Primary prevention for Women of Color Network Leadership Academy

Today Ellen Yin-Wycoff and I led a wonderful training on primary prevention for the Women of Color Network‘s Leadership Academy.  By framing primary prevention as social justice work, we recognize that creating a society without domestic violence and sexual assault must go beyond describing the problem.  The solution requires changing community norms that promote the behaviors we want to see.

I suggested that the work to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault needs to be inspired by many different sources. We can draw upon tools developed from public health practice and research, leverage mobilization success of the battered women’s movement, and build upon the success of the rape crisis movement to create awareness of the problem of sexual violence.

While we have done a lot, there is still much more work to do. I think creating a world without domestic and sexual violence will have to draw upon examples such as the civil rights and marriage equity movements as models of how to create the social change that is needed.

What do you think is necessary to advance the movement to prevent domestic and sexual violence?

Click here for the handout from today’s training.