Domestic Violence Awareness Month
evolved from the Day of Unity conceived by the National Coalition Against
Domestic Violence. In October 1987 the first Domestic Violence Awareness Month
was observed. (Adapted from the 1996
Domestic Violence Awareness Month Resource Manual of the National Coalition
Against Domestic Violence.) Every year in October programs across our
country bring awareness to this issue that affects so many lives here and
across the world. Domestic violence is vicious, traumatic and we need to keep
addressing it until it stops.
This awareness month is an opportunity
for everyone to celebrate those who have survived, mourn those who have died
and help those who are still in violent relationships. This is an issue
that affects us all. Even if you are not in a relationship that is violent,
domestic violence still impacts you. You most likely know someone who is or has
been abused. Even when you don’t know
someone you most likely feel the economic and social impact it has on society as
a whole. Your neighbor, your classmate,
your co-worker, your sister or your mother could be a victim or it could be
you. People who experience domestic
violence live in terror every day; they are repeatedly traumatized and
victimized. It continues to sadden me that there are people in our
community that do not know there are resources available to them. We still have
a lot of work to do to make sure that everyone who is in need knows there is
help available.
The more we do to bring light to this issue the closer we
are to bringing it to an end. Domestic violence is not the fault of the victim
and they alone cannot stop the violence. It will take the entire community
working together to bring an end to the violence. Abusers need to be held accountable for their
behavior and we need to ensure victims are aware of the services available to
them. As we bring attention to the issue we can bring awareness of services to
those in need. Statistics show that 1 in
4 women will be a victim of domestic violence at some point in her life. In our country 3 people die every day due to
domestic violence. That is unacceptable. If we all work together we can do it, we can break the cycle and bring
an end to the violence.
If you are in need of assistance please call our hotline:
816-461-HOPE.
To learn how to get involved and help break the cycle of
violence please visit our website at hopehouse.net
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