VAWnet News Blog

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Month (TDVAPM - don't forget the "P"!) and Black History Month. This year the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) is honored to partner with and amplify the voices of Black youth leaders throughout the month of February and beyond.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear the appeal of a 33-year-old transgender woman from Guatemala who is seeking asylum in a case her attorney calls life or death.

TeleSANE services are expanding across the country in rural, sparsely populated areas. Research shows SANE programs encourage psychological healing, provide comprehensive health care, allow for professional evidence collection and improve the chance of a successful prosecution.

“It makes you feel a little bit more comfortable,” Godwin, 36, said of patients seeing a nurse who looks like them. “The patient might be more willing to open up.”

This week is Transgender Awareness Week and leads into Sunday's Transgender Day of Remembrance, an international observance honoring those killed by anti-transgender violence and drawing attention to the threats trans people face.

Founder Sam Hunerlach said the group’s training program empowers workers by building competence. “[G]iving people steps really, really helps. … They can go in, they know what to say, they can bring someone with them. And they can either defuse the situation or redirect it, or remove that person from the establishment. So it's just about giving them confidence.”