On March 31, 2023, APA submitted comments (PDF, 112KB)opens in new window in response to a request for information from several institutes within the National Institutes of Healthopens in new window (NIH) about our nation’s scientific approach to addressing violence against women, citing the need to focus on wellness.
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was a part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. VAWA historically focuses on law enforcement efforts and requires all funded programs to use a coordinated community response model. Over the last three decades, VAWA has influenced our approach and terminology on violence and women, resulting in a criminal justice focus.
“We must build on that model,” said psychologist Mary Koss, PhD, Regents’ Professor in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona. “I created a plan using innovative approaches to individual brief therapy, support groups, organizing survivors to participate in anti-violence activities, and restorative processes. This brings services into the community rather than in a fixed place that requires an appointment for access. In focus groups with victims, researchers found that survivors were eager to participate in advocacy and prevention.”
The association’s comments highlighted Koss’s research, emphasizing the value in both prevention and treatment in a traditional health care setting, and the importance of ensuring providers receive comprehensive training on how to engage in prevention, including motivational interviewing.
Violence against women is pervasive, with approximately 30% of women worldwide experiencing some form of exposure to violence in their lifetime. Like other forms of violence, the factors that influence violence against women are deeply rooted in structural and social inequities such as poverty, educational attainment, and community conditions. APA will continue to work with NIH and advocacy partners to center wellness in our work to end violence against women.
For more information, contact Krysta Jones.
