In the early 90's, we began to see a shift in how practitioners and
researchers approached the issue of intimate partner violence, moving from
perceiving it as mainly a criminal justice issue to recognizing it as a
major public health problem. Accordingly, domestic violence
advocates have worked extensively to learn more about the science of the
public health approach and how to apply it's principles of primary
prevention in order to eliminate the "social disease" of
intimate partner violence.
Thanks to funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Delaware advocates and community partners will continue to build their
capacity in this area via a second phase of funding for the Domestic
Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership Through Alliances (DELTA)
Program. DCADV is one of 14 states to have participated in this
national collaborative since 2002, and is currently charged with doing
work nationally, on a state-level, within our own Coalition's
organization, and with local communities to cultivate prevention efforts
using a public health approach. As a result, DCADV was able to award
2-year subcontracts to both the Domestic Violence Task Force and
the Victims' Rights Task Force in September 2006.
Locally, the purpose of the DELTA Program is to assist the task forces as
they implement prevention strategies and activities and increase their
prevention capacity.
Up to now, the focus of many community endeavors has been aimed at
addressing domestic violence in terms of intervention activities that try
to provide for victim safety and offender accountability. Much
valiant effort has been put into coordinating services and responses to
the aftermath of domestic violence. Now, through efforts like the
DELTA Program, the approach has become more comprehensive by promoting
primary prevention efforts within local communities, our organizations,
and on a state and national level. For instance, the DELTA Program
works with communities to strategize how to address the root causes of
abuse before it ever occurs, so that we can move closer to eliminating
this tragic and pervasive social problem. These strategies work to
change knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors around underlying
factors, such as gender norms and forms of oppression, that contribute to
domestic violence.
DELTA is the Greek symbol for change. Through DELTA, amazing,
strategic, and lasting change has occurred. Coordinated Community
Responses and task forces, who at one time limited their discussions to
police responses to domestic violence, or beds available at the local
shelter, are now discussing components of "healthy
relationships" and are strategizing to implement and evaluate
prevention messages in their neighborhoods. Among others, community
organizations, cultural associations, schools, places of worship, and
businesses are working with these task forces to build community ownership
and support activities that promote safe and respectful
relationships. State-level officials are working together with
domestic violence advocates in all 14 states to develop statewide plans to
prevent intimate partner violence, such as the Intimate Partner
Violence Prevention Consortium that was created in Delaware in
2006. Even more, state domestic violence Coalitions, with support of
the CDC, are sharing their successes, challenges, and lessons learned at
national and statewide conferences to help spread the message that
prevention must begin with each of us to end the violence for all of
us.
For more information about DCADV Prevention efforts, contact the DCADV
Training & Prevention Department at 1-800-701-0456 or email
training@dcadv.org.
 Prevention
Resources
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