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."
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."
Mental Health Services for Children Who Witness Domestic Violence
This article discusses the effects of exposure to domestic violence, identification and assessment, and mental health interventions.
"She hit me too" - Identifying the Primary Aggressor: A Prosector'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.
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!"
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.
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.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
This document provides three optional program guides for health care providers and managers to eliminate gender-based violence.
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 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 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.
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 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.
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
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 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.
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."
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."
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 (pdf)
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 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.
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.
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 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 (pdf)
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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 Women Toolbox
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).
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
"The purpose of the program is to equip unmarried mothers and fathers with skills for making healthy decisions and to explore future options for their relationship including the potential of getting married. New parents will learn skills for parenting together and strengthening their family unit."
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.
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 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 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 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: 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.
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 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 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 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.
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.
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 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 Domestic Violence: "Silent Witnesses" (pdf)
This document offers statistics and also discusses the impact of child exposure to domestic violence as children progress in age.
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'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: 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.