Domestic violence is a threat to public health that often only reaches our consciousness when death or celebrity are involved. As anxiety over economic stress grows nationwide and budget shortfalls force some states to cut funding to women’s shelters and prevention programs, this is one public health issue that threatens to bubble to the surface just in time for domestic violence awareness month in October.
Funding threatened
Illustration via Flickr by Nathalie_Renaud
Michael Cabanatuan of the San Francisco Chronicle reports the Department of Public Health’s Domestic Violence Program was among the casualties California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s line-item budget vetoes. Supporters are trying to find alternate sources of funding, but the program is in jeopardy. Some stimulus money is being granted to domestic violence shelters and coalitions – see how much is coming into your state.
The Family Violence Prevention Fund warns that cuts to anti-domestic violence programs are possible in Arizona, Georgia, Massachusetts, North Carolina and elsewhere. State coalitions against domestic violence will be able to provide more specific local information about the funding situation. (Here’s another list of state coalitions.)
Brian Anthony Hernandez reports in The Arizona Republic reports that state budget cuts are threatening even the most successful local shelters.
Domestic violence as a public health issue
The full range of health consequences of domestic violence go far beyond the most prominent scars, as this Lancet study explains. The Family Violence Prevention Fund makes the case that domestic violence is a public health issue. In this Health Affairs article, the authors make the case that efforts against domestic violence should view it as a public health problem and focus on prevention efforts. An argument that violence against women is a threat to public health (premium access needed) worldwide.
Is it the economy?
The Mary Kay Ash Foundation surveyed more than 600 domestic violence shelters across the country, and three-quarters of them reported an increase in women seeking assistance since the economic recession began in earnest in September 2008. Most of these shelters attributed the increase to financial issues, stress and job loss, in that order. Janelle O’Haugherty, manager of corporate communications for Mary Kay Inc., welcomes questions from reporters looking for resources for coverage of domestic violence issues. Her phone number is 972-687-5420 and her e-mail is janelle.o’haugherty@mkcorp.com.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline, where the number of calls increased sharply as recession set in, surveyed 7,868 callers during a six-week period in late 2008. Almost two-thirds of the respondents indicated that there had been a change in their financial situation in the past year.
While it is difficult to establish a direct link between the recession and rising domestic violence, a few indicators have emerged, many of them anecdotal. Check with local shelters and domestic violence experts to better understand the situation in your area.
Matthew Waller of The Dallas Morning News localized the survey story, speaking with local shelters and experts and getting updated numbers from the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Kevin Buey of the Deming Headlight went local as well, reporting that bad weather and economic woes had contributed to a rise in domestic violence in Deming, N.M.
Among their risk factors for domestic violence, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention list low income, unemployment, economic stress, and poverty and associated factors.
Kayla Hutzler reported in Women’s eNews that the Mary Kay and National Domestic Violence Hotline surveys seem to indicate a trend. Hutzler also reminds readers that, especially during hard times, domestic violence can manifest itself as economic abuse.
Data and statistics
When looking for data on domestic violence, start with the CDC’s Intimate Partner Violence: Data Sources. In addition to the National Violence Against Women Survey, the CDC has started the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Surveillance System and compiled federal crime statistics and relate research.
For a wide variety of well-sourced statistics all in one place, visit the page of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Domestic Violence.
Seeking global answers for questions about domestic violence, the World Health Organization surveyed 24,000 women at 15 sites in 10 countries. Find the massive WHO report here.
The HHS-operated womenshealth.gov links to domestic violence-related research and fact sheets on homicides, teen violence and campus violence.
Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women is a good starting place for information on federal domestic violence prevention programs. The site includes OVW reports on the effectiveness of relevant federal grant programs, many of which are administered on the state level.
The OVW has also compiled a wide-ranging list of federal agencies that contribute to the war on domestic violence. Domestic violence coalitions in every state are listed here, contact information is provided for each entry.
The National Criminal Justice Research Service can help with hundreds of more specific issues, try a keyword search here.
General domestic violence resources
The CDC fact sheet on intimate partner violence defines the types of domestic violence, assess its economic impact, and identifies risk factors and prevention measures. More extensive CDC resources can be found here.
The Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma provides tips, resources and guidelines for reporters covering domestic violence. Dart’s Roger Simpson also reviews reporting on domestic violence and suggests perspectives that reporters often leave out.
