November marks the end of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, an annual campaign to educate the public about abuse and how to best support survivors. A nationally recognized effort since Congress declared the holiday in 1989, USC and organizations across Los Angeles used the occasion to promote the services they provide to domestic violence victims year-round.<\/p>\n
The National Library of Medicine states that at least 5 million acts of domestic violence occur annually<\/a> to women aged 18 or older. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, 20% of women and 13% of men<\/a> in Los Angeles County have reported experiencing intimate partner violence. <\/p>\n This year, the USC Department of Public Safety\u2019s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report indicated an increase<\/a> in domestic violence, dating violence and stalking, with five more cases in 2024 compared to the year prior. <\/p>\n According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine<\/a>, dating violence disparagingly targets university students. At USC, Student Health offers on-campus support to students through CARE-SC<\/a>. The confidential advocates program provides 24\/7 support and response in situations of gender and power-based harm, such as accompanying victims to Sexual Assault Response Team centers and arranging for aftercare services. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve seen that with digital access and the expansion of social media, there\u2019s a lot more access to follow, track, stalk or even try to control someone digitally,\u201d Dr. Deborah Schleicher, director of violence prevention in CARE-SC, said. \u201cThere\u2019s been an increase in toxic relationships both in person and online using digital methods.\u201d<\/p>\n CARE-SC participated in Domestic Violence Awareness Month by hosting an event at the weekly farmer\u2019s market on McCarthy Quad. The team engaged students in conversations about popular reality TV dating shows, teaching passersby various tools and strategies to assert consent more confidently via digital communication. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m always impressed with the student community since there\u2019s a lot of interest and engagement in these topics,\u201d Schleicher said. \u201cCulture change is something that takes time, and it\u2019s also communities outside of USC that impact us.\u201d<\/p>\n At an Oct. 17 L.A. City Council meeting<\/a>, councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky said that LAPD received 43,000 domestic violence-related calls last year and noted that 13% of homicides in L.A. County were due to domestic violence.<\/p>\n Abigail Marquez, general manager of the city\u2019s Community Investment for Families Department, used Domestic Violence Awareness Month as a podium to advocate for support in aiding survivors. She previously worked to increase funding toward domestic violence services at the Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department, and assisted with launching the \u201cSurvivors First\u201d program<\/a>, which reduces barriers to permanent housing for survivors.<\/p>\n Marquez also spoke during the Oct. 17 council meeting, critiquing the city\u2019s inability to address the intersection of homelessness and domestic violence.<\/p>\n According to the Stop Abuse For Everyone Alliance<\/a>, over 90% of unhoused women experience physical or sexual abuse at some point in their lives. <\/p>\n \u201cNot only do we have 41% of our unhoused population who had a prior incident with intimate partner violence, that number is greater if you look at the number of women facing homelessness because they don\u2019t have a safe place to flee to,\u201d Marquez said.<\/p>\n As a part of L.A. County\u2019s proclamation of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month<\/a>, it vowed to collaborate with the Domestic Violence Homeless Services Coalition<\/a> (DVHSC) to protect survivors regardless of housing status. DVHSC is the country\u2019s largest organization built to specifically aid individuals and families simultaneously struggling with the threats of homelessness and domestic violence.<\/p>\n