Domestic Violence Awareness Month starts October 1st! Domestic violence, or dating abuse, occurs in every community, on every college campus across the United States and it can only be addressed when everyone is involved. October is your month to take action on your campus to stand up to domestic violence – need some inspiration? Your feminist campus team came up with 6 ways to get involved.
- Participate in Purple Thursday on October 22nd! Every year advocates, survivors and supporters wear purple to stand in solidarity with victims of domestic violence and celebrate domestic violence awareness month. It’s easy, wear purple, get your friends, coworkers or classmates to wear purple, and post a photo on social media with #PurpleThursday and #DVAM to join the movement.
- Donate to a local domestic violence shelter. Domestic violence is one of the leading causes of homelessness for families across the nation. Too often survivors are forced to choose between living in an abusive home and being homeless – shelters are unable to meet the demand. Donating even $10 to a shelter in your community can make a big difference.
- Post the National Domestic Violence Hotline on social media (1-800-799-7233). Many people don’t realize that domestic violence is an issue on college campuses too. Students in their first relationships are particularly vulnerable to unhealthy behaviors and often don’t know who to reach out to. Posting the National Domestic Violence Hotline is an easy way to spread the word about important resources.
- Write to your local representative to take action on gun control. The National Network to End Domestic Violence states that, “One of the most significant threats to victims of domestic violence is a perpetrator’s access to firearms. Every day women are killed or severely injured because their abusers have access to firearms.” People in power need to hear from students that you care about this issue and want them to take action.
- Read up on your Title IX protections. Students often don’t realize that Title IX protections apply to dating abuse as well as sexual assault. Take some time to learn about how you, your friends and fellow feminists are protected by Title IX.
- Start a Campaign to End Campus Sexual Violence. We have a campaign toolkit with resources for students looking to take action on dating violence on campus. The toolkit includes action items, event ideas and videos designed to support feminist activism. Reach out to your friendly Campus Team with questions!
