Gender-Based Violence State Brief

Colorado

All data in this brief are specific to the state of Colorado.

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KNOW YOUR NUMBERS

Sexual Violence (SV)

53% of women and 20% of men have experienced rape, sexual coercion, or unwanted sexual contact in their lifetime. There are over 1.6 million survivors in Colorado alone (NISVS, 2023/2024).

42% of women and 16% of men first experienced sexual violence when they were under the age of 18 (NISVS, 2016/2017).

18% of female high school students experienced sexual violence in the past year (YRBS, 2021).

27% of gay, lesbian, or bisexual high school students experienced sexual violence in the past year (YRBS, 2021).

29%

29% of women have experienced completed or attempted rape in their lifetime (NISVS, 2023/2024).

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

35% of women and 24% of men have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. There are over 1.3 million survivors of IPV in Colorado alone (NISVS, 2023/2024).

15% of women and 7% of men first experienced IPV when they were under the age of 18 (NISVS, 2016/2017).

2.6% of postpartum women experienced IPV in the 12 months before pregnancy. 1.9% experienced IPV during their pregnancy (PRAMS, 2022).

11% of female high school students experienced physical dating violence in the past year. (YRBS, 2021).

20% of gay, lesbian, or bisexual high school students experienced physical dating violence in the past year (YRBS, 2021).

31%

31% of women have experienced at least one IPV-related impact* in their lifetime. Prevalence for men was not available for Colorado (NISVS, 2023/2024).

INTIMATE PARTNER HOMICIDE

Between 2019 and 2023, 146 Colorado women were killed by their intimate partners. The rate of intimate partner homicide was more than 2 times higher for Black women (2.65 per 100,000 women) than white women (1.14 per 100,000 women).

Stalking

Over 1 in 5 women has experienced stalking in their lifetime (NISVS, 2023/2024).

Human Trafficking

Between December 2024 and December 2025, there were 94 victims of commercial sex trafficking identified through police records.

In 2024, the Human Trafficking Hotline received calls identifying 318 victims of human trafficking (either sex or forced labor trafficking).

Sexual violence, domestic violence, stalking, and human trafficking remain among the most underreported crimes globally.

Today's Key Priorities in GBV Prevention and Response

The first U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence was released in 2023, informed by a comprehensive, national process that engaged survivors, advocates, and other stakeholders. This policy overview is organized around selected National Plan priority areas, with a brief summary describing policies responsive to GBV prevention or survivor support.

  • GBV responsive
  • Some elements GBV responsive
  • Not GBV responsive

Priority Area 1: Prevention

DV training for healthcare workers is not required, but is encouraged by state policy (2019).

State law requires or encourages training for prevention of human trafficking among specified professions or in specific locations (2024). Required for commercial drivers licensing.

State law encourages but does not require child sexual abuse (CSA) education to students or school staff (2025). Encouraged for both K-12 students and staff.

Priority Area 2: Survivor Support, Safety, and Well-being

Colorado has 46 Domestic Violence Service Providers (2025).

State policy protects survivors of IPV from insurance discrimination for health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and property insurance (2019).

Priority Area 3a: Housing Stability

State law allows for court/protection orders to remove abusive partners and other violent perpetrators from a shared home (2024).

State law allows for early lease termination for IPV, SV, or stalking survivors with protections from financial penalty (2024). Evidence requirements may differ by state. See state policy for details.

Landlords are not legally required to change locks for individuals experiencing GBV (2024).

State law prohibits landlords from evicting survivors due to the GBV they experienced (2024).

State officials conduct an annual point-in-time count to estimate the number of unhoused individuals in each state and locality.

In a single night, there were 2,193 unhoused IPV survivors counted in Colorado (2025).

Priority Area 3b: Economic Security

As of 2023, the criminal definition of domestic violence does not include elements of economic coercion or abuse.

State law allows survivors to take leave from employment due to the consequences of abuse (2025).

GBV survivors are not legally protected against employer discrimination or retaliation based on their status as a survivor (2025).

