The California Department of Public Health (CDPH), Injury and Violence Prevention Branch (IVPB) is proud to release a new resource titled, “Opportunities to Empower and Support Girls and Women in California: An Environmental Scan of Leadership Opportunities and Economic Supports to Prevent Sexual Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, and Teen Dating Violence.” The IVPB addresses root causes of violence and applies an upstream approach to violence prevention. There is a strategic interest in exploring innovative approaches to violence prevention, and one such approach identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is providing economic supports and leadership opportunities for girls and women. This report uses an environmental scan methodology to understand the following inter-related issues: 1) Context of Gender Equity in California; 2) Challenges Facing Girls and Women; and 3) Economic Supports & Leadership Opportunities. The environmental scan represents an initial exploration of the ways leadership opportunities and economic supports can serve as primary prevention strategies for girls and women to prevent violence.

We appreciate our partnership with the Institute for Social Research at Sacramento State University who prepared this report and the organizations and community members who offered their time and expertise to help inform the development of this report.

A copy of this report is can be fond below. An accessible document will be posted in the future on the Rape Prevention and Education Program website.