The Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence brings together City and County leaders and community partners to reduce domestic violence in Greater San Antonio.
Public health is fundamentally the science of prevention, addressing upstream factors to prevent downstream consequences.
In practice, this means that upstream public health solutions like supporting positive parenting, for downstream problems like domestic violence-related homicide, take many years to change outcomes.
Survivors of one form of violence are more likely to be victims of other forms of violence. A public health approach is not a quick fix, but a slow, deep change to systems and whole communities. It requires sustained, multi-sector commitment and transparent evaluation of what is working and what isn’t to make change rooted in evidence.
When someone we know and care about is impacted by domestic violence, it is hard to know how to help. But friends and family are important in supporting people experiencing domestic violence so they feel empowered to leave.