State law allows survivors who must leave or quit work due to domestic violence or harassment to remain eligible for unemployment benefits (2025). The claimant may need to show proof of violence or harassment to qualify.

Economic insecurity is both a risk factor for and a consequence of GBV victimization. Some women in Colorado are more likely to face economic insecurity than others.

In Colorado (2024), among full-time, year-round workers, for every $1 a white man makes, a white non-Hispanic woman makes $0.81, a Black woman makes $0.60, an Indigenous woman makes $0.59, and a Latina woman makes $0.57.

Priority Area 4: Online Safety & Security

As of 2024, the criminal definition of stalking is inclusive of online tactics (cyberstalking). Because the law does not specify particular tactics, it is inclusive of any tactic used.

State law criminalizes AI-generated Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM) as part of definition of CSAM (2025).

Additional state online safety laws prohibit internet luring/sexual exploitation of a child, posting a private image for harassment/pecuniary gain, and electronic invasions of privacy including wiretapping (2025). As of 2026, all U.S. states have criminalized nonconsensual distribution of intimate images.

Priority Area 5: Legal and Justice Systems

Survivors of GBV can file for protective orders against stalking, including cyberstalking (2025). Survivors of stalking, regardless of their relationship to the perpetrator, can file for protective orders, no-contact orders, or civil injunctions.

State policy mandates the establishment of a Domestic Violence Fatality Review team (2019).

Access to Guns

State law includes an extreme risk/red flag gun law allowing courts to temporarily limit an individual from purchasing or possessing firearms (2026).

As of 2026, no state law addresses the “boyfriend loophole” in IPV-related firearm restriction/ relinquishment (i.e., dating partners may be excluded from enforcement) (2026).

Rape Kit Policy

State policy requires existence of a Rape Kit Tracking System (2026).

State policy establishes or encourages some deadlines regarding submission or testing of newly submitted rape kits (2026). See state policy for details.

State policy establishes a Victims’ Right to Know for rape kit progress (2026). Survivors have the right to information, upon request, of the location and results of their kit.

