Ending Intimate Partner Violence In America:

Healing and Empowering Survivors

Key Speakers

Overview

Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects over 20 people per minute. Data from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NIPSVS) show that nearly 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men reported experiencing severe physical violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime. Moreover, 16% of women and 7% of men have experienced sexual violence. 10% of women and 2% of men also report stalking by an intimate partner and nearly half of US adults have experienced psychological aggression such as humiliating or controlling behaviors from their partner. IPV can cause severe physical and emotional distress for survivors who are more likely to become suicidal and lose economic opportunities from the abuse. Children who witness abuse are likely to experience abuse themselves and are often used to control other family members which can have life long impacts on their mental health. Aside from the obvious physical and emotional trauma inflicted, IPV contributes to over 10% of all intentional violent deaths (not including suicide) and costs America over 8 billion dollars a year.

Its prevalence is not equally felt as racial/ethnic and sexual minority communities are disproportionately impacted by IPV. Data from the NIPSVS shows that the lifetime prevalence of experiencing stalking, sexual or physical violence by an intimate partner is 57% among multi-racial women, 48% among American Indian/Alaska Native women, 45% among non-Hispanic Black women, 37% among non-Hispanic White women, 34% among Hispanic women and 18% among Asian/Pacific Islander women. It should be be noted that Native Americans are uniquely at risk as Native Women are three times more likely to experience sexual violence than any other ethnic group and over 84% of them have experienced intimate partner violence at one point in their life according to the National Coalition Against Domest violence. Non-citizens also face unique challenges reporting violence because they fear how reaching out to the police could affect their immigration status. Additionally, the NISVS special report on victimization by sexual orientation demonstrates that some sexual minorities are also disproportionately affected by IPV victimization; 61% of bisexual women, 37% of bisexual men, 44% of lesbian women, 26% of gay men, 35% of heterosexual women, and 29% of heterosexual men experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking from an intimate partner in their lifetimes. Transgender individuals are also 1.7 times more likely to experience IPV than their cisgender counterparts in part because of the lack of legal protections and barriers to social services they face.

The government has made strong progress addressing this issue in the past like passing the Violence Against Women Act which provides tools for holding offenders accountable, and sets up measures for data collection to learn more about these crimes however, it hasn’t been reinstated since 2019 when the GOP led senate failed to bring it to a vote. Between the pandemic, extending protections for transgender individuals and growing evidence that there is a strong link between guns and IPV related deaths it is clear that is a lot more work ahead of us to address this issue.

This timely symposium provides an invaluable opportunity for case managers, social workers, community outreach specialists, healthcare and mental health practitioners, and other key stakeholders to reflect on progress made, identify challenges and consider next steps in addressing intimate partner violence in America. Cross-sector exchange will help facilitate better partnerships between civil society, the private sector and government actors. It will allow delegates to consider solutions to identified barriers and challenges related to policy implementation. Participants will be able to transfer key learnings and best practices to their own communities whether at the local, state or national level.

Delegates Will:

• Identify Restorative Methods to Healing Survivors
• Learn to Take a Survivor Centric Approach to Responding to Violence
• Examine Techniques to Address the Unique Needs of Underprivileged Populations
• Discuss How To Use Online Tools to Address Violence
• Explore How to Talk to Young People About Healthy Relationships
• Share Strategies to Improve Screening and Connecting Survivors to Resources
• Debate Which Reforms to Our Legal System and Social Services Could Best Serve Survivors
• Consider Legislative Opportunities to Seize With Our New Congress
• Discuss How to Protect and Treat Children Who Witness or Experience Abuse

Program

Who Should Attend?