In America, one in three women will be a victim of relationship violence at some point. Forty-three percent of college women have reported experiencing violent and abusive dating behaviors.
“Domestic violence is a public health and safety issue, and a part of prevention is education,” said Beau Dooley, director of the Center for Wellness Promotion at UNC Charlotte.
Using a grant funded by the Jaime Kimble Foundation for Courage, UNC Charlotte has launched a social media campaign to increase awareness about domestic violence. The “It’s Time to Say eNOugh” project includes five other North Carolina campuses.
Social media messages created by Capitol Broadcasting Company and the N.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence will appear on WRAL.com, Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube. The ads will direct users to unccharlotte.enoughnc.org, a University landing page for campus and community resources that address domestic violence.
“We made it more student-focused. We want our students to know what their options are in an abusive relationship. Community resources are listed along with contact info for CMPD, the Sheriff’s Office and local nonprofits, shelters and hotlines,” Dooley said.
Unccharlotte.enoughnc.org also provides information to identify domestic violence behaviors.
The University's Center for Wellness Promotion educates students on sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking and other interpersonal issues. The center partnered with the UNC Charlotte Title IX Office and the School of Social Work in the College of Health and Human Services for the campaign.
While the center offers prevention and education on interpersonal violence, Title IX at UNC Charlotte investigates stalking and domestic violence reports made on campus and promotes the collective responsibility of the University community to report incidents.
Interpersonal violence is an issue that impacts campuses all across the county, stated Alex Tompkins, a case manager with the Title IX Office. “At UNC Charlotte, it is the responsibility of every student to stand up against violence whenever and wherever they observe it. These events have serious and long-lasting implications for our campus community. It is on all of us to ensure that UNC Charlotte is a community where violence of any kind will not be tolerated.”
Annelise Mennicke, an assistant professor of social work, provides research expertise and best practices for violence prevention on college campuses. She said approaching domestic violence as a public health crisis allows researchers to consider socio-ecological methods to change the system and culture as a whole.
“This enacts a culture that doesn’t tolerate violence,” Mennicke explained. “We need something beyond individual intervention. We can teach people how to step in and say something and recognize signs of dating violence.”
Dating violence and sexual harassment are historically conceptualized as having two players, the victim and the perpetrator. Bystander intervention moves beyond support services for victims and equips students with the skills to act when faced with a domestic dispute.
“We should all feel compelled to make our campus community and our broader society a safer place for everyone. As technology advances, we have different expectations of privacy and property. By working with Capitol Broadcasting, we’re able to pair industry with social good,” Mennicke said.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In addition to the eNOugh campaign, every Thursday throughout the month of October, the Center for Wellness Promotion, in partnership with the School of Social Work and Title IX at UNC Charlotte, will host events and information tables to address intimate partner violence. The campus community can use #thurple (think purple) to encourage community members to wear purple on Thursdays.
Events scheduled in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month include:
- Launch Day and Paint Your Pinkies Purple, outside the Prospector Building, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Oct. 5
- Community Resources Day in the Popp Martin Student Union Lobby, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Oct. 12
- Escalation Workshop with Mu Sigma Upsilon Sorority, 7 p.m., Oct. 17, in Cone University Center, Room 113
- Be an Active Bystander Day, outside the Prospector Building, Oct. 19
- Shine the Light on Domestic Violence 2017, outside the Prospector Building, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Oct. 26