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      Domestic Violence

What is Domestic Violence? 

Domestic violence is everyone’s responsibility. It is a gendered crime – with an unequal impact on girls and women. Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior in a relationship used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over the other partner. Domestic violence can be actions or threats of actions that influence or control another person’s behavior and decisions and are meant to intimidate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, coerce, blame, or injure.

 

Domestic Violence Resources

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Domestic Violence

      Dating Violence

What is Dating Violence

Dating violence is a pattern of abusive behaviors -- usually a series of abusive behaviors over a course of time -- used to exert power and control over a dating partner.

 

Every relationship is different, but the things that unhealthy and abusive relationships have in common are issues of power and control. Violent words and actions are tools an abusive partner uses to gain and maintain power and control over their partner. 

 

Any person can experience dating abuse or unhealthy relationship behaviors, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic standing, ethnicity, religion or culture. It does not discriminate and can happen to anyone in any relationship, whether it’s one that is casual and short-term or serious and monogamous.

 

Dating Violence Resources

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Dating Violence

Sexual Assault

Sexual Assault

What is Sexual Assault?

Sexual violence violates a person's trust, autonomy and feeling of safety. It occurs any time a person is forced, coerced, and/or manipulated into any unwanted sexual activity.

 

The range of sexual violence includes rape, incest, child sexual assault, ritual abuse, date and acquaintance rape, statutory rape, marital or partner rape, sexual exploitation, sexual contact, sexual harassment, exposure, human trafficking and voyeurism.

 

Rape is a crime. It is motivated by the need to control, humiliate, and harm. It is not motivated by sexual desire. Rapists use sex as a weapon to dominate and hurt others.

 

Sexual Assault Resources

           Stalking

What is Stalking?

While legal definitions of stalking vary from one jurisdiction to another, a good working definition of stalking, provided by the Stalking Resource center, is a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear. Stalking is serious, often violent, and can escalate over time.  You are not to blame for a stalker's behavior.

 

Stalking Resources

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Stalking

Primary Prevention

During these times of social distancing, prevention is going to look a little different for many preventionists.

For example, we aren't able to conduct educational sessions in the traditional classroom settings

or speak to groups of people like before.

 

However, there are still many ways to engage with people in our communities, across ages,

with a little bit of creativity and a bit of adaptation.

Click here for a few possibilities.

 

What is Primary Prevention?

Primary prevention efforts are approaches that take place before violence occurs to prevent initial perpetration or victimization. We know from our experience with other public health issues that primary prevention strategies work.  (CDC, 2004).

 

Prevention Resources

Primary Prevention
Economic Sustainability Resource Guide

Wyoming Economic Sustainability Resource Guide

Financial Sustainability Among Victims & Survivors of Interpersonal Violence


This toolkit is offered as a resource for domestic violence and sexual assault (DVSA) programs & advocates. Economic issues are a crucial component of both the perpetration of interpersonal violence (IPV), the decision to leave an abuser, and outcomes for survivors; since it plays such a large role in clients’ lives, economic matters should also be integrated, with varying degrees, into advocate’s every-day dealings with clients. This comprehensive resource covers several key areas that are likely to contribute to the advocate’s ability to support a client’s journey in becoming financially independent, including: 

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1)    Foundational concepts
2)    Background information on financial insecurity and current statistics on homelessness
3)    Up-to-date resources with eligibility requirements
4)    Tools that can be used with clients
5)    Suggested resources that may contribute to the advocate’s ability to understand client situations, work with    

       clients and work with communities

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How to Use the Navigate the Guide

  • Download the Guide

  • Open in Adobe

  • Navigate with the bookmarks pane

    • Go to “View”, down to “Show/Hide”, go to “Navigation Panes”, and select “Bookmarks”

    • This will show the navigation pane

  • Click on any heading in any table of contents to go to that section

  • Click on any heading hyperlink in the text to go to that section

  • Click on any website hyperlink to open the website

 

Tips for using the guide:

  • Use with new advocates and volunteers as a training tool

  • Use with clients during intake and assessment

    • Use as a “menu of options”

  • Use with clients during safety planning

    • Can be used to help a client see that they are not financially dependent upon their abusive partner

    • Can be added to relationship exit plans (such as gathering the items needed for certain benefits)

  • Use with clients who are struggling financially to explore public benefits and career development

  • Explore advocacy resources to stay up-to-date on economic empowerment issues, tools, and procedures

  • Use the Safety Planning Menu (still being developed) with clients of different populations & circumstances so that they can stay safe and plan for economic security

  • Use the guide to begin making community and state partnerships and referral pipelines

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Money Matters and Intimate Partner Violence

Click Here to download Money Matters, a quick reference brochure

Click Here to download IPV and The Workplace, a quick reference brochure 

Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

PO Box 236 |710 Garfield Street, Suite 218 |Laramie, WY 82073 

Main Office: 307-755-5481       Legal Program: 307-755-0992

Fax: 307-755-5482 | Toll Free: 1-844-264-8080   

E-Mail: info@wyomingdvsa.org​

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