Highlights
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Through a $257,384聽two-year grant聽from the Florida Partnership to End Domestic Violence,聽faculty from聽UCF 麻豆精品 S檚聽Violence Against Women聽research cluster are聽conducting聽a聽statewide聽domestic violence needs assessment.
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The interdisciplinary group of researchers will analyze data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Florida 麻豆精品 S檚 Departments of Law Enforcement and Children and Families, as well as survey organizations that provide domestic violence services. They are also interviewing survivors who sought services and those who didn 麻豆精品 S檛 to understand access to care and risk factors.
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Findings from the assessment will help policymakers and local agencies develop better strategies to fund and support domestic violence prevention programs that empower survivors in Florida, nationally and worldwide.
Florida is turning to UCF experts to find better ways to prevent domestic violence and give survivors a stronger voice in the services they need.
Through a $257,384 two-year grant from the Florida Partnership to End Domestic Violence, faculty from UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Violence Against Women research cluster are conducting a statewide domestic violence needs assessment. Their findings will help policymakers and local agencies develop better strategies to fund and support domestic violence prevention programs that empower survivors.
麻豆精品 S淭he collective goal of our work is to give people working in these programs and people using these services a voice, 麻豆精品 S� says Bethany Backes, associate professor of social work at , who leads the Violence Against Women cluster and is the project 麻豆精品 S檚 principal investigator. 麻豆精品 S淗aving research that practitioners can understand and interpret in a way that 麻豆精品 S檚 helpful is important to us. “What we’re creating now is hopefully something that can be used for years to come.”
The World 麻豆精品 S檚 Women
Violence against women is a global issue. According to UN Women, nearly one in three women worldwide have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life. In 2024, around 50,000 women and girls worldwide were killed by their intimate partners or other family members.
麻豆精品 S淲e 麻豆精品 S檙e looking at criminal justice, sociology, health, and so much more that altogether could create solutions beyond any one discipline. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Kim Anderson, Professor of Social Work
UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 faculty cluster 麻豆精品 S� working across the disciplines of education, social work, criminal justice, sociology and medicine 麻豆精品 S� was created a decade ago to change these outcomes. 麻豆精品 S淲e know how complex this social problem is, 麻豆精品 S� says Kim Anderson, a professor of social work and cluster member. 麻豆精品 S淲e 麻豆精品 S檙e looking at criminal justice, sociology, health, and so much more that altogether could create solutions beyond any one discipline. 麻豆精品 S�
Informing Florida 麻豆精品 S檚 Strategy
The researchers have already identified some key needs for the state to examine.
麻豆精品 S淔or example, we 麻豆精品 S檙e seeing people facing abuse who are having to spend more on food or other necessities as they navigate shifts in funding for certain assistance programs, 麻豆精品 S� Backes says. 麻豆精品 S淲hat we 麻豆精品 S檙e also seeing is the effect of population booms, and how rapid growth and rapid decline in some areas affects the need for services. 麻豆精品 S�
The researchers are analyzing data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Florida 麻豆精品 S檚 Departments of Law Enforcement and Children and Families and are surveying organizations that provide domestic violence services. They are interviewing survivors who sought services and those who didn 麻豆精品 S檛 to understand access to care and risk factors.
Creating opportunities where more people feel comfortable sharing their domestic violence experiences is cluster member Karina Villalba 麻豆精品 S檚 expertise.
麻豆精品 S淢y focus is on intimate partner violence, specifically within the Hispanic community, 麻豆精品 S� says Villalba, an assistant professor in the 麻豆精品 S檚 Population Health Sciences Division. 麻豆精品 S淭here are certain beliefs, like the concept of 麻豆精品 S榤achismo 麻豆精品 S�, that may give an avenue for some men to pursue this kind of violence. Because it can be part of the cultural acceptance, it might not even be seen as violence by the survivors. 麻豆精品 S�
She hopes efforts to prevent domestic violence in the U.S. will have impact globally.
麻豆精品 S淵ou 麻豆精品 S檙e seeing a ripple effect in countries in Latin America where people are becoming more aware, 麻豆精品 S� Villalba says. 麻豆精品 S淚t helps us keep pushing forward with our work so we cannot just be a beacon here in Florida and the United States, but to show the world what we can do. 麻豆精品 S�
Keys to Preventing Violence
Preventing domestic violence means identifying early warning signs and behaviors and providing services to lower the risk of continuing violence, Backes says.
Domestic violence is 麻豆精品 S渘ot always physical and it 麻豆精品 S檚 not just seeing someone with a black eye, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淧hysical violence can happen after there 麻豆精品 S檚 been psychological abuse such as coercion, controlling, isolation or stalking. 麻豆精品 S�
Cluster member Alison Cares, associate professor of sociology at , says preventing domestic abuse involves changing misconceptions.
麻豆精品 S淭here 麻豆精品 S檚 this expectation of how abusers or survivors look. It 麻豆精品 S檚 easy to think the people doing this abuse look like monsters, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淏ut the reality is these are people we know. They can be friends or family members or people we work with. 麻豆精品 S�
The researchers say they are encouraged by the resilience of the survivors and service providers they have met.
麻豆精品 S淲e see incredible bravery of people who talk to a support person, 麻豆精品 S� Anderson says. 麻豆精品 S淲e 麻豆精品 S檙e hoping that information we get from this assessment can elevate the voices of staff and survivors. 麻豆精品 S�
