A Look at the Critical Work of 5 National Domestic Violence Organizations
Domestic violence, or intimate partner violence, is a pervasive problem in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, more than 10 million women and men are physically abused by their partner every year. Moreover, 1 in 3 women has experienced physical violence by an intimate partner at some point.
While there’s no definite way to eliminate domestic violence, several national and local organizations are working to educate the public about domestic violence and provide support services and other resources to survivors. The following is a look at the important work being done by five of those organizations.
- National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) partners with communities and individuals at the local, state, and federal levels to advocate for the creation of community-based support services, including safe home and shelter programs, for survivors of domestic violence. A core component of its mission is to make critical changes in conditions that contribute to domestic violence, such as privilege, racism, sexism, classism, and patriarchy. NCADV’s Public Policy Office works with other national organizations to champion macro-level changes in how society views domestic violence.
NCADV also operates key programs, including Remember My Name (RMN) and the financial independence education project Hope & Power for Your Personal Finances: A Rebuilding Guide Following Domestic Violence. For more than two decades, RMN has put together annual memorial posters of individuals who lost their lives to domestic violence. Meanwhile, NCADV maintains a variety of resources on its website, such as blog posts detailing signs of abuse and the dynamics of abuse as well as a personalized safety plan template.
2. The American Bar Association Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence
A leading legal resource for survivors of domestic violence, the American Bar Association (ABA) Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence (CDSV) strives to improve access to justice for survivors by providing members with creative training opportunities and other educational resources. This allows lawyers to represent victims while providing the appropriate level of care and compassion more effectively.
In addition, the CDSV operates the following three programs: The Hague Domestic Violence Project, the LGBTQI+ Legal Access Project, and the Survivor Reentry Project.
The Hague Domestic Violence Project supports the legal protection of adopted children who might otherwise be forced to return to an abusive parent in their home country, while the LGBTQI+ Legal Access Project provides attorneys with guidance on working with members of those communities. Finally, the Survivor Reentry Project, supported by the Office for Victims of Crime at the Department of Justice, provides training to attorneys who work with human trafficking survivors that have been convicted of a crime due to their victimization.
3. The Center for Survivor Agency and Justice
Similar to the ABA’s CDSV, the Center for Survivor Agency and Justice (CSAJ) works to provide attorneys and advocates with the necessary training to offer comprehensive support to domestic violence survivors in all areas of civil legal assistance. Founded in 2006 by Erika Sussman, former senior attorney with the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, CSAJ has launched several collaborative and impactful projects since its inception, including the Racial & Economic Equity for Survivors Project (REEP) and the Consumer Rights for Domestic and Sexual Violence Survivors Initiative.
Created in 2016, REEP helps attorneys and advocates understand and address the various socioeconomic challenges (race and other structural biases) domestic and sexual violence survivors face in securing and maintaining economic stability. Through the Consumer Rights Initiative, CSAJ is helping attorneys and advocates strengthen their organizational capacity while forging partnerships between consumer and domestic violence lawyers.
4. National Council on Child Abuse & Family Violence
Domestic violence isn’t only a concern for adults. The CDC’s 2011 National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence found that 1 in 15 children have witnessed their parental figures engaged in violent conflict. This can be a seriously traumatic experience for children and lead to long-term mental health issues. Organizations like the National Center for Children Exposed to Violence and National Council on Child Abuse & Family Violence (NCCAFV) work to prevent intergenerational family violence via public awareness campaigns and programs.
The NCCAFV’s flagship program is the American Campaign for Prevention of Child Abuse and Family Violence. Launched in 1992, the campaign has been backed by prominent celebrities and delivered family violence information booklets nationwide to schools, libraries, and churches.
5. Community United Against Violence
The first anti-violence organization in the US solely dedicated to protecting the LGBTQ community, the Community United Against Violence (CUAV) nonprofit is active in policy advocacy and provides services such as peer-based counseling, education and outreach, and direct assistance. Community members and service providers alike can educate themselves further through training programs like Supporting Queer & Trans Survivors Self-Determination and Understanding Violence. On the first and third Tuesday of each month, the San Francisco, California-based organization hosts virtual and in-person support groups open to all survivors.
