{"id":152151,"date":"2026-04-06T11:08:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T15:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=152151"},"modified":"2026-04-06T11:08:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T15:08:58","slug":"ucf-research-to-help-inform-statewide-efforts-to-stop-domestic-violence-and-improve-care-for-survivors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-research-to-help-inform-statewide-efforts-to-stop-domestic-violence-and-improve-care-for-survivors\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Research to Help Inform Statewide Efforts to Stop Domestic Violence and Improve Care for Survivors"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Florida is turning to UCF experts to find better ways to prevent domestic violence and give survivors a stronger voice in the services they need.<\/p>\n

Through a $257,384 two-year grant from the Florida Partnership to End Domestic Violence, faculty from UCF\u2019s Violence Against Women research cluster<\/a> are conducting a statewide domestic violence needs assessment. Their findings will help policymakers and local agencies develop better strategies to fund and support domestic violence prevention programs that empower survivors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe collective goal of our work is to give people working in these programs and people using these services a voice,\u201d says Bethany Backes, associate professor of social work at UCF\u2019s College of Health Professions and Sciences<\/a>, who leads the Violence Against Women cluster and is the project\u2019s principal investigator. \u201cHaving research that practitioners can understand and interpret in a way that\u2019s helpful is important to us. “What we’re creating now is hopefully something that can be used for years to come.”<\/p>\n

The World\u2019s Women<\/h2>\n

Violence against women is a global issue. According to UN Women, nearly one in three women worldwide have been subjected to physical and\/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life. In 2024, around 50,000 women and girls worldwide were killed by their intimate partners or other family members.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking at criminal justice, sociology, health, and so much more that altogether could create solutions beyond any one discipline.\u201d \u2014 Kim Anderson, Professor of Social Work<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

UCF\u2019s faculty cluster \u2014 working across the disciplines of education, social work, criminal justice, sociology and medicine \u2014 was created a decade ago to change these outcomes. \u201cWe know how complex this social problem is,\u201d says Kim Anderson, a professor of social work and cluster member. \u201cWe\u2019re looking at criminal justice, sociology, health, and so much more that altogether could create solutions beyond any one discipline.\u201d<\/p>\n

Informing Florida\u2019s Strategy<\/h2>\n

The researchers have already identified some key needs for the state to examine.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, we\u2019re seeing people facing abuse who are having to spend more on food or other necessities as they navigate shifts in funding for certain assistance programs,\u201d Backes says. \u201cWhat we\u2019re also seeing is the effect of population booms, and how rapid growth and rapid decline in some areas affects the need for services.\u201d<\/p>\n