, and health issue for women with disabilities - the presence of violence in their lives.
Implementation of the Intensive Community-Based Aftercare Program
19-page Bulletin posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). This Bulletin provides an overview of the IAP model and describes its implementation over the first 3 years by participating sites in Colorado, Nevada, New Jersey, and Virginia.
Implementation of the Bulgarian Law (pdf)
"Throughout 2007, The Advocates' Women's Human Rights Program and BGRF conducted human rights monitoring to investigate implementation of the law by all principals, including the state, police, judges, prosecutors, media and NGOs. This report presents the findings and makes recommendations to improve implementation of the law. The report was produced with the support of the Oak Foundation and UNIFEM."
Implementing Evidence-Based Practice in Treatment Foster Care (pdf)
The guide highlights valuable information, references, resources, and tools for implementing Evidence-based Practices (EBPs) in Treatment Foster Care (TFC) service settings. The Resource Guide identifies specific models, interventions, and tools that TFC providers can use to deliver effective services to the children, youth, and families in their care. It also provides “how-to” information to help TFC providers successfully implement desired EBPs in their programs.
"The implementation of a screening and referral system for supplemental mental health treatment among batterer program participants was investigated in a 2-year formative evaluation. The research team conducted direct observation of the agency procedures, participation in training and supervision meetings, debriefing interviews with administrators, and informal conversations with staff and clients. Inconsistencies and breakdowns associated with nearly every step of the screening and referral process were identified. Several underlying issues were also exposed: administrative absenteeism and turnover, administrative-staff gaps, client overload, and differing agency priorities. These issues reinforce the challenges facing coordinated community response."
Improving Judicial Response to Sexual Harassment in the Courtroom (word)
This module is intended for judges, court personnel, and other legal professionals to strategize about improving the judicial response to sexual harassment in the courtroom and in their profession generally.
Improving the Health Care Response to Domestic Violence: A Resource Manual for Health Care Providers
This manual provides health care providers with a wide range of information and tools necessary to become more effective in domestic violence identification, intervention and prevention.
"This Trainer's Manual was developed to help health care providers and domestic violence advocates meet the challenge of training clinicians and other staff within the busy clinic or hospital setting. The Manual provides step-by-step instructions for teaching each section of the Resource Manual including the basics of domestic violence, clinical skills, legal issues, community resources, and role play scenarios. It also includes a special module on cultural diversity."
Impulsive Corporal Punishment by Mothers and Antisocial Behavior and Impulsiveness of Children
"This study tested the hypothesis that corporal punish- ment (CP), such as spanking or slapping a child for purposes of correcting misbehavior, is associated with antisocial behavior (ASB) and impulsiveness by the child. It was found that the more CP experienced by the child, the greater the tendency for the child to engage in ASB and to act impulsively. The results of this study suggest that CP is an important risk factor for children developing a pattern of impulsive and antisocial behavior which, in turn, may contribute to the level of violence and other crime in society."
In Our Own Backyard: Human Rights in the Heartland
This report is designed to educate American Midwestners about the crucial role of human rights protections and to reveal gaps between human rights standands and realities in the American Midwest.
This is a briefing paper prepared for a Wingspread Conference of a similar title. It discusses family violence, specifically against women and children, barriers to helping the victims, and the importance of collaboration to effect change.
In Their Own Words (pdf)
"One page sheet with excerpts of survivor testimonies from sex and labor trafficking."
This document highlights the differences between two of the largest U.S. surveys that attempt to measure violence against women, and explores the factors that attribute to the differences in incidence rates of violence in each study. The surveys examined are the National Crime Victimization Survey and the National Family Violence Survey. Includes a discussion about what each survey tells us about men's and women's use of violence.
Incorporating Evaluation into Media Campaign Design
"This Applied Research paper provides information on core concepts relevant to media campaign evaluation strategies and showcases several sexual violence prevention campaigns that have completed evaluations at various stages of the implementation process."
Increasing Agency Accessibility for People with Disabilities: DV Agency Self-Assessment Guide
The Coalition developed this tool specifically for domestic violence organizations to increase their program’s ability to work with people with disabilities. This self-assessment guide is intended to assist domestic violence programs in evaluating their accessibility to victims with disabilities in their community.
Increasing School Safety Through Juvenile Accountability
16-page Bulletin posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The author of this Bulletin, part of OJJDP's JAIBG Best Practices Series, recommends a comprehensive, collaborative approach that involves students, parents, and school officials. The Bulletin describes key elements of effective school-based accountability programs, delineates the steps essential to successful program implementation, and provides examples of promising programs and best practices.
