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Gender Based Violence is a Public Health Issue
Gender Based Violence (GBV) is a serious violation of human rights and a life-threatening public health and safety issue. Individuals of all backgrounds experience GBV at any time and in any place. Factors like housing insecurity, poverty, systemic racism, gender inequality, and limited access to education, health care, or supportive services can increase the risk of GBV. These conditions often reinforce power imbalances, particularly for women, girls, LGBTQ+ people, and communities of color. In a globalized and digital world, GBV can also transcend borders through online exploitation, trafficking, and violence.
LA County Board of Supervisors defines GBV as violent acts or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten due to a person’s identified or perceived gender or sexual identity. GBV is an umbrella term that includes, but is not limited to: domestic violence, intimate partner violence, gendered cyber abuse, sexual harassment, sexual assault and exploitation, trafficking, homophobic and transphobic abuse.1
The Department of Public Health’s Office of Violence Prevention is committed to reducing the risk of Gender Based Violence by: 1) investing in community-driven, and survivor-informed prevention strategies, 2) increasing education and awareness about the various forms of gender based violence including intimate partner violence, sexual assault, trafficking and other forms of GBV, 3) strengthening coordination and collaboration across county departments and with community partners, 4) supporting a justice and trauma-informed approach to promote safety and healing, and 5) advancing policy, practice and system change that address the root causes of violence and promote equity.
On December 5, 2023, the Board of Supervisors (Board) adopted a motion by Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, Prioritizing GBV Prevention in Los Angeles County, which directed the Department of Public Health to develop recommendations for improved coordination and integration of Gender Based Violence, and needed resources and funding. In Public Health’s report, it outlined three key recommendations which included:
Improve research and data collection about the nature and scope of GBV victimization and perpetration. Support innovative ways to collect GBV data in a consistent, confidential and trauma informed manner and to share this information more broadly across communities.
Increase support for GBV prevention strategies that are proven, adaptable to local contexts, trauma informed, culturally responsive and survivor centered.
Strengthen interagency coordination and support for trauma informed accessible and culturally responsive services to GBV survivors.
In a follow up motion, Establishing a Gender Based Violence Work Group (Horvath), adopted on January 23, 2024, the Board instructed the development of a Countywide definition for GBV and a plan to operationalize the work of GBV including a countywide definition of GBV and a call for ongoing Gender Based Violence Prevention Policy Deputies Meetings.
In October 2024, OVP received staffing and funding to implement the GBV Prevention Initiative and established monthly meetings of the GBV Prevention Policy Deputies to maintain high-level coordination and provide county-wide oversight and accountability. Policy Deputies advocate for state and national policy to address Gender Based Violence and these meetings create a forum to inform the work and ensure coordination at the local level.
OVP coordinates GBV prevention work in collaboration with various county departments and community partners. This work is guided by primary prevention strategies that focusing on preventing unhealthy and unsafe behaviors before they occur, and providing resources and support to the whole population, regardless of level of risk.
Prevention strategies are grounded in an equity framework that acknowledges how historical oppression, racism, and systemic discrimination created disparities in access to safety and opportunity. OVP aims to support communities and individuals disproportionately impacted by violence rooted in systemic injustice by supporting programs and policies that address root causes and advance equity.
OVP's Gender Based Violence Prevention Initiative
OVP coordinates GBV prevention work in collaboration with various county departments and community partners. This work is guided by primary prevention strategies that focusing on preventing unhealthy and unsafe behaviors before they occur, and providing resources and support to the whole population, regardless of level of risk.
Prevention strategies are grounded in an equity framework that acknowledges how historical oppression, racism, and systemic discrimination created disparities in access to safety and opportunity. OVP aims to support communities and individuals disproportionately impacted by violence rooted in systemic injustice by supporting programs and policies that address root causes and advance equity.
OVP structures the work by focusing on the following areas:
Strategy 1. Investing in evidence-based community driven and survivor informed prevention strategies.
Strategy 2. Increasing education and awareness about GBV, resources and programs through countywide prevention campaigns and messaging.
Strategy 3. Strengthening coordination and collaboration across county departments and between county and community partners, to increase access to services, better leverage resources.
Strategy 4. Advancing policy, practice and system change.
Strategy 5. Improving data collection and sharing.
The outcomes of the primary prevention strategies will be tracked and publicly shared through OVP’s open data portal. This includes data on multiple types of violence broken down by gender and other demographics. Specific dashboards will focus on intimate partner violence and sexual assaults.
