Students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison volunteering with PAVE (Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment) are hosting a number of events to honor October for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. PAVE dedicates itself to preventing sexual assault and dating and domestic violence through campus education and activism, challenging the cultural norms and attitudes that encourage sexual abuse.

Since its establishment in 2001, PAVE has hosted a multitude of events promoting safety within relationships. This month, PAVE will host inspirational speaker Wambui Bahati to perform a piece that depicts characters of men and women involved in domestic violence. PAVE will also hold a discussion panel dedicated to deciphering the components of healthy relationships.

Though PAVE aims to educate, it is not a counseling service, and its website recommends a local domestic violence shelter in the event of an actual sex crime.

PAVE’s relevance to college campuses are reflected in figures from the U.S. Department of Justice 2003 that show that 21 percent of college relationships result in abuse. These numbers only reflect the reported crimes, and research shows that only one-quarter of all domestic violence incidents are reported to the police.

In February, PAVE is hosting a National Conference in Dallas on Prevention of Violence  and Abuse in Relationships Across the Lifespan.


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