What is the History of Domestic Violence Awareness Month?
Domestic Violence (also known as “domestic abuse” or “intimate partner violence”) is defined by the United Nations as “a pattern of behavior in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner.” Domestic violence can happen to anyone regardless of their race, age, sexual orientation, religion, gender, socioeconomic background and education level.
According to the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence, Domestic Violence Awareness Month or DVAM was developed from the “Day of Unity” observed by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) in October 1981. Since the passing of Public Law 101-112 in October 1989 by the U.S. Congress, legislation designating October as Domestic Violence Awareness has been passed each year with support from the NCADV. Domestic violence awareness is associated with the color purple.
De Becker, Gavin. The Gift of Fear : Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence. 1st ed. Boston: Little, Brown, 1997. Print.
The Gift of Fear : Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence discusses how the reader can protect themselves from violence in various situations. The situations discussed in the book are reflective of real-life examples, which includes domestic abuse in the home, violence in the workplace and crime on the street. Along with specific advice for each situation, De Becker encourages readers to trust and act on their own intuition as a means of self-protection.
Weiss, Elaine. Family & Friends’ Guide to Domestic Violence : How to Listen, Talk, and Take Action When Someone You Care About Is Being Abused. Volcano, CA: Volcano Press, 2003. Print.
Family & Friends’ Guide to Domestic Violence : How to Listen, Talk, and Take Action When Someone You Care About Is Being Abused helps readers recognize signs someone they care about may be in a abusive relationship and what they can do to help.
Weiss, Elaine. Surviving Domestic Violence : Voices of Women Who Broke Free. Volcano, Calif: Volcano Press, 2004. Print.
Surviving Domestic Violence : Voices of Women Who Broke Free includes interviews from twelve women who were victims of domestic violence. These women were able to escape from their abusers, reclaim their dignity and rebuild their lives. The women interviewed come from all walks of life and communities.
Wilson, Mike. Domestic Violence. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Print.
Domestic Violence includes a collection of essays written by various authors about issues connected to domestic violence in the United States. Each chapter focuses on one area such as the history of domestic violence in the United States, the Violence Against Women Act, the impact of domestic violence on children, domestic violence and the elderly, and domestic violence prevention among other similar topics. This book is a part of the Greenhaven Press Opposing Viewpoints series.
Cook, Philip W. Abused Men : the Hidden Side of Domestic Violence. 2nd ed. Westport, Conn: Praeger, 2009. Print.
Abused Men : the Hidden Side of Domestic Violence explores the often overlooked issue of domestic violence against men in the United States. Using crime statistics, personal interviews and cases featured in the media, Cook illustrates how intimate partner violence against men is often more prevalent than intimate partner violence against women. Cook concludes that action must be taken to reform current approaches to intimate partner violence regardless of whether the partner is a man or a woman.
Shoener, Sara. The Price of Safety: Hidden Costs and Unintended Consequences for Women in the Domestic Violence Service System. Tennessee: Vanderbilt University Press, 2017. eBook.
The Price of Safety: Hidden Costs and Unintended Consequences for Women in the Domestic Violence Service System discusses the experiences, resources and services of intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors in three communities in the United States. Shoener documents these areas through interviews with survivors, examining court procedures, public benefits process and community-based IPV programs. The author concludes that our current institutional response to IPV is not useful and sometimes harmful to IPV survivors.
Stark, Evan. Coercive Control: How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2009. eBook.
In Coercive Control: How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life, author Evan Stark, the founder of one of America’s first battered women shelters, argues that “domestic violence” has more similarities to coercive strategies used in terrorism and hostage-taking than simply being violence within the home. Stark supports his argument through interviews, court records and FBI statistics.
Bean, Lexie, and Dean Spade. Written on the Body : Letters from Trans and Non-Binary Survivors of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence. London, UK ;: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2018. eBook.
Written on the Body : Letters from Trans and Non-Binary Survivors of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence includes a collection of letters written by trans and non-binary survivors of domestic violence and sexual assult. These letters are meant to offer support, guidance and hope for readers who have found power in re-shaping their bodies, families, and lives.
Snyder, Rachel Louise. No Visible Bruises : What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., 2019. eBook.
In No Visible Bruises : What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us, Rachel Louise Snyder, a journalist, examines the issue of domestic violence in the United States through interviews with victims, perpetrators, law enforcement and organizers of reform movements. Snyder’s book disproves common myths associated with domestic violence, examines the wide ranging consequences it has for society and what changes are needed to address it.
Yamada, Lara et al. Insights on PBS Hawaii. Domestic Violence. Honolulu, Hawaii: [Wong Audiovisual Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa], 2020. Film.
Insights on PBS Hawaii. Domestic Violence features a panel of guests discussing domestic violence with an emphasis on the increased risk of violence connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. Guests include Nanci Kreidman, the co-founder of the Domestic Violence Action Center (D-VAC), Linda Ichiyama, a State Representative for District 32, Malia, a survivor of domestic violence, and Scott Kessler, a consultant for the Honolulu Prosecutor's Office.
Yamada, Lara et al. Insights on PBS Hawaii. Domestic Violence. Honolulu, Hawaii: [Wong Audiovisual Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa], 2021. Film.
Insights on PBS Hawaii. Domestic Violence features a panel of guests discussing domestic violence with an emphasis on the increased risk of violence connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. Guests include Nancy Kreidman, the CEO of Domestic Violence Action Center (D-VAC), Laura Dell, a manager for the Teen Alert program that is a part of D-VAC, Brigette Kiyabu, a domestic violence survivor, and Steve Alm, the Honolulu Prosecutor.
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