GBV Prevention Community Grants
In fiscal year 2025-2026, OVP invested more than $2 million in community-based grants to support GBV prevention programs in four categories: Healthy Relationship Education and Training, Engaging Men and Boys, LGBTQ+ Youth Leaders, and Economic Empowerment for Women and Girls. Grantees demonstrated capacity to prevent violence, increase awareness, build community leadership, and expand access to culturally responsive services. Below are descriptions of each focus area and the selected grantees.
Healthy Relationship Education and Training:Teaching teens about healthy dating behaviors is one of the most effective ways to prevent GBV before it begins. Early education on boundaries, communication, and respect helps interrupt patterns of power and control that often escalate later in life. Through classroom-based programs, youth will learn how to recognize sexual harassment, coercion, and dating violence; build skills in emotional regulation and effective communication; and practice bystander intervention. Programs may also address topics such as gender roles, consent, social media safety, and navigating peer pressure. By fostering self-awareness, critical thinking, and relationship skills during adolescence, this investment aims to build a generation that is empowered to choose safety, respect, and mutual care in their personal lives.
Engaging Men and Boys: Preventing GBV requires more than supporting survivors, it also means engaging those in a position to interrupt harm. Engaging men and boys to examine positive gender norms about masculinity and learn skills to promote heathy interpersonal interactions can help to reduce GBV. Through mentoring, workshops, and healing spaces, men and boys learn to accept personal accountability to foster safety and respect in their families and communities. This approach challenges the harmful narrative that people who cause harm are irredeemable, instead offering a pathway toward transformation and cultural change rooted in empathy, growth, and responsibility.
LGBTQ+ Youth Leaders: LGBTQ+ individual are 9 times more likely than non-LGBTQ+ people to be victims of violent hate crimes. This investment responds to the sharp increase of targeted institutional harm by engaging a diverse cohort of transitional-aged LGBTQ+ youth (ages 17-24) in leadership, research, and advocacy. Participants will identify resource gaps and propose specific and actionable recommendations for reducing GBV in the LGBTQ+ community. By engaging LGBTQ+ peers, we are empowering those with lived experiences to take leadership in addressing GBV.
Economic Empowerment for Women and Girls: Economic insecurity is a significant risk factor for women and girls, often leading individuals to choose between physical safety and basic needs like food, shelter, or income . This initiative is designed with the goal of reducing vulnerability to abuse, building self-esteem and self-assurance, and to stimulate interest in exploring avenues that lead to future economic security. Training and skills building covers how to connect realistic expectations to the outcome of various financial and life choices and their impact on personal stability, increasing financial literacy, budgeting, long-range planning, and nurturing economic empowerment in girls. This investment centers economic empowerment as a protective factor, building resilience and reducing vulnerability to abuse, and establishing long-term economic stability for families.
Our partners include a range of County Departments and community partners including:
Coordinating with OVP’s Sexual Assault Council, the Office of Women’s Health, and the Domestic Violence Council on issues of sexual violence, human trafficking, and domestic violence.
Partnering with various commissions within the Chief Executive Office Department including but not limited to the LGBTQ+ Commission, LA County Commission for Women, Human Relations Commission (HRC), Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative (ARDI), and the Prevention and Promotion Systems Governing Committee (PPSGC ) to promote policy and advocacy within the local community, county, and state levels of government.
Coordinate targeted prevention trainings with Department of Mental Health to provide strengthen suicide prevention efforts in youth-serving spaces.
We aim to partner with local community-based organizations to better understand GBV prevention work and resources at the local level. We also hope to expand our outreach to enlist new partners including academia, philanthropy, and individuals with lived experience.
For more information or to participate in GBV Meetings, contact OVP at 626-293-2610 or email ovp@ph.lacounty.gov
Get Help Now
Need help now? If you or someone you know is experiencing Gender Based Violence, help is available. Please use the resources below to find support, safety, and services.
Sexual Assault Resoponse Teams (SARTs)
SARTs are local service providers that specialize in comprehensive services including, but not limited to, immediate medical care and advocacy for sexual assault survivors. They often offer immediate crisis response as well as ongoing treatment and recovery support at a low cost.
Domestic Violence Shelters
Domestic violence shelters offer comprehensive services meant to aid and empower survivors of past and ongoing domestic violence through crisis response, as well as ongoing recovery treatment. They offer a wide range of aid, including legal and financial services, emergency services, children’s services, and housing services.
