Helping Mothers Overcome Domestic Violence

The impact of domestic violence can be shattering to individuals, families, children and communities. To help mothers overcome violence, The Duke Endowment awarded grants to support a program that rebuilds self-esteem and strengthens positive parenting skills. This initiative is now closed.

Challenge

For women in the United States between ages 15 and 44, domestic violence is the leading cause of injury. For their children, the impact can be equally devastating. While it is impossible to define exact numbers, researchers estimate that between 3 million and 10 million children are exposed to domestic violence in the country each year. Child abuse is 15 times more likely to occur in families where domestic violence is present.

The situation becomes even more complex for intimate partner violence victims who use violence against their batterers. In some cases, they are ordered by a court or child protective services to get help.

Response

Multi-year grants from The Duke Endowment supported MOVE, a program in Wake County, North Carolina, that helps mothers overcome violence through education and empowerment. The grants helped launch the program and funded an evaluation by researchers at UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work.

MOVE began as a program of SAFEchild, a Raleigh nonprofit focused on child safety and abuse prevention, and InterAct, a nonprofit that provides safety and support to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Staff at both agencies realized that mothers arrested for fighting back have complex needs that aren’t addressed through traditional services.