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Cluster Lead:

Bethany Backes, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Criminal Justice & Social Work Bethany.Backes@ucf.edu

UCF’s Violence Against Women Cluster researchers work across the disciplines of education, social work, criminal justice, sociology and medicine to create knowledge to guide policymaking designed to reduce the experience and impact of violence toward women.

About 33 million women will experience violence in their lifetimes. In addition to physical, sexual, emotional injury and even death, the economic costs of violence against women in lost work productivity and healthcare services are as high as $12.6 billion in the United States.

Effectively impacting this social issue can save countless lives and billions of dollars.

UCF VAW cluster image
Find out more about UCF’s Violence Against Women Cluster and watch this informative video here.

To better understand the complexity of violence against women and create innovative responses that transcend any one discipline, the cluster studies it from an interdisciplinary approach that merges health, social welfare and social justice perspectives.

The cluster incorporates all of these fields to better understand violence against women and provide insight into preventing it. To support this vital program, please visit the UCF Foundation Preventing VAW.

In The News


Research
New UCF Project Works to Help Keep Victims of Intimate Partner Violence Safe
The goal is to create a screening tool that can be used by student health services and beyond, including in college athletic training settings or…
Colleges & Campus
UCF Reach for the Stars 2023 Honorees Are Unleashing the Potential of People, Ideas
The researchers are working to improve how we respond to survivors of violence, promote positive healthcare, explore space, advance computing and enrich cultural understanding.
Colleges & Campus
UCF Podcast: Championing Against Violence
Bethany Backes, an assistant professor in the Violence Against Women faculty cluster who worked for the Department of Justice for more than 10 years, shares what…

Explore the News Archive

Violence Against Women (VAW) Research

Projects


Publications

Violence Against Women (VAW) Degree Programs

UCF offers multiple degree programs for students interested in courses related to preventing violence against women. For more programs, search UCF programs below.

Violence Against Women (VAW) Faculty