SAMHSA DTAC October Bulletin- Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Resources to Increase Safety
SAMHSA DTAC DBH
About one in three girls or women experience domestic violence within their lifetime. Men and people of other sexes and genders may also be victims of domestic violence. One in four men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner, and one in 18 men have been stalked by an intimate partner during their lifetime. On average, 24 people each minute become victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking in the United States, or about 12 million people in a single year, and domestic violence is one of the biggest red flags leading to child deaths from abuse and neglect in the United States. During disasters, the rate of domestic violence often increases. Each October, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month brings attention to domestic violence and ways people affected by domestic violence can increase and sustain safety for themselves, their children, and their communities.
The resources below explore domestic violence, the impact of disasters on domestic violence, and how to increase and maintain personal safety. These are for domestic violence victims, disaster survivors, and first responders.
Disaster Distress Helpline
The SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7
multilingual crisis counseling to all residents of the United States and
U.S. territories experiencing disaster-related emotional distress.
Support is also available for deaf and hard of hearing persons using
American Sign Language.
This resource is for people experiencing or witnessing
domestic violence and for abusive partners trying to change themselves.
This service is free and provided 24/7, and the advocates answering your
call listen without judgment and provide help. By accessing this
resource, you can also learn how to identify abuse, how to create a plan
for safety, and how to help others if you are a concerned friend or
family member who believes their loved one is experiencing domestic
violence.
This online learning content is a joint effort between the
National Sexual Violence Resource Center and the Pennsylvania Coalition
to Advance Respect. It has a wealth of online learning courses to educate
and provide support to responders to disasters and domestic violence
incidents and includes free training and low cost certificate courses.
Courses cover topics including trauma, how to support domestic violence
survivors, the role of law enforcement, and many other related topics.
What is intimate partner violence? This Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention web page answers this question in a brief video
while also providing further resources on this topic. Focus areas include
risk and protective factors, prevention strategies, data and research,
and many other resources.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline provides actionable
steps to maintain personal safety while living with an abusive partner.
This resource also includes tips on how keep children, dependents, and
roommates safe and how to identify safe areas, and notes that there are
many reasons why someone chooses to continue to live with an abusive
partner or may be unable to leave their situation.
You may also want to visit the new SAMHSA Webpage on gender-based violence prevention and support for survivors, Gender-Based Violence and the Effects on Behavioral Health, and read SAMHSA's recent blog post: Domestic Violence Awareness Month: SAMHSA’s Commitment to Raising Awareness and Hope for Survivors.
If you have any questions or if you would like additional information, please reach out to the SAMHSA DTAC team at 1-800-308-3515 or via e-mail at dt...@iqsolutions.com.