Increasing Your Safety: Full Faith and Credit for Protection Orders
This guide explains Full Faith and Credit law and offers ideas about where to get help if you have problems with enforcement of a protection order.
Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 1999
Reports data on crime at school from the perspective of students, teachers, principals, and the general population.
Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2004 (pdf)
This 2004 report is designed to provide an annual snapshot of school crime and safety indicators, covering topics such as victimization, fights, bullying, disorder, teacher injury, weapons, and student perceptions of school safety. In addition to covering a wide range of topics, the indicators are based on information drawn from various sources, including surveys of students, teachers, and principals, and data collections by federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 2004 report also presents data on crime away from school to place school crime in the context of crime in the larger society. The 2004 report includes data from last year's Indicators of School Crime and Safety on principal reports of selected crimes, principal reports of disciplinary problems and actions at school, and fatal student victimization. The report also provides updated data on nonfatal student victimization; nonfatal victimization of teachers; students' perceptions of personal safety; gangs; students' reports of being bullied, avoiding places, being called hate-related words, and seeing hate-related graffiti; and students' reports of being threatened or injured with a weapon, being in fights, carrying weapons at school, using alcohol and marijuana, and having access to drugs on school property.
Individual Development Accounts (IDAs)
This special collection includes a categorized and selected listing of articles, fact sheets, papers, reports and surveys. It is offered as an additional tool to assist advocates working on and interested in Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) and how they relate to ending violence against women...Direct links to the documents are provided from this page.
Individual-Systemic Violence: Disabled Women's Standpoint (pdf)
"This article explores reasons for the systemic omission of women with disabilities from mainstream research and from services addressing non-disabled women's experiences."
Infant Exposure to Domestic Violence Predicts Heightened Sensitivity to Adult Verbal Conflict (pdf)
The results of this article found that infants do respond negatively to verbal conflict in the environment.
Information for Victims in Trafficking of People and Forced Labor
Factsheet. Describes acts which may constitute trafficking in persons and forced labor and encourages victims of trafficking to report their situation. Information about governmental and non-governmental resources for victims is provided.
Information Sharing in Collaborative Relationship: Domestic Violence and Child Protection (pdf)
This series was created through a collaboration of the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Vermont Department for Children and Families and the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services. Part III provides general guidance and possibilities for policy development regarding information sharing between systems and presents avenues for effective inquiry where these issues intersect.
The entire report (executive summary and full report) may be downloaded as a MicroSoft Word 6.0 document.
This report addresses API domestic violence intervention strategies within the U.S. as both accommodations and alternatives to mainstream domestic violence programs. They have adopted mainstream assumptions and approaches. And, they have crafted innovations based upon necessity and, in some cases, vision and intentionality. Emerging themes as discussed by the API women interviewed in this report highlight a number of areas which capture our attention for further exploration. While the findings of this report bring up broad, diverse and, at times, contradictory policies and practices among API programs, existing models, themes and interventions for the future programs are examined.
Innovative Strategies to Provide Housing for Battered Women
This paper highlights how eight domestic violence organizations are responding to the housing needs of battered women in their communities.
Integrating Anti-Poverty Work into Domestic Violence Advocacy: Iowa's Experience (pdf)
This document describes how the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV) approached integrating economic advocacy into its work in order to better respond to the financial concerns of battered women and their families. Domestic violence programs in Iowa incorporated this work into their services by training advocates, developing new collaborative partnerships, and providing economic advocacy to battered women at three pilot sites. In addition, the ICADV secured funding to support its commitment to the institutionalization of economic advocacy in 2001.
Integrating Community Building and Violence Prevention (pdf)
This report, which synthesizes the information gleaned from the key informant interviews and national strategy meeting, lays out a rationale for why it is important to simultaneously engage the two fields of violence prevention and community building, outlines to what extent the fields currently build from similar principles or philosophies and/or share practices, and explores how perceptions about each field create impediments to integration.
Intergenerational Transmission of Partner Violence: A 20-Year Prospective Study (pdf)
An unselected sample of 543 children was followed over 20 years to test the independent effects of parenting, exposure to domestic violence between parents (ETDV), maltreatment, adolescent disruptive behavior disorders, and emerging adult substance abuse disorders (SUDs) on the risk of violence to and from an adult partner.
International Criminal Justice, Conflict and Its Response to Gender-Based Violence (pdf)
This article illustrates and analyzes the need for accountability and healing for women who suffered gender-based violence during armed conflict.
International Online Resources on Stalking
Annotated list of international stalking resources.
A Nov. 1999 Intelligence Monograph. This article finds that the trafficking of women and children "for the sex industry and for labor" is prevalent in all regions in the U.S. Victims have traditionally come from Southeast Asia and Latin America, but now victims are coming from Central and Eastern Europe as well.
