TDH Booklet4 - Texas Association Against Sexual Assault

Executive Summary
consequences of violence against women.
Prevention efforts designed to stop sexual assault, domestic
violence and stalking before they occur are just beginning in the
state. Over the past twenty years, Texas has emphasized
intervening to assist and protect victims and their families once
violence occurs. Likewise, this seems to be the situation nationally
and internationally, with advocates and public health entities just
beginning to focus attention on developing concerted prevention
strategies. Accordingly, little evidence exists to document what
prevention efforts work.
Texas can adopt what the most current research shows to be
promising in preventing violence against women and can contribute
to the field by evaluating existing and new activities. A survey
conducted as part of this planning project found that organizations
and clinics across the state have initiated activities to help prevent
sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking; however, few
prevention efforts in the state include serious evaluation components
either of programmatic design or outcomes.
The priority issues, recommendations and strategies
emphasized in this strategic plan incorporate what current research
shows to be most promising in violence against women prevention.
Primarily, this means applying a spectrum of interventions focused
on addressing societal, community, individual and relationship
factors as well as engaging communities and survivors in design,
implementation and assessment of culturally appropriate prevention
activities. Based on the best information available, participants in
the planning process defined three key issue areas as the focus for
making primary prevention of sexual assault, domestic violence and
stalking a public health priority; 1) resources, research and data 2)
communities, systems and infrastructure and 3) public awareness.
Resources, Research, and Data
Access to and effective use of resources, research and data
will help Texas prevent violence against women. Recommendations
include: securing new resources and using existing ones collaboratively
and creatively, evaluating and publicizing effective prevention
activities in the state, setting clear outcome markers and assessing
progress in reaching goals, conducting studies to fill information
gaps, utilizing relevant evidence specific to Texas to implement
appropriate policies and sharing and linking non-identifying data
across systems. State entities including advocacy and health
networks, universities and government agencies will need to work
9 A STRATEGIC PLAN TO PREVENT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN TEXAS