injury and violence prevention (ivp) Branch

Domestic Violence Prevention (DVP) Program

The California Department of Public Health does not provide direct services for victims of domestic violence. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If you are being abused, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.

New! Request for Application (RFA) Announcement:
RFA #25-10031, Local Training and Education Program for the Prevention of Domestic Violence

Mission

To prevent and reduce Domestic Violence (DV) by accelerating the adoption, implementation, and impact of policy, system, and environmental (PSE) change strategies within California communities.

Program Description

The DVP Program focuses on preventing DV, also known as intimate partner violence (IPV), and other forms of interpersonal violence before they occur. IPV is abuse or aggression that occurs in a romantic relationship.[1] An intimate partner can be a current or former spouse(s) and dating partner(s).[1] IPV can vary in how often it occurs and how severe it is. It can range from one episode of violence to chronic or severe episodes over years.[1]

By implementing evidence-based prevention strategies, the DVP Program seeks to reduce the risk factors that contribute to violence while strengthening protective factors that can promote resilience in individuals and communities. The DVP program addresses the shared root causes of violence, recognizing that multiple forms of violence are interconnected and often occur within families, communities, and across different stages of life to sustain prevention efforts over time and achieve an impact on California as a whole.[2]

National and State Level Data

IPV affects millions of people in the United States each year1, yet current data are limited, and incidents are underreported.[3]   The 2023 California Violence Experiences Survey (CalVEX) indicates that nearly half of California adults (44%) have experienced IPV in their lifetime.[3] Meanwhile, DV-related incidents reported to law enforcement have declined since 2001. In 2024, there were 163,024 DV-related calls made to law enforcement in California, at a rate of 6.2 calls per 1,000 California adults. The rate has declined by nearly a third compared to 2001, with a rate of 8.8 calls per 1,000 adults and a total of 198,031 calls.[4,5]

Notable data sources include:

United States	California
National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS)[6]	See national report page for the state report
National Domestic Violence Counts[7]	See national annual report page for state-level summaries
National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS)[8]	California Violent Death Reporting System (CalVDRS)
--	California Violent Experiences Survey (CalVEX)
--	California Department of Justice (DOJ) Domestic Violence-Related Calls for Assistance

References

[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2024, May 16). About Intimate Partner Violence. Intimate Partner Violence Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/intimate-partner-violence/about/index.html

[2] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, April 9). About Violence Prevention. Violence Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/violence-prevention/about/index.html

[3] Anita Raj, Nicole Johns, Jennifer Yore, Kalysha Closson, Gennifer Kully, Jakana Thomas. California Violence Experiences Survey (CalVEX) 2023. September 2023. Center on Gender Equity and Health, University of California San Diego and Newcomb Institute, Tulane University.

[4] California Department of Justice Criminal Justice Statistics Center, Domestic Violence-Related Calls for Assistance. https://openjustice.doj.ca.gov/exploration/crime-statistics/domestic-violence-related-calls-assistance

[5] California Department of Finance, Population Estimates: Race/Hispanics Population with Age and Gender Detail, 2000–2010 and Projections: (Baseline 2023), Vintage 2025 (2025.04.25) P-2B: County Population by Age. https://dof.ca.gov/forecasting/demographics/

[6] CDC. (2024, April 9). About The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS). National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS). https://www.cdc.gov/nisvs/about/index.html

[7] Domestic Violence Counts Archives. (n.d.). NNEDV. https://nnedv.org/about-us/dv-counts-census/

[8] CDC. (2024). About The National Violent Death Reporting System. National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). https://www.cdc.gov/nvdrs/about/index.html