Domestic Violence Collaboration in Montgomery County celebrates One Year

October is the National Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), a month devoted to raising awareness for domestic violence and breaking the silence for victims. In Montgomery County, the DVAM is highlighted by completing the first year of the pilot program between the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office (MCDAO) and the Montgomery County Women’s Center (MCWC). Collectively called the “Domestic Violence Collaboration for Outreach & Advocacy Program” (DV-COAP), the program is designed to assist both the District Attorney’s Office and the Women’s Center with their missions to stop domestic violence and provide support for domestic violence victims.

Through this partnership, the MCWC is providing an Employee/Advocate to be assigned to the District Attorney’s Office in their Family Violence Division. The Women’s Center Advocate assists investigators and prosecutors in reaching victims within 24 to 48 hours of the domestic violence related incident. The Advocate conducts critical risk assessments with victims and will provide information about various resources and programs that are available for domestic violence victims. Ultimately, this program seeks to remove victim from the cycle of domestic violence with an eye toward a safe and stable environment for the victim and prosecution of the alleged perpetrator. The DV-COAP is the first of its kind in Montgomery County, Texas.

1 in 3 Texas women will experience domestic violence and more than 100 women are killed by a male intimate partner in Texas. These numbers are daunting, but it is necessary for every Texan to be aware of the prevalence of this danger in our community. This knowledge enables us to predict the presence of danger and work towards prevention.

District Attorney Employees will be wearing purple ribbons throughout the month and will participate in several in house programs aimed at honoring victims of this crime and training personnel on more effective prosecution. In addition, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office will be partnering with community stakeholders for the 2nd annual “Walk a Mile” for Domestic Violence Awareness on October 20, 2017.

The Texas Council on Family Violence has provided resources to use your social media account to increase awareness at https://tcfv.org/get-involved/go-purple-toolkit/#Social. Join the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office at the walk and/or on social media to increase awareness and supporting victims of Domestic Violence.

Here are the numbers of Assault–Family Violence cases filed over the last four years in Montgomery County:

Brett Ligon, District Attorney, shared “Our office is committed to the successful investigation and prosecution of domestic and family violence cases. We know to do this effectively, we need the assistance of local partners and community groups. During this past year, we have had great success with our DV-COAP partnership with the Montgomery County Women’s Center. We are excited to continue the great work and we know that lives are being saved through these efforts.”

Upcoming Events

October 19th, 2017– Go purple day. Wear purple!

October 20th, 2017– 12:00pm “Walk a Mile” Domestic Violence Awareness Walk (Meeting Location – First Baptist Church Parking Lot, Conroe, Texas)

Domestic Violence Display:   In the MCDAO 2nd floor lobby, we will display T-Shirts that were designed by victims of Domestic Violence and our office employees.

Ribbons: MCDAO employees are wearing purple ribbons all this month and have affixed purple ribbons to the light poles around downtown Conroe and Montgomery County.

Links to Resources:

www.mctxdao.org                                   www.mcwctx.org                                                https://tcfv.org/

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