💜 Breaking the Silence: Connecting Child Abuse Prevention and Domestic Violence Awareness Month

In closing out Domestic Violence Awareness Month, October has been a time to shine a light on a crisis that affects millions of families every year. While the focus often centers on adult victims and survivors, there’s a deeply intertwined issue that demands equal attention: child abuse. The two forms of violence often exist side by side — and recognizing their connection is essential to protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities.

👩‍👧 Domestic Violence Doesn’t Happen in a Vacuum

When we talk about domestic violence, we're talking about power and control — often perpetrated by one intimate partner against another. But when children are present in these environments, they are never just passive observers. Whether through direct abuse or exposure to violence, children living in homes where domestic violence occurs are at significantly increased risk for:

• Emotional trauma

• Physical harm

• Developmental delays

• Long-term mental health issues

• Repeating cycles of abuse

In fact, up to 60% of families where domestic violence occurs also involve child abuse (data from CDC and related research). The overlap is undeniable — and it means that efforts to prevent one must also address the other.

🔍 Understanding the Link

Children who witness domestic violence often suffer just as deeply as those who experience physical abuse directly. The emotional toll includes:

• Chronic anxiety or depression

• Sleep disturbances

• Aggressive behavior or withdrawal

• Poor school performance

• Difficulty forming trusting relationships

This kind of exposure not only causes immediate harm, but it also increases the risk that a child may grow up to become either a victim or perpetrator of abuse themselves — continuing the cycle.

🛡️ Prevention Starts at Home — and in the Community

✅ Support Survivors Holistically

When working with survivors of domestic violence, it’s critical to assess the needs of their children as well. Trauma-informed care and family-centered support systems can help break the cycle.

✅ Provide Education and Parenting Resources

Stress, isolation, and lack of knowledge about child development are common factors in both domestic violence and child abuse cases. Parenting classes, home visitation programs, and support groups offer guidance and help caregivers build healthy, non-violent relationships with their children.

Note: Parent Support Network of RI / Prevent Child Abuse RI provides trauma-informed and evidence-based parenting education through a 12-week Nurturing Parenting course but we need your help to offer it at no cost statewide — if you’d like to give, please visit preventchildabuseri.org/donate and choose the Nurturing Parenting fund.

✅ Encourage Safe Reporting and Intervention

Neighbors, teachers, coaches, and healthcare workers can all play a role. Knowing the signs of abuse and how to report it may save a child’s life. It's also important to create safe, nonjudgmental spaces for victims to disclose abuse — especially those who may fear losing custody of their children if they come forward.

✅ Support Policies That Protect Families

Advocacy matters. Funding for shelters, mental health services, affordable housing, and early childhood programs are all part of a prevention framework that supports safe, nurturing environments for children.

💜 Let’s Break the Cycle — Together

Domestic Violence Awareness Month is not just about supporting adult survivors — it’s about recognizing the full impact of violence in the home, including its effects on children. By integrating child abuse prevention into domestic violence advocacy, we can build stronger, safer families and healthier communities.

If you suspect a child is being abused, or if you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available:

• Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233) or text "START" to 88788

• Local shelters and family support services: RI Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Let’s not just raise awareness this October — let’s take action.