Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Each year in October, New York City celebrates Domestic Violence Awareness Month, in partnership with several city agencies and community-based organizations. The Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence (OCDV) hosts several events, which include opportunities to raise awareness of the resources available to survivors of domestic violence. October 19 is NYC Go Purple, a city-wide day of awareness in which several municipal buildings, including City Hall, will be lit purple in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness month. A calendar of events and an updated directory of resources are available on OCDV’s website: http://www1.nyc.gov/site/ocdv/events/index.page.
CAPS: Stopping Stalking Through Coordination
OCDV formulates policies and programs, coordinates the citywide delivery of domestic violence services and works with diverse communities and community leaders to increase awareness of domestic violence. One such program is the NYC Coordinated Approach to Preventing Stalking (CAPS) program.
While many people think of “stalking” in the context of a stranger or a celebrity, most stalking victims are stalked by someone they know. Nationally, 61% of female victims and 44% of male victims are stalked by a current or former intimate partner[1]. In conjunction with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and local District Attorney’s offices, OCDV developed the CAPS model to identify intimate partner stalking cases and provide appropriate criminal justice and social services interventions before stalking behavior escalates. CAPS at its core is essentially a training program to promote early identification of intimate partner stalking cases and enhance the law enforcement response to stalking offenses in New York City.
For more information about the CAPS program, please visit the OCDV website at www.nyc.gov/domesticviolence or call (212) 788-3156.
[1]Matthew J. Breiding et al., “Prevalence and Characteristics of Sexual Violence, Stalking, and Intimate Partner Violence Victimization – National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, United States, 2011”, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Morality Weekly Report, Vol. 63, No. 8 (2014)
The NYC Family Justice Centers Provide Services to Survivors of Domestic Violence
The New York City Family Justice Centers (FJCs) are free and confidential walk-in centers for survivors of intimate partner violence, elder abuse and sex trafficking, and their children. To make it easier for New Yorkers to get help, several city agencies, community services, legal resources and District Attorney’s Offices are all on-site at the FJCs. New Yorkers of all ages, sexual orientations, gender identity, immigration status and income levels are welcome. The FJCs are open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; appointments are not necessary and interpretation services are available at every Center. There is a FJC in each of the five boroughs.
Bronx
198 East 161st Street
718-508-1220
Brooklyn
350 Jay Street
718-250-5111
Manhattan
80 Centre Street
212-602-2800
Queens
126-02 82nd Avenue
718-575-4545
Staten Island
126 Stuyvesant Place
718-697-4300
For more information about the FJCs, please call 311 or 1-800-621-HOPE (4673).