"Having courage does not mean that we are unafraid. Having courage and showing courage means we face our fears.”   - Maya Angelou Staying Safe During Quarantine While Living with Perpetrator/Abuser Create or update your current safety plan. Given that most businesses...

With the “Stay Home” orders for Fort Bend and Harris counties, people who are surviving violence in their relationships and families are experiencing even greater isolation and danger. If you are experiencing domestic violence, you are not alone. One in four women...

We know health, economic, and natural crises can add to the pressures facing survivors of domestic violence. People who are surviving violence in their relationships and families may be experiencing increased isolation and danger due to the current outbreak of...

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Dating violence is a pattern of abusive behaviors used to exert power and control over a dating partner. Teens can prevent dating abuse before it starts and intervene when friends need help. One in three girls in the...

Most parents don’t realize how common teen dating abuse is. One in three teens in the U.S. will experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse by someone they are in a relationship with before they become adults. Nearly half (43%) of college women report experiencing...

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. One in four women and one seven in men experience domestic violence in this country. Unfortunately, reports of family violence are on the rise in Houston. The Houston Police Department reported that in 2018, domestic...

In recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we wanted to share the facts on sexual assault as a form of domestic violence. Perpetrators who are physically violent toward their intimate partners are often sexually abusive as well. Intimate partner sexual assault...

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM), a national effort to raise awareness about abuse in teen and 20-something relationships and promote programs that prevent it. Locally, AVDA (Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse) works with schools, programs for...

In November of 2015, Andrea Thibodeaux came to AVDA seeking legal custody of her then two-year-old granddaughter, Audrey. Several months earlier, Audrey’s father had brutally murdered Audrey’s mother. Audrey’s mother had tried to protect herself and her daughter by...

  AVDA’s Legal Advocacy Program provides free legal representation in family law matters to victims of domestic violence in Harris and Fort Bend County courts. We have attorneys who are dedicated to obtaining protective orders, and others...