Student Life & University Libraries

October is observed as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This initiative was started in 1981 by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence as a Day of Unity to connect battered women’s advocates across the United States. Individuals and communities across our nation join together during this month in a strategic effort to raise awareness of domestic violence as a public health issue, educate others on how they can take action to advocate for change, intervene to stop acts of domestic violence from occurring, and support those who are impacted.
Domestic violence is a type of interpersonal violence that someone can experience at any point in the life course – as a child, adolescent, young adult, adult, or as an elder. It includes any act of threatened, attempted, or completed violence that occurs:

• Between current or former spouses or intimate partners
• Between individuals who share a child in common
• Between individuals who are living with, or had lived with, each other as spouses or intimate partners
• By a person who is similarly situated to a spouse under the domestic or family violence laws that govern the jurisdiction where the violence & abuse occurred
• Any person, such as a parent, guardian, cohabitant, or spouse, who harms an adult or child, where the adult or child is protected from violence & abuse under domestic violence or family laws (e.g. child abuse, sibling abuse, incest, etc.).

Domestic violence may include instances of sexual assault, stalking, physical abuse, economic or emotional abuse, including behaviors that are intended to intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, or isolate someone. It may also include acts or threats against family members, friends, pets, or property.
The term domestic violence may spark images of something that happens later in life, such as when people are married or living together. In 2024, Student Life changed the name of this observance on campus to Relationship Violence Awareness and Prevention Month to better connect students with our programming. 

Domestic or relationship violence may occur between college students who are sharing a residence with an abusive parent, guardian, family member, or sibling. It may also impact students who live with an intimate partner, regardless of whether they are married or have a child together. Within Federal Title IX regulations, it may also include any type of violence between roommates on campus property. In the most recent Association of American Universities Survey on Sexual Assault and Misconduct (2019), we know the following from students at Texas A&M who participated:

Student Life has observed this initiative for over two decades. We invite our Texas A&M and surrounding communities to engage in discussion and learning opportunities this October to better serve themselves and others, critically evaluate some of the messages that we receive about healthy vs. unhealthy relationships, and understand how experiencing violence & abuse intersects with other public health issues.

See the calendar of events and programs at tx.ag/IVPAwarenessMonths  
 

Relationship Violence Prevention and Awareness Month Book List

Relationship Violence Prevention and Awareness Month Films List

Relationship Violence Prevention and Awareness Month Podcasts List

This Research Guide is made in collaboration with Student Life. The resources highlighted and listed have been vetted by the Substance Misuse and Violence Prevention staff and are meant to help provide accurate and helpful information surrounding the topic of the guide for all Aggies to access and use.