October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This is an opportunity for colleges and universities to educate their campus communities on the issues of domestic violence, including promoting awareness and prevention. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Violence Prevention:

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) defines domestic violence as "a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone." The OVW provides federal leadership in developing the national capacity to reduce violence against women as well as administer justice for and strengthen services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. They recently launched the online clearinghouse, Center for Changing Our Campus Culture, to provide institutions of higher education with resources that help improve the response to domestic violence and sexual assault on campuses.

 

The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), an organization dedicated to creating an environment in which violence against women no longer exists, provides information specific to the October 2015 Week of Action your campus can use for National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

 

Launched in 2013 by the DOJ, leading advocacy groups, service providers, and major corporations, No More is a public campaign to raise awareness and engage bystanders around ending domestic violence and sexual assault. No More provides several college campus resources and tools on their website such as Raise Your Voice on Campus This Fall and A College Student's Guide to Safety Planning (PDF). No More also lists the following resources from other organizations to help your community members determine if their friends or family members are in danger and supportive measures they can take:

The National Domestic Violence Hotline, a non-profit organization established in 1996 as a component of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), provides support to victims and survivors of domestic violence through highly trained and experienced advocates. Your campus can promote the hotline numbers to all campus community members: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) and 1-800-787-3224 (TTY).