Fighting Domestic Violence

dvalianza.org

The National Latino Alliance for the Elimination of Domestic Violence has been tirelessly working toward the goal of their mission since they opened their doors in 1999. With a clear understanding of what they wanted to accomplish, they were permitted a five year start up grant from the Department of Health and Human Services. One of the large reasons that the function of this alliance is so important is because of the dilemma that Latina women face. There is a very strong sense of family in the Latino community, and there are many times where these women are unsure whether they should come forward when they are being abused or stay silent just to show their allegiance to their family unit. Hispanics are currently the race with the third highest number of domestic violence cases in the United States, but there are many that go unreported every year.

Alianza’s mission is to put an end to domestic violence, and they have a five pronged attack that they are using to do so. The way that they are helping the situation is by educating the community about the statistics, long term and short term effects, and warning signs of domestic violence. They are promoting dialogue between families so that problems can be worked out in an efficient and peaceful way instead of allowing anger to control the entire conversation. They are increasing public awareness of the problem that the Hispanic people are facing, and they are making it known that this issue is becoming larger and will not just go away on its own. Networking and advocacy are the other two parts of the plan, and they are used so that people that share the same goal can come together and provide a united front against the issue of domestic violence.

There are quite a few services that Alianza provides. There are workshops, conferences, and other training forums that they organize on a national level. The alliance travels nationwide to provide training and educational resources to the public and works with State Coalitions and domestic violence direct service providers in the process. Much of the training is geared towards men and boys since 95% of the people committing domestic violence in the household are men. To raise awareness about family violence, Alianza uses the media, community forums, special events, and the distribution of books, pamphlets and other materials.

When you go to their website, Dvalianza.org, the amount of useful information available becomes apparent immediately. All the services that the provide are detailed very well, there is an Alianza newsletter that you have the option of subscribing to, and there are publications that you can order using the site. Much of the alliance’s budget comes from donations, so if you feel as though you would like to help put an end to domestic violence, donate to this very worthy cause, no amount is too small.