GFWC Signature Project: Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention GFWC Georgia Institute Workshop Saturday, August 16, 2014

GFWC Signature Project: Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention GFWC is a national leader in the fight to end domestic violence by raising awareness about this social issue. By supporting existing activities, working with various established programs, and initiating educational opportunities for club members and local citizens, the goal of the GFWC Signature Project: Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention is to increase awareness and prevention of the widespread occurrence of domestic abuse in communities across the nation.

Elder Abuse Elderly Abuse Statistics Data Research Date: Average number of elderly abuse cases each year 2,150,000 Percent of elderly population that will experience some type of abuse 9.5 %

Elderly Abuse Statistics Data Research Date: Demographics of Elderly Abuse Victims Percent of female elder abuse victims 67.3 % Median age of elder abuse victims 77.9 Percent of white victims 66.4 % Percent of black victims 18.7 % Percent of Hispanic victims 10.4 %

Elderly Abuse Statistics Data Research Date: Breakdown of Reported Elder Abuse Cases Neglect 58.5 % Physical Abuse 15.7 % Financial Exploitation 12.3 % Emotional Abuse 7.3 % Sexual Abuse 0.04 % All other types 5.1 % Unknown 0.06 %

Elderly Abuse Statistics Data Research Date: Family Perpetrated Elderly Abuse Percent of elderly abuse perpetrated by adult children or spouses 66 % Percent of murder victims over 60 who were killed by their own offspring 42 % Percent of murder victims over 60 who were killed by their spouses 24 %

Elderly Abuse Statistics Data Research Date: Nursing Home Abuse Percent of nursing homes that lack adequate staff to properly care for patients 91% Percent of nursing homes that have been in violation of elderly abuse laws 36%

Elderly Abuse Statistics Data 2013 Georgia Statistics Abuse – 600 Financial Exploitation – 1,020 Neglect – 616 Self Abuse – 705 Self Neglect – 3,341 Sexual Abuse – 32 Total investigated – 6,314 Total investigated (unduplicated) – 5,277

What your Club can do Participate in World Elder Abuse Day every June 15 Ask your Club and your Community to wear purple on June 15 Partner with your local law enforcement to bring ACT certification training to your community Contact your Area Agency on Aging (AAA) about becoming a sponsor for their Elder Rights Conference

What your Club can do Contact your local Adult Protective Service Agency to see if any clients have a special need you can help with during the holidays or throughout the year – Examples: clothing, food, medicine, transportation, household items Work with your local APS to sponsor an Angle Tree at Christmas to help provide gifts to abused/neglected/ exploited elderly in your community

Georgia’s Division of Aging Services Needs Your Help

Child Abuse A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds More than four children die every day as a result of child abuse. It is estimated that between 50-60% of child fatalities due to maltreatment are not recorded as such on death certificates. Approximately 70% of children that die from abuse are under the age of 4.

Child Abuse More than 90% of juvenile sexual abuse victims know their perpetrator in some way. Child abuse occurs at every socioeconomic level, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all religions and at all levels of education. About 30% of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children, continuing the horrible cycle of abuse. In at least one study, about 80% of 21 year olds that were abused as children met criteria for at least one psychological disorder.

Child Abuse The estimated annual cost of child abuse and neglect in the United States for 2008 is $124 billion. 14% of all men in prison and 36% of women in prison in the USA were abused as children, about twice the frequency seen in the general population. Children who experience child abuse & neglect are about 9 times more likely to become involved in criminal activity. Abused children are 25% more likely to experience teen pregnancy.

Child Abuse Abused teens are more likely to engage in sexual risk taking, putting them at greater risk for STDs. In one study, children whose parents abuse alcohol and other drugs were three times more likely to be abused and more than four times more likely to be neglected than children from non-abusing families. More than a third of adolescents with a report of abuse or neglect will have a substance use disorder before their 18th birthday, three times as likely as those without a report of abuse or neglect.

"ALYSSA LIES" The Original Video

What Your Club Can Do Purchase pinwheels to display or use as a fundraiser in your community Plant a “Pinwheel Garden” in your community Sponsor a House Party Weekend

Julia Neighbors, Director Georgia State University PCA Georgia, Center for Healthy Development PO Box 3995 Atlanta, Georgia

Abuse-America/ Abuse-America/

Prevent Child Abuse America Brand Video

What Your Club Can Do Distribute blue ribbons to club members and in the community Contact your local Department of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS) to see if any children receiving services from the DFCS have any special needs you could help with during the holidays or throughout the year – Examples: clothing, toys, sporting equipment or special fees Provide suitcases to DFCS Provide emergency bags of toiletries, underwear, sleeping wear to DFCS for children who have had to leave their homes Provide teddy bears or small stuff animals to child advocacy centers or DFCS Become a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer

Teen Dating Violence Nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year. One in three adolescents in the U.S. is a victim of physical, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner, a figure that far exceeds rates of other types of youth violence. One in 10 high school students has been purposefully hit, slapped or physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend. One quarter of high school girls have been victims of physical or sexual abuse. Approximately 70% of college students say they have been sexually coerced.

