In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) I’ve decided to dedicate all of my blogs to the subject of organizations that deal directly with domestic violence awareness and prevention. My goal is to highlight a few such organizations per week, and give a brief overview of their contributions. The main reason why I feel it is important to dedicate several of my upcoming entries to this one topic is that there are just so many resources available that I hardly even know where to start! So, let’s begin with a little history behind DVAM.
According to The Domestic Violence Awareness Project, DVAM “evolved from the ‘Day of Unity’ in October 1981 conceived by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence”, the intent of which was to bring advocates for awareness and prevention together from across the nation. In October 1987, the first Domestic violence Awareness Month was observed. At the project’s website, you can also learn more about what other innovations were taking place concurrently to directly combat domestic violence, as well as, receive lots of great information about the resources the project has to offer.
Another good resource is the US Department of Justice, which has some very detailed information about the passing of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA), which is celebrating its 15th year! The website includes a video featuring remarks made by Attorney General Eric Holder regarding this very important anniversary. President Barak Obama also recognized the significance the VAWA anniversary in a recent address, during which he commented on some of the gains that have been made as a direct result of this legislation in the struggle against domestic violence.
Each of these resources (aside from that of the White House) offers links to additional information and resources, which I encourage everyone to check out.