October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

We are strengthening programs that support domestic violence and sexual assault survivor services, improving education and response programs, and changing policies.


 

  • An estimated 1.3 million women and 835,000 men in the United States experience violence by a partner every year.(1)

  • Approximately 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men report sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime.(2)

  • More than half (54%) of transgender and non-binary people experienced some form of intimate partner violence, including acts involving coercive control and physical harm in 2015.(3)




 

Campus Climate Survey Validation Study

Colleges and universities are beginning to address sexual and domestic violence by conducting web-based campus climate surveys to understand the true prevalence and nature of sexual assault on campuses. Increasing participation in campus wide surveys ensures that the student body is accurately represented and expands effective and accountable prevention and response programs. RTI International evaluated the Campus Climate Survey Validation Study, and analyzed the correlation between survey period length and incentive amounts with student response, representativeness, and data estimate precision.(4)

  • The study suggests that sexual assault survivors are more likely to anonymously participate in campus climate surveys than those who have not experienced sexual assault.(4)




Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships RTI International assessed the Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships multicomponent initiative that discusses healthy relationships, conflict resolution skills, gender stereotypes, and teen dating violence with 11- to 14-year-olds. (5)

  • Providing an early framework to eliminate underlying causes of teen dating violence reduces the likelihood of perpetrated violence and assault in adulthood, and indirectly empowers young women as well.(5)


Men Can Stop Rape: Men of Strength Club

Committed to reducing acts of violence committed by men against women, the Men Can Stop Rape's (MCSR): Men of Strength (MOST) Club uses a 20-week after-school violence prevention curriculum that is grounded in a positive youth development framework by using the Social Influence Model (6) to engage young men as agents of change to promote healthy masculinity. RTI International is currently conducting a rigorous evaluation of the program. (7)

  • By fostering a safe environment that allows young men to discuss their emotions and challenges growing up, the program aims to break the repeated cycle of violence male perpetuated violence against women.


#TakeAStand is a call to action by the NCADV (8), to have a zero-tolerance policy on domestic violence every day, not just in October.


 

 

  1. Rainn. (2019). About Sexual Assault. Retrieved from https://www.rainn.org/about-sexual-assault

  2. Smith, S.G., Zhang, X., Basile, K.C., Merrick, M.T., Wang, J., Kresnow, M., Chen, J. (2018). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2015 Data Brief – Updated Release. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

  3. James, S. E., Herman, J. L., Rankin, S., Keisling, M., Mottet, L., & Anafi, M. (2016). The Report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey. Washington, DC: National Center for Transgender Equality

  4. Berzofsky ME, Langton L, Krebs C, Lindquist C, Planty M. (2019). Methods for Improving Representativeness in a Web Survey on Sexual Assault Among College Students. J Interpers Violence,  34(23-24), 4838-4859.

  5. Cutbush, S., Williams, J., Miller, S. (2016). Teen Dating Violence, Sexual Harassment, and Bullying Among Middle School Students: Examining Mediation and Moderated Mediation by Gender. Prevention Science, 17(8), 1024-1033.

  6. Dorn, F. J. (1984). The social influence model: A social psychological approach to counseling. Personnel & Guidance Journal, 62(6), 342-345.

  7. Kan, M. (2019). Evaluating the Prevention Effects of Men of Strength (MOST) Clubs on Sexual Violence and Teen Dating Violence Perpetration. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), National Institute of Health

  8. NCADV. (2019). Take Action. Retrieved from https://ncadv.org/take-action

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