Community Solutions to Sexual and Domestic Violence: VIRGINIA

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2015 U.S. Transgender Survey - Virginia State Report

The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey (USTS) is the largest survey examining the experiences of transgender people in the United States, with 27,715 respondents nationwide. The USTS was conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality in the summer of 2015. Of respondents in the USTS, 723 were Virginia residents.1 This report discusses the experiences of respondents living in Virginia.

A Practical Guide for Creating Trauma-Informed Disability Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Organizations

A Practical Guide for Creating Trauma-Informed Disability, Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Organizations was developed through the Violence Against Women with Disabilities and Deaf Women Project of Wisconsin. It is designed to highlight and explore effective trauma-informed conditions or core values that victims, survivors and people with disabilities are finding essential for safety and healing. This document is a guide, not a manual. It is designed to lead readers on a journey of exploration into the context of these conditions to promote dialogue and understanding, and spur implementation of strategies for domestic violence, sexual assault and disability organizations to become more trauma-informed.

A-Z Advocacy Model: Asians and Pacific Islanders Build an Inventory of Evidence-Informed Practices

Asian and Pacific Islander domestic violence agencies have built an extraordinarily rich tapestry of approaches where advocates do everything it takes to mitigate barriers, challenge patriarchy, strategize to build safety and well-being, and redefine culture.

The A-Z Advocacy Model is anchored by five principles that analyze gendered and racialized cultural contexts, confront root causes, and engage in systems change and cultural transformation; all the while, holding women's equality and empowerment central to community well-being:

1. An analysis of intersectionality and patriarchy deepens the understanding of root causes and becomes fundamental to program design.

2. Culturally-specific programming means designing services that address ethnic and linguistic diversity within and among Asians and Pacific Islanders.

3. Survivor-centered advocacy is based on a culturally-specific analysis and definition of domestic and family violence.

4. Integrating an analysis of, and responses to, gender-based violence when working with API survivors of domestic violence became evidence-informed practice.

5. Engaging in systems advocacy builds gateways to services through collaboration, policy advocacy, and research.

Allies in the Struggle: Intersectional work as a trauma-informed response and prevention

This webinar, originally broacast in 2015 and presented by the Action Alliance's own Kate McCord, was designed for aspiring white allies interested in deepening their understanding of the connections between racial justice work and domestic and sexual violence intervention and prevention work. Topics included: how disparities created by institutional and systemic expressions of racism may affect survivors of color, why an intersectional approach is integral to a trauma-informed response and building trauma-informed prevention programs, and specific examples of how the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance has integrated a racial justice lens into various aspects of our work.

Click here to view the webinar.

Are Victims Services Programs Liable for Criminal “Harboring” When They Work with Immigrant Survivors of Crime?

Community-based crime victim advocacy programs that provide services to undocumented immigrant survivors of crimes can minimize risks to their program, funding, employees, and clients by adopting and following policies that take the laws on harboring undocumented immigrants into account. This Advisory answers common questions about providing shelter and other program services to undocumented victims, describes the law and federal policy (as of the Advisory’s publication date), and proposes best practices for programs, but it is not legal advice. Immigration and criminal laws vary from region to region, and federal immigration enforcement policies are constantly changing. Programs should analyze their program-specific risks, their community’s particular needs, and the laws in their jurisdiction—including legal duties associated with an agency’s funding sources—as they design or update program policies. Consulting a local immigration attorney with criminal law experience is highly advisable.