OPDV’s Three Pillars

After reflecting on its mission, OPDV has expanded its work beyond domestic violence to include other forms of gender-based violence. Violence does not happen in a vacuum; we know that:

• we cannot address domestic violence without confronting other forms of gender-based violence such as sexual violence, trafficking, and more.
• the mainstream movement and systems created to respond to domestic violence have not always been inclusive of all survivors as they emphasized emergency shelter and criminal/civil legal responses.

OPDV acknowledges the historical significance and, at times, harmfulness of that approach to gender-based violence. Many traditional law enforcement responses have disproportionately affected people from marginalized communities, especially people who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). Unfortunately, this disproportionate impact has often not yielded greater protection or safety. Therefore, in 2020, as part of the COVID-19 Domestic Violence Task Force, experts in the field urged the State to modernize the lenses through which we view our work moving forward. This work yielded important discussions and ultimately identified the three pillars as necessary to address gender-based violence across the field and promote access to services for all survivors. 

OPDV identified three pillars that are essential to use as a lens when responding to gender-based violence:

• Survivor-Centered
• Trauma-Informed
• Culturally Responsive

Gender-based violence is inherently traumatic; it is both interpersonal and systemic. Systems of oppression affect how a person responds to trauma and subsequently interacts with social systems. These include law enforcement, universities, government assistance programs, hospitals, domestic violence shelters, and counseling services. People with marginalized identities are more likely to experience barriers to receiving help. 

An understanding of intersectionality reveals that gender-based violence impacts all of us and that we do not all experience it in the same way.

• Some people have unique risk factors that can lead to higher rates of victimization, such as people with disabilities and Indigenous women.
• Some are less likely to be believed when they report or be blamed for the violence they experienced, such as Black and Latina women.
• LGBTQI+ people are also disproportionately impacted by gender-based violence including domestic violence, sexual violence, and violence rooted in bigotry toward their gender identity and expression.

To understand the impact of gender-based violence and how to build systems of response, we must understand the historical significance of various kinds of trauma on survivors including:

• Interpersonal Trauma
• Collective Trauma
• Historical Trauma

Survivor-Centered

Survivors are the experts of their own lives. A survivor-centered approach gives control and power back to a survivor by prioritizing their rights, needs, and wishes. Centering the survivor in all processes (health, law, recovery, and prevention) decreases re-traumatization and further harm while promoting healing and self-determination. Academics and advocates have long promoted survivor-centered practices. This is an approach and not a model; services should be tailored to the survivor as no individuals or circumstances are the same.

OPDV defines survivor-centered as an approach that works with survivors to meet their needs as they prioritize and define them.

Trauma-Informed

Trauma affects a person holistically. Trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening and has long-lasting adverse effects on the individual's functioning and well-being.

OPDV defines a trauma-informed approach as one that realizes that trauma is common, recognizes the signs, activators, and symptoms of trauma, and uses this knowledge to inform practices, policies, and procedures.

Culturally Responsive

Survivors deserve services that respect all their identities as they define them. Our identities shape how we engage others and how we process life events. How an individual’s identities intersect will also impact the safety and wellness of individuals when they experience gender-based violence.

OPDV defines being culturally responsive as actively incorporating a holistic approach to a person’s complex identities and cultural values, going beyond simply acknowledging their cultural identity exists. Culturally responsive services respond to differences in identities to actively meet the needs of all survivors and communities.