Should I go to a DV shelter or a SART?
Gender based violence takes many forms, which often overlap. Generally, DV shelters have housing services, but it is important to call a shelter first to ensure they have space. SARTs tend to investigative services, often involving law enforcement, and mental health counseling.
When should I go to the police?
Going to the police as a survivor is an individual's choice. In some instances, police can provide transportation to SARTs, where they can conduct a forensic exam sometimes leading to an arrest. Of course, the police are trained differently than counselors and advocates, so treatment will not necessarily be healing-centered.
Anti-Trafficking Resources
Human trafficking is the illegal transportation and coercion of human beings with the intent of profiting off their sexual exploitation or labor. Anti-trafficking organizations offer emergency, transitional, and long term services to survivors of human trafficking. Through the National Human Trafficking Hotline's Referral Directory, you can enter your location and find local resources, shelters, and programs that will assist survivors of human trafficking.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department defines a hate crime as criminal acts directed towards someone for their perceived or real identity. Individuals or groups are often targeted on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability. Below are county resources to address and counteract hate crimes, as well as community and cultural resources to strengthen groups vulnerable to hate crimes.
Report a hate crime or incedent: LA vs. Hate is a community-centered reporting and support system led by the LA County Commission on Human Relations to address, challenge, and heal from hate in all its forms.
Los Angeles County resources LGBTQ+ communities The LGBTQ+ Commission provides links to local services, including law enforcement contacts, 211 information, and health and social services for LGBTQ+ residents.
The LA County Department of Health Services offers resources for the LGBTQ+ Community including medical resources, LGBTQ Centers, Queer Law Centers, and different support groups and campaigns.
Resources for indigenous communities:The Native American Indian Commission offers a curated list of educational, community, and social service resources tailored for Indigenous communities in LA County.
Hotlines are phone lines often set up to respond to crisis situations. They can provide resources, deescalation, and support to callers or texters in a variety of emergency situations. When calling these hotlines, please take precautions to protect your privacy and ensure you are in a secure, private location.
National Domestic Violence Hotline Call 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or text 88788. The National Domestic Violence Hotline provides 24/7 free access a live advocate through phone call or texts in English, Spanish, and 200+ languages through interpretation services.
LA County Domestic Violence Hotline Call 1-800-978-3600. The LA County Domestic Violence Hotline is confidential and operates 24/7.
National Deaf Domestic Violence Hotline Video call 1-855-812-1001. The National Deaf Domestic Violence Hotline provides an ASL accessible resource through which deaf people can speak to a culturally-informed advocate to receive 24/7 confidential support.
National Human Trafficking Hotline Call 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733. If you have information about a trafficking situation use one of these hotlines to contact a live advocate through phone, text, or chat online: humantraffickinghotline.org/chat. Advocates are mandated reporters and reserve the right to report information about endangered minors or any personally identifiable information shared.
Sexual Assault Hotline Call 1-800-656-4673. The Sexual Assault Hotline provides 24/7 free, confidential access a live advocate, support, and resources through phone call or texts in English and Spanish.
StrongHearts Native Helpline Call 1-844-762-8483. StrongHearts provides confidential 24/7 support regarding domestic and sexual violence against Indigenous people.
The Trevor Project Call 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678678. The Trevor Project offers free, confidential support to LGBTQ youth (13-24). Calling, texting, or using a computer chat tool to connect to The Trevor Project's services will connect you with a counselor trained in LGBTQ-specific crisis intervention and suicide prevention.
The LGBT National Hotline Call 1-888-843-4564. LGBT National Help Center offers multiple phone numbers that connect callers to LGBTQIA+ volunteers to talk about queer issues. It operates from Mon-Fri from 11AM - 8PM and Sat from 9AM - 2PM.
LGBT National Youth Talkine: 1-800-246-7743
LGBT National Senior Hotline: 1-888-234-7243
LGBT National Coming Out Support Hotline: 1-888-688-5428 (OUT-LGBT)
Trans Lifeline Call 1-877-565-8860. Trans Lifeline's Hotline offers confidential peer support run by trans people in English and Spanish. It operates Mon-Fri from 10AM - 6PM.
1. Motion by Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath. (July 23, 2024). Gender Based Violence Prevention Initiative. https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/bos/supdocs/193531.pdf