Article on how to erase history lists and cache files on your browser.
Interpersonal and Physical Dating Violence among Teens
"Approximately one in three adolescent girls in the United States is a victim of physical, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner – a figure that far exceeds victimization rates for other types of violence affecting youth. This “shockingly common behavior among adolescents” is the subject of a new Focus Report from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency. The research finds that girls exposed to interpersonal violence are more likely to be exposed to other forms of violence, show a greater propensity for unsafe sexual activity, and a higher incidence of substance abuse and suicide than either boys or non-abused girls. The report also offers recommendations for primary prevention programs."
Interpersonal Violence and Alcohol and Other Drug Use
This 2008 updated article presents facts about the interaction between alcohol and drug use and violence affecting colleges and universities. This site also provides a list of resources for more information on this topic.
Interrupting the Cycle of Violence: Addressing Domestic Violence Through the Workplace
Ramsey County Initiative for Violence-Free Families and Communities has outlined steps corporations can take to address the issue of detecting domestic violence in the workplace.
Intersecting Inequalities: Immigrant Women of Colour, Violence and Health Care
This report focuses on racialized immigrant women who have experienced intimate violence and their access to the health care system. The paper reviews current literature and identifies key variables that contribute to immigrant women's vulnerability to violence and lack of access to health care. The response of health care service providers is also examined.
Intersection of Child Abuse and Children's Exposure to Domestic Violence
"This review addresses research on the overlap in physical child abuse and domestic violence, the prediction of child outcomes, and resilience in children exposed to family violence."
Intersections of Harm and Health: A Qualitative Study of Intimate Partner Violence in Women's Lives
The purpose of this study was to determine how recent exposure to intimate partner violence affects women's health. An observation of a series of women's focus groups revealed that intimate partner violence led to adverse health effects, worsening already existing health problems, and increasing dependency on abusive partners where women are ill or disabled.
Intervention for Men Who Batter: A Review of Research
This chapter appears in the book Understanding partner violence: Prevalence, causes, consequences and solutions, edited by S. Stith and M. Straus (1995). Minneapolis, MN: National Council on Family Relations.
Intervention Strategies with Child Maltreating Men (pdf)
This document outlines the importance of healthy parenting following child maltreatment and adds to our understanding of adult male maltreatment intervention by offering some important insights and actionable recommendations.
Intimate and Caregiver Violence Against Women with Disabilities (pdf)
This commissioned article by the Battered Women's Justice Project provides an overview of the intersection of domestic violence and disability by defining it, describing its scope, reviewing tactics of abuse, and providing recommendations for responding to women with disabilities experiencing domestic violence.
Intimate or Childhood Sexual Abuse and Obesity in Kentucky
This study concluded that sexual abuse, whether experienced as an adult or child, was associated with a 32% increase in obesity among 4,391 women in Kentucky. The study also found that intimate partner violence and obesity are common health threats for women. The authors suggest that efforts to prevent physical and sexual abuse and mental health consequences of abuse on victims can have implications to improve women's health.
Intimate Partner Homicide (pdf)
This issue of the NIJ Journal focuses on a single important topic—homicides committed by the victim’s spouse or other intimate partner. Women are most likely to be the victim in these cases of intimate partner homicide. An overview on page 2 reflects the range of ideas the authors discuss, from aspects of the problem (such as risk factors and the effect of alcohol abuse) to possible steps toward reducing the number of incidents (such as the effectiveness of domestic violence services and the use of fatality reviews). The articles shed new light on a type of crime that continues to have serious social consequences and to present challenges to law enforcement and health providers.
May 1999. Provides information on violence by intimates. Covers trends in intimate violence, characteristics of victims, where victims tend to live, types of crime, and trends for reporting to police. Intimate victimizations measured include rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. Data on murder by intimates are also given.
"A survey instrument mirroring the National Violence Against Women Survey was administered in person to measure the incidence and prevalence of intimate partner violence against Athabaskan women residing in the interior of Alaska.Findings revealed that intimate partner assault victimization is more prevalent and is considerably more frequent when compared to that reported for American women in general."
Intimate Partner Violence Among Male and Female Russian University Students
"This article reports data from three Russian sites of the International Dating Violence Study. Using a sample of 338 university students (54% female) from three Russian university sites, four different types of partner violence are examined: physical assault, physical injury, sexual coercion, and psychological aggression. The study found that male and female students were about equally likely to be victims and perpetrators of all violent and aggressive actions and that high prevalence rates were found for all types of violence, aggression, and coercion. Recommendations for prevention are made in the conclusions."
