Domestic violence is multifaceted and includes physical, psychological, sexual, and economic abuse of a victim and is often hidden from public view. October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This month is dedicated to bringing greater awareness to domestic violence and its effect on women and children; however, we encourage you to promote awareness all year round. This page has resources and tools, ideas to promote awareness in your community, and OVW-funded events and webinars on domestic violence.
Tools/Resources
For additional information and resources, please visit the Office on Violence Against Women's webpage at https://www.justice.gov/ovw.
Promote Awareness
All year round, you can share information about domestic violence. Below you will find ideas and tips to promote awareness in your community. We also encourage you to share with us how you promote awareness by clicking the "share your ideas" button.
Video Messages of Support, Encouragement, and Community From the Consortium
Why DVAM: Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) was established nationwide in October 1987 to raise awareness and unite survivors; advocates; allied professionals; criminal justice practitioners; local, state, and Tribal communities; and the nation in the fight against this violent, gender-based crime. Sadly, the issue of domestic violence (DV) remains widespread. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, for the ten-year aggregate period 2003–2012, DV accounted for 21 percent of our nation’s violent crime. However, each year, the TA2TA community demands that this statistic does not get to write the next chapter of the story. DV is never tolerated, and everyone has the right to live and thrive, free from fear of abuse and violence.
How LETTAC is elevating DVAM: This October, the National Violence Against Women Law Enforcement Training and Technical Assistance Consortium (LETTAC), managed by the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR), commemorates and elevates DVAM. In an effort to unite our criminal justice practitioners, advocates, and assistance providers, members of the LETTAC Consortium—subject-matter experts, justice innovators, and fellow practitioners—recorded brief messages to encourage and inspire colleagues, communities, and victims and survivors. The melodic line running throughout their messages is one of prioritizing trauma-informed, victim-centered, and culturally specific practices. The Consortium members emphasize that “justice” and services are not one-size-fits-all concepts, that there are many paths to the best DV response for each individual, and that we must meet victims where they are. To watch their videos, visit www.LETTAC.org.
Ways you can elevate #DVAM2022:
- Explore the LETTAC DVAM 2022 Booklet, which highlights our experts in this video series.
- Wear purple on October 20 (known as “Purple Thursday” or #PurpleThursday), an easy and visible way to show your support for survivors and your commitment to ending violence.
- Finally, join us in celebrating LETTAC’s one-year anniversary—without the continual funding, support, and guidance of the Office on Violence Against Women, this project—and all the other important events and ways that the TA2TA community is elevating #DVAM2022—would not be possible.