Special Projects...

Domestic Violence Awareness Project

In 1995, the NRCDV convened several national domestic violence organizations – the Family Violence Prevention Fund, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline and, later, the National Network to End Domestic Violence – to launch a new effort to support domestic violence programs’ awareness and education efforts for Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), observed annually in October. This collaborative effort became the Domestic Violence Awareness Project (DVAP). Today, the DVAP is a diverse and unique partnership of local, tribal, state and national domestic violence organizations and networks. The DVAP collaborates to collect, develop and distribute resources and ideas relevant to advocates’ ongoing public and prevention awareness and education efforts not only in preparation for DVAM, but also throughout the year.

A comprehensive DVAM Resource Packet is disseminated annually to over 4,500 individuals and organizations each year and posted on our DVAM website.

Women of Color Network

The mission of the Women of Color Network (WOCN) is to provide and enhance leadership capacity and resources that promote the activities of women of color advocates and activists within the Sovereign Nations, the United States and U.S. Territories to address the elimination of violence against women and families. Created in 1997, WOCN works to address the unique challenges facing women of color advocates and activists within the violence against women movement, and provides a national medium where women of color can dialogue, network, organize, and obtain resources to support their efforts.

Key WOCN strategies continue include:

• Providing women of color access to information that they might not otherwise receive;
• Challenging systems and institutions that create barriers for women of color and their communities in their work;
• Promoting the development of independent, women of color led initiatives that are more likely to reach and effectively serve communities of color; and
• Continually examining local, state, federal and tribal policies and providing opportunities for women of color to organize and exercise their voice regarding issues that affect their personal and professional lives.

For more information and resources, please visit the WOCN website.

VAWnet: The National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women

An NRCDV project since 1995, the National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women (VAWnet) is funded through continuing grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (National Center on Injury Prevention and Control). VAWnet is a comprehensive and constantly updated collection of full-text, searchable electronic materials and resources on domestic violence, sexual violence and related issues. VAWnet also includes links to the Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) and Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) websites, which provide guidance, public education resources, and support for awareness month activities.

Through VAWnet’s Applied Research Forum, researchers and practitioners are commissioned to synthesize and prepare brief summaries and interpretations of current research on violence against women. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) and the University of Minnesota School of Social Work serve as NRCDV’s key partners and provide critical guidance regarding the information and resources provided through VAWnet.

VAWnet currently receives over 3,000 visitors per day and these visitors download over 1,900 files daily. A significant number of the most frequently downloaded documents are those produced by NRCDV staff and consultants.

Clcik here to visit the VAWnet website.