The Georgia Violence Against Women program envisions a culture free of violence. The program provides leadership and resources to communities to implement prevention education and crisis services. These activities are designed to promote a shift in cultural norms in an effort to increase knowledge and change the attitudes of Georgia's citizens regarding violence against women. Violence against women is a major public health problem for Georgia women. The Sourcebook for Criminal Justice Statistics, 2001, ranked Georgia 19 out of 51, based on the rates of violent crime, which included forcible rape, aggravated assault, murder and non-negligent manslaughter, and robbery. In fact, according to the Cost of Intimate Violence Report by CDC, the costs of intimate partner assault, rape and stalking is estimated to exceed $5.8 billion each year.

Goals

• To promote a shift in cultural norms to change the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of Georgia's citizens regarding gender, relationships, sex, and violence.
• To create an environment of respect and equality to foster healthy relationships.
• To establish a comprehensive, community-based system designed to address the issues of sexual assault and other acts of violence.
• To establish a system to facilitate the continuous quality improvement of sexual assault prevention and crisis programs.