By: Jason Jowers
Instances of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and family violence can be very damaging to all of those involved. These issues can often be life-threatening to those experiencing the abuse and detrimental to their physical and mental health. Additionally, domestic violence within couples and families is not an easy obstacle to overcome. It often takes time to work with all family members involved to maintain safety.
MFRA Academy 2020-21 Courses and Resources
To further expand our understanding of domestic violence issues, OneOp highlighted these issues in one of our courses during the 2020-2021 MFRA Academy Series. This course, called “Supporting Parents and Children Through Hazards and Disasters,” focused on addressing the importance of planning for increases in domestic violence and child maltreatment during emergencies and disasters, and we explored what it looks like for helping professionals to serve and support families during these times.
DoD and Military OneSource Resources
The DoD has also shared many great resources for families and professionals to overcome and plan for safety during domestic violence instances. Within Military OneSource, these resources include a hub for domestic abuse, child abuse, and neglect subtopics that can be used by families and professionals in their work. You can also contact the Family Advocacy Program directly and speak with a victim advocate located on your base or nearby city or town. Finally, here are links to three articles on Military OneSource’s website to point you in the right direction for getting help for yourself, your family, or those close to you who you suspect might be dealing with domestic violence issues.
Article Links
- Getting Help for Relationship Sexual Abuse
- How to Find Help for Victims of Domestic Abuse
- Creating a Family Emergency Plan
Another great resource to get immediate help is the National Domestic Violence Hotline. You can call, chat, or text right away with a professional immediately standing by for support. Their site also offers ways to identify abuse, safety plans for families and children, as well as resources on how to support others around you that are in abusive relationships.
For more domestic violence support, be sure to stay connected with all of our upcoming OneOp programming focusing on couples and family support.
Blog Post Image: Pixabay [Couple Holding Hands by JUrban, February 11, 2017, CC0]
