DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH

Domestic violence takes place in our nation every minute of every day, occurring just about every 15 seconds. Most Americans don’t realize just how real domestic violence is and how many lives are affected by it.

Most of these cases are left behind closed doors. That’s why the Domestic Violence Awareness Month was introduced to not only educate and raise that awareness but bring the support and strength that domestic violence victims need.

Domestic violence awareness month was first introduced back in 1981 by the National Coalition Against Domestic violence.

It was created not only to bring more awareness to others but to connect and unify the millions of affected victims that had been battered due to domestic violence.

Its hope is to break the chains of violence that currently have such a strong grip on our nation.

Every year, right around 10 million people become victims of domestic violence, which equates to just about 20 people every minute. Those are some pretty big and startling numbers.

It affects not only women, but men and children, of all different races, status, religions, and culture. No one is immune to it.

Domestic violence shows itself in a number of different forms, whether it’s punching, slapping, choking, or threatening, manipulating, yelling and many others. No matter the situation, domestic violence is never okay.

Huge strides have already taken place ever since 1994 when the Violence Against Women Act was put in place.

So many programs, services, and shelters have been made available to domestic violence victims, thanks to the issues that had been addressed to our legislation.

Just between the years of 1993 and 2010, the overall domestic violence rate had dropped dramatically by nearly two-thirds, and that’s not all.

State legislation and laws have been reformed to tackle certain issues such as dating abuse in the workplace, employment discrimination, stalking and more.

Ever since 1987, October has been the month where domestic violence and its victims are observed. The purple ribbon is used for a number of other important causes, but it’s also in honor of domestic violence victims and support for the growing awareness. Domestic violence is usually done in secret, but let’s shout it from the rooftops.

Domestic violence is never okay, no matter the circumstances. If you or someone you know is in desperate need of help, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233 or TTY 1−800−787−3224.