Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is Domestic Violence

Awareness Month

Intimate partner violence and other forms of domestic violence are linked to unhealthy sexual outcomes. People who have experienced or are experiencing abuse are at greater risk for higher rates of STDs/HIV and are more likely to be involved in drug use/abuse, suicidal thoughts and other health risk behaviors. The connection between STDs and intimate partner violence holds true across all populations. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5705a1.htm

Consider this fact:
One in 4 women and 1 in 9 men in the United States are victims of Domestic Violence at some point in their lives.
CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey 2005

Screen your clients about intimate violence so that they can get the support that they need to help themselves and follow the messages designed to lower their STDs/HIV risk and sustain sexual health.

Abstain from sex. Limit your partners. Be monogamous!

Get Tested Use Condoms! Ask your partner to get tested

Use Birth Control! Don't use drugs Drink moderately

PUBLICIZE THIS NUMBER -- IT CAN SAVE LIVES!
NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE: 800-799-SAFE

The National Domestic Violence Hotline is a nationwide, 24-hour, toll-free domestic violence hotline. The number is 1-800-799-SAFE and the TDD number for the hearing impaired is 1-800-787-3224. Help is also available to callers in Spanish, as well as to other non-English speakers. The hotline provides immediate crisis intervention for those in need, and callers can receive counseling and be referred directly to help in their communities, including emergency services and shelters.

Additional Resources

The Domestic Violence Awareness Project, National Resource Center - look at other campaigns and available materials http://dvam.vawnet.org/index.php

National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center - focuses on violence and youth
http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/news/docs/month.asp

National Network to End Domestic Violence - a great resource for data and advocacy information/action steps http://www.nnedv.org/about.html

SWAP Resources

Healthy Intimacy PowerPoint presentation and lession plans, which include information and activities to increase awareness and prevent intimate violence among youth.
Sexually Exploited Minors Campaign -- two posters, in English and Spanish, are available to increase community awareness regarding this onerous form of abuse.
HIV Power and Control Wheel -- abuse tactics used by perpetrators of intimate partner violence represented in wheel format

Visit our material search site at http://www.stdhivtraining.org/material_swap.html
and enter the keyword violence to find these materials and
others to match your social marketing and education needs.

Please let us know what you think of SWAP by filling out a five-minute survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=eyFb7DDeyjk2mlr2JdEicA_3d_3d . We appreciate your feedback which will be used to enhance our site and materials.

Thank you,
Joyce Lisbin, Ed.D.