Stopping Violence Before it Happens: State Domestic Violence Coalitions Will Pursue Primary Prevention Strategies
ATLANTA – An expert panel convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Foundation (CDC Foundation) has selected 19 state domestic violence coalitions to receive grants that will enable them to participate in specialized training programs on "primary prevention." Primary prevention refers to activities designed to actively promote healthy, nonviolent relationships, reducing the overall likelihood that anyone will become a victim or a perpetrator of violence by creating conditions that make violence less likely to ever occur.
The 19 coalitions were competitively selected from 28 coalitions that applied through an application process. The training program will help participating coalitions incorporate primary prevention strategies into their existing violence prevention efforts and plan for the development of new primary-prevention-focused efforts within their states. The grant program is made possible by a $3.2 million grant to the CDC Foundation from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Selected coalitions will receive $15,000 in year one of the three-year project period. The training, which began in April 2009, is led by CDC's Division of Violence Prevention in the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.
The 19 selected coalitions are:
- Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence
- Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- Kentucky Domestic Violence Association
- Jane Doe Inc., The Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence
- Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women
- Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (MCADSV)
- Nebraska Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Coalition
- New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence
- New Jersey Coalition for Battered Women
- Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
- Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
- Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (SCCADVASA)
- The Texas Council on Family Violence
- Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Intimate partner violence refers to physical, sexual or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse. Nearly 5.3 million incidents of intimate partner violence occur each year among U.S. women ages 18 and older, and 3.2 million incidents occur among men.
"Primary prevention of intimate partner violence will require true social change," says Corinne Graffunder, associate director for program development and implementation at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC. "It requires an acknowledgement that we can't just accept the world the way it is and expect that the problems will go away. We're glad to be working with state domestic violence coalitions to help us identify effective ways to change social conditions that lead to intimate partner violence. An important first step is ensuring that coalitions have training and resources in place to support their states' primary prevention efforts."
This project builds on the success of a current CDC program called Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancements and Leadership Through Alliances (DELTA) through which CDC funds 14 state-level domestic violence coalitions to conduct prevention efforts in their states and local communities.
"We are inspired by the dedication of all the organizations and individuals involved in the important work of preventing intimate partner violence," says Charles Stokes, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. "We are pleased to be able to offer these grants through the generous support and ongoing partnership of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This program is a great example of how the CDC Foundation is able to leverage private sector support to extend CDC's reach and impact."
For more information on intimate partner violence prevention, visit http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/intimatepartnerviolence.
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