Simply put, primary prevention of domestic violence, sexual violence, or elder abuse is defined as preventing violence before it happens.
Primary prevention is deep social change work that dismantles the harmful norms, systems, and structures of our society and culture, and replaces them with positive, healthy ones instead.
Ending domestic and sexual violence, elder abuse, and all forms of harm requires us to confront and dismantle every system of oppression, including racism, ableism, ageism, and heterosexism. At Vera House, we know these forms of injustice are deeply connected. To create a world free from violence and abuse, we must work together to end all forms of inequity.
Vera House’s vision is “A world free of violence and abuse.” Achieving this vision is impossible if we do not focus on primary prevention. Actions such as sheltering people, having the criminal justice system respond, or referring to intervention services such as Adult Protective Services are all responses that take place after someone has already been hurt or harmed.
Primary prevention seeks to reduce the likelihood that someone will become a victim or perpetrator of domestic violence, sexual violence, or elder abuse. While anyone can commit or experience domestic or sexual violence, we know that there are factors that increase the risk of perpetration or victimization (risk factors), and factors that decrease risk (protective factors). So, when engaging in primary prevention work, we do things that lessen risk factors and increase protective factors.
Vera House is committed to ensuring our programs and services are welcoming to everyone. If you need assistance to ensure our services meet your needs, please call us at 315-425-0818 or click HERE to send an e-mail.