Teen Dating Violence Girls and young women between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence – almost triple the national average. Violent behavior typically begins between the ages of 12 and 18. The severity of intimate partner violence is often greater in cases where the pattern of abuse was established in adolescence. About 72% of eighth and ninth graders are “dating".

Teen Dating Violence Violent relationships in adolescence can have serious ramifications by putting the victims at higher risk for substance abuse, eating disorders, risky sexual behavior and further domestic violence. Being physically or sexually abused makes teen girls six times more likely to become pregnant and twice as likely to get a STI. Half of youth who have been victims of both dating violence and rape attempt suicide, compared to 12.5% of non-abused girls and 5.4% of non-abused boys.

Teen Dating Violence Only 33% of teens who were in a violent relationship ever told anyone about the abuse. Eighty one percent of parents believe teen dating violence is not an issue or admit they don’t know if it’s an issue.

Project for Awesome 2013

What Your Club Can Do Celebrate February as Teen DV month – On February 11, join Wear Orange 4 Love,Wear Orange 4 Love, Host a Talk-a-thon event Have the National Respect Announcement read at school on 2/14 Encourage teens to take the Dating Pledge Encourage your schools to compete in the Dating Pledge Challenge

What Your Club Can Do Sponsor a local distribution of dating pledge cards to local high school and college students. – Contact Bob Silverstein (609) Get students involved in making posters about dating abuse Display the students’ artwork in a visible place in your community Find additional resources and project ideas at: stopdatingviolence.org and loveisrespect.org

Domestic Violence Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten. Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime. Most often, the abuser is a member of her own family. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women—more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined. Studies suggest that up to 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually.

Domestic Violence Nearly 1 in 5 teenage girls who have been in a relationship said a boyfriend threatened violence or self-harm if presented with a breakup. Everyday in the US, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends. Ninety-two percent of women surveyed listed reducing domestic violence and sexual assault as their top concern. Domestic violence victims lose nearly 8 million days of paid work per year in the US alone—the equivalent of 32,000 full-time jobs.

Domestic Violence Based on reports from 10 countries, between 55 percent and 95 percent of women who had been physically abused by their partners had never contacted non-governmental organizations, shelters, or the police for help. The costs of intimate partner violence in the US alone exceed $5.8 billion per year: $4.1 billion are for direct medical and health care services, while productivity losses account for nearly $1.8 billion. Men who as children witnessed their parents’ domestic violence were twice as likely to abuse their own wives than sons of nonviolent parents.

Portrait of Abuse

What Your Club Can Do Participate in Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention activities during the month of October. Designate a day in October for your community to wear purple. Paint the town purple Provide purple ribbons to your members. Distribute the ribbons in the community. Sponsor a candlelight/luminary vigil during the month of October. Have a clothing drive for your area shelter. – Examples: socks, underwear, coats Have a stock the shelter shower at a club meeting.

What Your Club Can Do Have collections boxes at community events to collects items for your area shelter. Give financial donations to your local shelter. Collect cell phones Participate in Step into the Future Projects. Arrange for a Make Over day for residents of your local shelter. Provide hairdresser with info about the Cut It Out program Participate in Orange Day on the 25th of each month.

What Your Club Can Do Make monetary donations to the GFWC Success for Survivors Scholarship program. – Fund Donations Help improve the lives of domestic violence survivors by making a tax-deductible donation to the GFWC Signature Project: Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Fund. – Send checks made out to the “Signature Project Fund” to GFWC at 1734 N Street NW, Washington, DC , or make a donation by credit card through GFWC Marketplace or over the phone atmake a donation by credit card through GFWC Marketplace GFWC (4392). – Purchase a pin from GFWC

What Your Club Can Do #VetoViolence Against Women in 6 Words This month, CDC and the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women invite you to share your commitment to preventing violence against women with the rest of the country by sharing your own 6 Words to #VetoViolence. You can take a photo of yourself or create a unique image with a six-word story that: Promotes healthy relationships,6 Words to #VetoViolence Illustrates an America without violence, or Celebrates the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).Violence Against Women Act

Veto Violence _ _

Ahimsa House In families affected by domestic violence, pets are also at risk. Abusers threaten, injure, and kill family pets to terrorize others in the home--yet most domestic violence shelters are unable to allow pets to accompany their owners to safety.

Ahimsa House Nearly 50% of individuals delay escaping the abuse because of concern about their pets. Ahimsa House, meaning "nonviolence," is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing the links between domestic violence and animal abuse.

Ahimsa House Anywhere in Georgia and at no charge, Ahimsa House provides emergency pet safehousing, veterinary care, pet-related safety planning, legal advocacy, a 24-hour crisis line, outreach programs, and other services to help the human and animal victims of domestic violence reach safety together.

Ahimsa House Ahimsa House serves all victims of domestic violence regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, religion, or immigration status. For more information: – Contact information: – 24 Hour Emergency Hot Line:

Ahimsa House Documentary