Peace Over Violence is celebrating 50 years of social change, social service and social justice.
Building healthy relationships families and communities free from sexual, domestic and interpersonal violence.
‘70s
1971 LACAAW is founded; starts the LA Rape & Battering Hotline, the first dual SA/DV hotline in the country; first self defense classes; first government funding received;
Before 1970 if you or a loved one were sexually assaulted or a victim of domestic violence, there was nowhere to turn.
Domestic violence was accepted as normal and sexual violence was viewed as inevitable. In 1971, a group of pioneering feminists in Los Angeles organized the first hotline in the country --- that was us! At the same time, across the United States, a movement to end violence against women was born.
‘80s
Services and funding continue to increase; Patti Giggans starts at POV; Deaf Services program; self defense instructor trainings; child sexual assault prevention programming; culturally specific Latina Services program; expanded volunteer advocate training; launch Advisory Boards
Over the last fifty years, POV has served more than one million individuals and their families.
What began as that small group of women is now the longest running sexual and domestic violence hotline in history, and an innovative violence prevention and intervention center. POV is strong, with 75 staff and more than 200 volunteers.
‘90s
Production of the groundbreaking In Touch With Teens teen dating violence and healthy relationship curriculum; POV offices open in the West San Gabriel and San Fernando Valley; Deaf and Disabled programming expands; masters level internship & training program begins; This is not An Invitation to Rape Me: radical sexual assault campaign; Denim Day in LA is founded (1999)
POV has accomplished so much in the last five decades.
In addition to the first hotline, POV also was the first to incorporate teen dating violence prevention into our programming and produce a groundbreaking urban curriculum, In Touch With Teens. We were the first to offer Deaf and Disabled Services to survivors of violence. We created Denim Day, an annual sexual violence prevention education campaign that now reaches millions each year. We have impacted local, statewide and national policy to prioritize funding and expanded services for sexual assault and domestic violence.
‘00s
2006 branding and name change to Peace Over Violence; Denim Day expands to a national campaign Denim Day in LA & USA; Legal Advocacy Project launched; rape kit backlog crisis and advocacy; Sexual Assault Response Teams (SART); Domestic Abuse Response Teams (DART); Violence Prevention Specialist (VPS) Trainings; Board of Directors expands
We changed our name and developed a brand to be more inclusive and represent a forward thinking vision.
We have partnered with individuals and organizations to include and center those at the margins of our communities. And always, we remain steadfast in our support for survivors.
As much as there has been progress, there is still so much left to do… and we are not done. The question for all of us as a society is: where do we go from here?
‘10s
Denim Day goes global and reaches millions; move to new metro headquarters DTLA; opened Children & Youth Center at POV; established Trauma Recovery Center (TRC); co-created Trauma Resilience Integration Using Multiple Pathways to Healing (TRIUMPH); expansion of MSW training program; Voices Over Violence survivor speakers bureau
The future is intersectional;
to end sexual and domestic violence will require an understanding that the social issues of homelessness, mental illness, substance abuse, poverty, gun violence, and gang violence all intersect and connect and that the traumas of sexual and domestic violence are root causes for every one of these issues.
From our humble beginnings to our complex existence, we remain committed to growth and innovation. We are constantly expanding and adapting to meet the ever changing needs of the communities we serve and to participate in the necessary solutions.
Where does POV go after 50 years? We can’t go anywhere without you.
Your support will set the agenda for the next decades to come: an agenda of healing, violence prevention, social transformation, family resiliency, community building --- and more peace over violence.
WAYS TO ENGAGE
Share a 50th anniversary message!
Send us a message! Tell us, what does POV mean to you? Do you have a favorite story or memory? AND after 50 years… where do we go from here? We want to hear from you! To tell us, just hit the “Record a video” button below.
Where are they now?
Highlighting individuals or groups that have impacted our work over the last 50 years.
Decades Over Violence
