Who We Are

The Domestic Violence Action Research Collective (DVARC), is a multidisciplinary group of DC-based researchers and practitioners committed to building an empirical evidence base, generated through collaborative inquiry and shared capacity building, to strengthen services available to survivors of domestic violence in the District of Columbia.

We aim to design and conduct community-based research and evaluation studies that will enhance individual and community safety, build survivors’ power, and support policy and practice action efforts that improve services to survivors of violence.

Our mission is generate and implement high-impact, survivor- and community-centered research and evaluation projects that build survivors’ power, increase survivor-responsive care within systems, and enhance individual and community safety. We seek to increase access to empirical knowledge by serving as a resource hub to DC-based practitioners, survivors, and policy makers. DVARC includes lawyers, social scientists, and policy advocates from universities across the city, and the DCCADV, which lifts up the voices of DV advocates and survivors in Washington, DC.

Our Values

A Survivor-Center Approach

DVARC conducts research to illuminate the experiences of survivors of domestic violence. We use our research to identify obstacles and challenges survivors face in interacting with systems and obtaining services, as well as to advance practical improvements and solutions. DVARC’s participatory research approach honors each survivor’s unique situation, welcomes the whole person, and adheres to federal and local confidentiality protections.

A Commitment to Social Justice

DVARC is committed to conducting research that is grounded in and promotes anti-oppressive values and approaches such as survivor equity, dignity, and autonomy. We leverage our individual and collective privileges to produce research designed to increase equality for all survivors as they seek access to resources, opportunities, and justice.

Work that Is Interdisciplinary and Collaborative

DVARC thrives because of the diverse expertise of its members. We strive to engage a variety of systems and community partners to inform our work. We believe that the professional and personal diversity of our collaboration enhances our research and recommendations.