Intimate Partner Violence and Age of Victim, 1993-99
October 2001. Provides estimates of violence by intimates (current or former spouses, girlfriends, and boyfriends) against females with an emphasis on victim's age, 1993-99. Included are 1999 rates of intimate partner violence against females overall, rates for specific violent crimes, and 1993-1999 trends in fatal and nonfatal intimate partner violence. Also presented are 1993-99 aggregate rates of intimate partner violence by victim's age focusing further on victim's race, Hispanic origin, annual household income and marital status. Additional statistics on domestic violence provided include the percentage of same-sex intimate partner violence, presence of weapons, injuries to victims, type of intimates who offend, and reporting to police.
Intimate Partner Violence and Healthy People 2010 Fact Sheet (pdf)
This paper draws statistics from a growing body of research that has linked intimate partner violence (IPV) to many of the leading health indicators defined in the federal Healthy People 2010 initiative. The Healthy People 2010 Leading Health Indicators covered in this fact sheet include: Overweight and Obesity, Tobacco Use, Substance Abuse, Responsible Sexual Behavior, Mental Health, Injury and Violence, Immunization, and Access to Health Care.
This 118 page PDF file describes 36 sets of training materials designed to show healthcare providers how to treat domestic violence and sexual assault cases. The materials described include manuals, videos, scripted lectures with slides, information packets and handbooks. This is a PDF file and must be viewed with Adobe Acrobrat reader.
"This compilation includes existing tools for assessing intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence (SV) victimization in clinical/healthcare settings. The purpose of this compilation is to provide practitioners and clinicians with the most current inventory of assessment tools for determining IPV and/or SV victimization and to inform decisions about which instruments are most appropriate for use with a given population. This document will aid in the selection of assessment instruments to identify victims requiring additional services. This can help practitioners make appropriate referrals for both victims and perpetrators. "
Intimate Partner Violence in China: National Prevalence, Risk Factors and Associated Health Problems
This paper presents the country’s first national estimates of domestic violence. The authors find that sexual jealousy, alcohol consumption, low female contribution to the household income and low socioeconomic status are among a range of factors that make violence more likely.
Intimate Partner Violence in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods (pdf)
This article discusses who is most at risk and details the role that economic policies and employment practices might play in reducing the risk of intimate violence.
"This document describes intimate partner violence (IPV) in immigrant and refugee communities in the United States. The report contains four main sections: background information on the incidence of the problem among immigrant and refugee communities, an overview of the needs and challenges of immigrant and refugee IPV victims and service providers, recommendations for funders, service providers and policy-makers, and lastly a discussion of IPV research and evaluation issues to be addressed in immigrant and refugee communities."
"This study provides descriptive statistics on women who access the services of the Women's Crisis Centre, a nongovernmental organization in Kingston, Jamaica, whose mission is to provide 24-hour counseling and shelter for women who are the victims of domestic violence. Results revealed a high level of physical injury and a low level of reporting violent incidents to the police. Multisectoral support to strengthen and expand the services of the Women's Crisis Centre is recommended."
Intimate Partner Violence in the United States
"On Thursday evening, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice released the latest edition of “Intimate Partner Violence in the United States,” updated with 2005 data. Overall, the report shows little change in rates of violence from 2004 to 2005."
Intimate Partner Violence Surveillance: Uniform Definitions and Recommended Data Elements (pdf)
This 114 page PDF file describes the need to improve the quality of available data about violence against women. The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Center for Disease Control narrowed the scope to concentrate developing data elements for surveillance of intimate partner violence.
Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2001 (pdf)
Updating Intimate Partner Violence (May 2000, NCJ 178247), these findings are based on NCVS data collected by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).
Intimate Partner Violence, Technology, and Stalking
"This research note describes the use of a broad range of technologies in intimate partner stalking, including cordless and cellular telephones, fax machines, e-mail, Internet-based harassment, global positioning systems, spy ware, video cameras, and online databases. The concept of “stalking with technology” is reviewed, and the need for an expanded definition of cyberstalking is presented. Legal issues and advocacy-centered responses, including training, legal remedies, public policy issues, and technology industry practices, are discussed."
Intimate Partner Violence: High Costs to Households and Communities (pdf)
A report on the cost of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Bangladesh, Morocco and Uganda. These three countries were specifically studied because they have high rates of IPV and their governments recently began to address this problem through new programs and laws. The researchers found that most women did not utilize services after experiencing IPV. The study concluded that IPV imposes huge direct costs on women and service providers in all three countries, including health, justice, police, local traditional authorities and social services, and indirect costs on women and families through lost wages and lower productivi