The research and evaluation (R & E) initiative is authorized by 34 USC 12291(B)(7), which permits OVW to set aside up to three percent of available funds from most OVW programs to conduct…

The Department of Justice Offices Boards and Divisions Office on Violence Against Women awarded a $449,957 project grant to the University of Illinois under the OVW Research and Evaluation Program (CFDA 16.026). The grant will support the development and evaluation of a gender-based violence capability within the university's existing student smartphone application. Through an iterative design process informed by trauma-informed principles and student input, the awardee will embed tools, self-assessments, reporting options, and campus/community resources related to gender-based violence into the application. A randomized controlled trial will examine how this new capability impacts perceived empowerment, safety strategies, knowledge of assistance, and help-seeking behaviors. The project aims to foster safety planning and empower students responding to or reporting gender-based violence. Outcomes may inform promising practices for supporting survivors of domestic/dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking on college campuses.

The research and evaluation (R & E) initiative is authorized by 34 USC 12291(B)(7), which permits OVW to set aside up to three percent of available funds from most OVW programs to conduct evaluations of promising practices for combatting domestic/dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and to research problems emerging in the field. By generating more knowledge about strategies for serving victims and holding offenders accountable, communities that benefit from violence against women act (VAWA) funding will be better equipped to align their work with practices that are known to be effective, and they will be more capable of building empirical knowledge on the efficacy of new and promising ways of making communities safer and more just. Grounded in trauma-informed principles, this project with the university of illinois will involve an iterative, user-centered design process to develop and then embed information and tailored resources related to gender-based violence (GBV) within a smartphone application that students already use to navigate campus life (the illinois APP). A diverse student group will inform the development of the new GBV capability for the APP, which will include tools and self-assessments for safety planning, options for where and how to report, campus and community resources, and information on events that are likely to ensue after choosing to report. A randomized controlled trial will examine the degree to which this GBV capability fosters perceived empowerment, safety strategies, and knowledge of resources and help-seeking and reporting behaviors.