Sources

  1. CDC. (2025). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2023/2024 Sexual violence data brief [PDF]. https://www.cdc.gov/nisvs/media/pdfs/sexualviolence-brief.pdf. Retrieved Jan 12, 2026.
  2. CDC. (2023). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2016–2017 state report [PDF]. https://www.cdc.gov/nisvs/documentation/NISVS-2016-2017-State-Report-508.pdf. Retrieved Feb 18, 2026.
  3. CDC. (2023). Youth Risk Behavior Survey data explorer. https://yrbs-explorer.services.cdc.gov/#/. Retrieved Feb 17, 2026.
  4. CDC. (2026). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: Intimate partner violence data brief [PDF]. https://www.cdc.gov/nisvs/media/ pdfs/intimatepartnerviolence-brief.pdf. Retrieved Mar 2, 2026.
  5. CDC. (2022). Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) dataset: Maternal and Child Health indicators by site. https://www.cdc.gov/prams/ php/data-research/mch-indicators-by-site.html. Retrieved Feb 25, 2026.
  6. CDC. (2019-2023). WISQARS National Violent Death Reporting System report: Intimate partner violence, women ages 15–85+, 2019–2023. https://wisqars. cdc.gov/. Retrieved Apr 16, 2026.
  7. CDC. (2025). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2023/2024 Stalking data brief [PDF]. https://www.cdc.gov/nisvs/media/pdfs/ stalking-brief.pdf. Retrieved Jan 12, 2026.
  8. Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2024–2025). Crime Data Explorer. https://cde.ucr.cjis.gov/LATEST/webapp/#/pages/home. Retrieved Apr 15, 2026.
  9. National Human Trafficking Hotline (2024). https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/statistics. Retrieved Feb 21, 2026.
  10. The White House. (2023). U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence: Strategies for Action. https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/ uploads/2023/05/National-Plan-to-End-GBV.pdf. May 2023.
  11. Futures Without Violence. (2019). Compendium of state and U.S. territory statutes and policies on domestic violence and health care (4th ed.) [PDF]. https://store.futureswithoutviolence.org/product/us-state-and-territory-compendium/. Retrieved Mar 5, 2026. Colorado law: (C.R.S. §§ 26-7.5-101 and 26-7.5-103); (COLO. REV. STAT. ANN. § 10-3-1104.8); (C.R.S. 24-31-702).
  12. U.S. Department of Transportation. (2024). Compendium of transport-specific human trafficking state and territory laws: A resource guide (2nd ed.) [PDF]. Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking initiative. https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2024-07/USDOT%20TLAHT%20HT%20 Laws%20Compendium%20-%202024%20Edition_0.pdf. Retrieved Feb 24, 2026. Colorado Law: (CDL; § 42-2-403).
  13. Enough Abuse. (2025). State Laws Mandating or Allowing Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Education in Schools. https://enoughabuse.org/get-vocal/laws-by-state/prevention-education/. Retrieved June 1, 2026. Colorado law: (SB15-020 (2015)).
  14. National Network to End Domestic Violence. (2025). Domestic Violence Counts: 20th annual report. https://nnedv.org/content/domestic-violence-counts-20th-annual-report/. Retrieved Jun 17, 2026.
  15. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2024). CoC homeless populations and subpopulations reports. https://www.hudexchange.info/ programs/coc/coc-homeless-populations-and-subpopulations-reports/. Retrieved Jan 23, 2026.
  16. National Housing Law Project. (2024). Housing rights of domestic violence and sexual assault survivors: A state and local law compendium [PDF]. https:// www.nhlp.org/wp-content/uploads/2024-NHLP-Compendium-of-Housing-Rights-for-DVS.pdf. Retrieved Feb 16, 2026. Colorado law: (Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13-14-105); (Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 38-12-402); (Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§ 13-40-104, 13-40-107.5).
  17. National Women’s Law Center. (2026). The Lifetime Wage Gap: State by State. https://nwlc.org/resource/the-lifetime-wage-gap-state-by-state/. Retrieved Apr 14, 2026.
  18. The National Survivor Financial Security Policy Map and Scorecard. FreeFrom. https://mapandscorecard.freefrom.org. Current as of: Dec 15, 2023. Retrieved Feb 2026.
  19. Legal Momentum. (2025). State guide on employment rights for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking [PDF]. https://www. legalmomentum.org/sites/default/files/reports/50%20State%20Survivor%20Guide.pdf. Retrieved Feb 12, 2026. Colorado law: (C.R.S. § 8-13.3-503); (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 8-73-108(4)(r)).
  20. Women’s Law. (Colorado page last updated Oct 2025). State Map. https://www.womenslaw.org/laws?reset-state=1. Retrieved Mar 3, 2026. Colorado law: (§18-3-602(1)); (§§ 18-3-306, 18-3-405.4, 18-7-107, 18-7-108, 18-7-801, 18-9-303).
  21. Cyber Civil Rights Initiative. (n.d.). Nonconsensual distribution of intimate images. Retrieved May 15, 2026, from https://cybercivilrights.org/ nonconsensual-distribution-of-intimate-images/.
  22. Orrick Law Center. (n.d.). U.S. AI Law Tracker. Retrieved Apr 28, 2026, from https://ai-law-center.orrick.com/us-ai-law-tracker-see-all-states/. Colorado law: (Colo. Rev. Stat. §18-6-403).
  23. Everytown Research & Policy. (2026). 2026 Everytown Gun Law Rankings. https://everytownresearch.org/rankings/. Retrieved Feb 9, 2026. Colorado law: (Colo. Rev. Stat. §§ 13-14.5-101–13-14.5-114).
  24. End the Backlog. (2026). Pillar map. https://www.endthebacklog.org/#explore_backlog_map. Retrieved Mar 10, 2026. Colorado law: (HB1199 (2023));(SB304 (2025)); (HB1143 (2021)).