Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Before we sat down to write this short blog, I researched a few of the current statistics. The statistics published by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) are frightening. In the United States alone, one in three women and one in four men experience some form of physical violence by an intimate partner. In addition, the NCADV estimates that domestic violence hotlines receive approximately 21,000 calls per day, which is an average of 15 calls every minute.
As the Outreach Advocate at WomenSafe, this number still haunts me. Here at WomenSafe, we have a 24 hour hotline where dedicated staff members and community volunteers answer these calls. People call us day and night for emotional support, emergency housing when fleeing, working to complete Relief from Abuse Orders, meeting survivors at the hospital after an assault, assistance at SANE exams, and aid with identifying community resources. We listen to people’s stories and practice non-judgmental advocacy; however, our greater work is not done at the end of each day. When on call to answer these phone calls, we are waiting for the next time for our phone to ring, never knowing who is on the other end of the line and what crisis we will be addressing. When we live in a country where we have an average of 15 calls to domestic violence hotlines per minute, there is a pervasive problem that must be addressed.
While I hope that one day domestic violence will be eliminated from our community, we need to do more. This work involves everyone—every single one of us. We can work to end stereotypes surrounding domestic violence by having open dialogue, we can support and volunteer with organizations and agencies who serve survivors of domestic violence, we can raise awareness on social media, we can push back on our leaders to pass protective legislation, etc. There is a place for everyone in this movement. We must work together as a team to prevent, address, and end domestic violence. So please, this October, to honor National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, please consider making a personal pledge to become involved (if you are not already) in working to rid domestic violence from our society. We need you.
To learn more about volunteering or donating, please visit our website.