OFVPS observes several national awareness months throughout the year to elevate the experiences of survivors, highlight the scope of family violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and dating violence, and share the work being done — by OFVPS, our grantees, and our partners — to prevent it and respond to it.
February: Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
Nearly 1.5 million high school students experience physical abuse from a dating partner each year, and roughly 1 in 3 adolescents experience some form of dating abuse, whether it’s physical, sexual, emotional, or verbal. Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month is a national effort to raise awareness of this abuse, promote programs that support young people, and help communities prevent it.
OFVPS, through the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) program in the Family and Youth Services Bureau, supports this work by funding the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline and partnering with national resource centers that develop youth-focused prevention tools, trainings, and educator resources.
April: Sexual Assault Awareness Month
April is a time for advocates, survivors, and communities to speak openly about sexual violence: to support survivors, build public understanding, and identify strategies to prevent it. Public awareness and prevention around sexual assault is also a statutory requirement under FVPSA.
OFVPS supports this work by funding a network of Culturally Specific Sexual Assault Capacity Building Centers (CSSACs), which strengthen intervention and prevention services for sexual assault, domestic violence, and family violence among African American, Asian American/Pacific Islander, and Latino/Latina communities. OFVPS also supports awareness campaigns, webinars, and educational events led by our grantees and partners each April.
May: Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Awareness Month
May recognizes the disproportionate number of Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit people, and community members who go missing or are murdered in the United States. The month calls attention to the systemic barriers behind this ongoing crisis and the urgent need for justice, safety, and support for Indigenous communities.
For 40 years, FVPSA funding has supported tribes and tribal organizations with emergency shelter, supportive services, and prevention programming. OFVPS works to expand training and technical assistance for tribal communities, grow the tribal advocate workforce, and support national resource centers dedicated to Indigenous survivors, including the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center, STTARS, and StrongHearts Native Helpline.
October: Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Domestic Violence Awareness Month recognizes FVPSA's role as a cornerstone of the nation's public health response to domestic violence. FVPSA-funded programs serve survivors and their dependents, provide emergency shelter, and respond to crisis calls.
Throughout October, OFVPS-funded state and tribal programs, along with national training and technical assistance providers, host public awareness events, educational webinars, and social media campaigns in support of survivors and their children.
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