National Coalition Against Domestic Violence - December 2007 Charity-of-the-Month
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MISSION STATEMENT AND PURPOSE
The Mission of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) is to organize for collective power by advancing transformative work, thinking and leadership of communities and individuals working to end the violence in our lives.
NCADV believes violence against women and children results from the use of force or threat to achieve and maintain control over others in intimate relationships, and from societal abuse of power and domination in the forms of sexism, racism, homophobia, classism, anti-Semitism, able-bodyism, ageism and other oppressions. NCADV recognizes that the abuses of power in society foster battering by perpetuating conditions, which condone violence against women and children. Therefore, it is the mission of NCADV to work for major societal changes necessary to eliminate both personal and societal violence against all women and children.
NCADV's work includes coalition building at the local, state, regional and national levels; support for the provision of community-based, non-violent alternatives - such as safe home and shelter programs - for battered women and their children; public education and technical assistance; policy development and innovative legislation; focus on the leadership of NCADV's caucuses and task forces developed to represent the concerns of organizationally under represented groups; and efforts to eradicate social conditions which contribute to violence against women and children.
Getting Help
If you need immediate assistance, dial 911.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Operated by the Texas Council on Family Violence.
Contact NCADV
Domestic violence is a pervasive problem in virtually all countries, cultures, classes and income groups. It is a complex and multifaceted problem with individual solutions that are appropriate for different women in different socio-cultural contexts.
Both short and long-term measures must be considered. Short-term measures consist of assistance programs that protect the individual woman who has been or is being abused. They often focus on the critical period after a woman leaves her home, providing her with food, shelter, and guidance. This is the period when a woman is most at-risk from the perpetrator seeking retribution, or when she might return to the home out of a sense of hopelessness. Long-term measures seek to educate the public and empower the woman to re-establish her life without violence.
Any response should involve an interrelationship between the health, legal and social sectors, so that the woman is not continually referred to another agency. One innovative approach is the use of "family crisis centers," or "victim advocates" to act as the woman's link to the various sectors.
Support can come in various forms:
Crisis Intervention:
* crisis intervention services
* crisis hot lines
* shelters or other emergency residential
* facilities
* medical services
* transportation networks
* laws that allow either
* victims or perpetrators to be removed from the home
Emotional Support:
* self-help support groups
* assertiveness training
* self-esteem and confidence-building
* sessions
* parenting skills courses
Advocacy and Legal Assistance:
* access to and custody of children
* property matters
* financial support
* restraining orders
* public assistance benefits
* help with immigration status
Other Supportive Services:
* housing and safe accommodations
* child care
* access to community services
Safety Plan
If you are still in the relationship:
* Think of a safe place to go if an argument occurs - avoid rooms with no exits (bathroom), or rooms with weapons (kitchen).
* Think about and make a list of safe people to contact.
* Keep change with you at all times.
* Memorize all important numbers.
* Establish a "code word" or "sign" so that family, friends, teachers or co-workers know when to call for help.
* Think about what you will say to your partner if he\she becomes violent.
Remember, you have the right to live without fear and violence.
If you have left the relationship:
* Change your phone number.
* Screen calls.
* Save and document all contacts, messages, injuries or other incidents involving the batterer.
* Change locks, if the batterer has a key.
* Avoid staying alone.
* Plan how to get away if confronted by an abusive partner.
* If you have to meet your partner, do it in a public place.
* Vary your routine.
* Notify school and work contacts.
* Call a shelter for battered women.
If you leave the relationship or are thinking of leaving, you should take important papers and documents with you to enable you to apply for benefits or take legal action.
Important papers you should take include social security cards and birth certificates for you and your children, your marriage license, leases or deeds in your name or both yours and your partner's names, your checkbook, your charge cards, bank statements and charge account statements, insurance policies, proof of income for you and your spouse (pay stubs or W-2's), and any documentation of past incidents of abuse (photos, police reports, medical records, etc.)
Public Policy Office
The Public Policy Office of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) is a national leader in the effort to create and influence federal legislation that positively effects the lives of domestic violence survivors and their children. We work closely with domestic violence advocates at the local, state and national level to identify the issues facing battered women, their children and the people who serve them and to develop a legislative agenda to address these issues. Located in Washington, D.C., the NCADV Public Policy Office represents the needs of its over 2,000 members and coalition partners to elected officials in Congress.
The Public Policy Office lobbies Congress, monitors state and federal legislative developments, and provides information to shelters, state coalitions and other grassroots advocates on pending federal policy initiatives. We provide information and technical assistance to Congressional offices and works to educate the public on the impact of legislative efforts on domestic violence in the field. The Public Policy Office works in coalition with other organizations fighting to end oppression in the lives of women and all human beings here in the United States and abroad.
Every year the Public Policy office provides an opportunity for local programs and advocates to meet with their Members of Congress' offices to discuss pertinent anti-violence legislation through the National Domestic Violence Lobby Day. If you are interested in attending lobby day, please contact the Public Policy Office.
Join NCADV
Please consider becoming a member of NCADV and join us to stop domestic violence and make Every Home a Safe Home!
Public education about domestic violence is one of the most effective ways of slowing the rate of people hurt or killed by spouses or partners. NCADV is a non-profit grassroots membership organization. Our core funding is generated through membership dues and product sales. The generosity and commitment of hundreds of individuals and grassroots organizations across the country make it possible for us to continue to provide information to those in need.
Your Membership Helps NCADV...
* Work to Eliminate Domestic Violence
* Empower Victims of Domestic Violence
* Unite Your Voices
* Alert and Educate the Public
* Build Partnerships
If you have questions about membership with NCADV, or would like a membership form sent to you, please mail, fax or email your name, street address, city, state, zip and phone number to our Membership Director.
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NCADV
1120 Lincoln Street
Suite 1603
Denver, CO 80203
tel: 1-303-839-1852
fax: 1-303-831-9251
TTY – 1-303-839-1681
email: mainoffice@ncadv.org
web: ncadv.org
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