NYS Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence releases new informational publications

Submitted by the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence

The New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV) is proud to announce the launch of three new informational publications, the Three Pillars Guiding Document, the 2022 Gender-Based Violence Dashboard, and the Technology Safety for Survivors of Gender-Based Violence.

The Guiding Document is designed to orient all stakeholders, including community-based victim service providers, our sister state agencies, local governments, policymakers, and more to OPDV’s understanding of these pillars and what it means for OPDV’s efforts to transform the state’s response to gender-based violence alongside our partners. It also shares why OPDV is broadening its scope of attention from domestic violence to gender-based violence.

After reflecting on its mission, OPDV has expanded its work beyond domestic violence to include other forms of gender-based violence. This expansion of the mission is critical because we know that we cannot address domestic violence without confronting other forms of gender-based violence such as sexual violence, trafficking and more. Gender-based violence is defined as “any harmful threat or act directed at an individual or group based on actual or perceived sex, gender, gender identity, sex characteristics, or sexual orientation. (Gender-based violence) encompasses, but is not limited to, physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, economic, and technological abuse or harm; threats of such acts; harassment; coercion; and arbitrary deprivation of liberty,” (The White House, 2023).

In addition to the Three Pillars Guiding Document, OPDV published the 2022 Gender-Based Violence Data Dashboard. The dashboard contains annual information on trends on domestic violence service provision and hotline contacts, along with criminal justice court data and more. OPDV has published the dashboard each year since 2007, and all dashboards dating back to 2015 are available online.

The dashboard aims to reflect all contact that individuals who have experienced, or are experiencing, domestic and gender-based violence have with any given state agency or system. The data is collected in a wide variety of ways, from self-reporting to aggregate reporting by state grantees.

This data was collected by the following state agencies and partners:

√ Office for Victims Services (OVS)

√ Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS)

√ Department of Health (DOH)

√ Office for Children and Family Services (OCFS)

√ Office of Court Administration (OCA)

√ Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS)

√ Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA)

√ Office for Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS)

√ Department of Labor (DOL)

√ Department of State (DOS)

√ National Domestic Violence Hotline

√ Safe Horizon (operator of the New York City Domestic Violence Hotline)

From the data available in fall 2023, OPDV noted that the average length of stay in shelters in New York City rose by 1% in 2022 compared to 2019, while the rest of the state saw an increase of 30%. The dashboard also notes that overall number of intimate partner violence homicides remained steady between 2018 and 2022. The portion of female victims in intimate partner violence homicides rose from 77% in 2021 to 89% in 2022. These rates are disproportionate from overall homicides victims, which have been below a quarter female since 2019. The amount of intimate partner victims who were Black or Hispanic increased from 58% in 2021 to 70% in 2022.

More information on the dashboard and the collected data can be found here.

Finally, OPDV released the 2023 Technology Safety for Survivors of Gender-Based Violence. This resource provides basic information about common digital vulnerabilities with easy steps for reducing them. It includes definitions and information on:

√ Different types of technology facilitate abuse

√ Strategies for enhancing safety when using technology

√ Common tools of abuse

√ Password management

√ The benefits of technology to survivors of gender-based violence

√ Technology-facilitated abuse and the law

√ How to get help

The New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence is the country's only executive level state agency dedicated to the issue of gender-based violence. The state's Domestic and Sexual Violence Hotline is available 24/7: 800-942-6906 (call), 844-997-2121 (text) or @opdv.ny.gov (chat).

For more information on these publications, contact [email protected].