Raising Public Awareness on Domestic Violence in Indian Country

In collaboration with the South Dakota Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, its member organizations and Native American advocates throughout the state, Cangleska, Inc., the violence against women intervention and shelter program on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota developed domestic violence public awareness materials focusing specifically on rural and Native American communities. Materials included posters, public service announcements and an updated version of a domestic violence handbook for Lakota communities. A resource directory for advocates was developed that included contacts for media, courts and the criminal justice system. Project staff also coordinated a statewide exhibit of the Silent Witness National Initiative and organized statewide participation in the national March to End Silence.

The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRC) is a key component in a national network of domestic violence resource centers established through the Violence Against Women Act and funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This paper is one of several Promising Practices papers that are being produced by the Public Education component of the NRC.