A Woman's Guide To Saner Living

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is a month that that raises awareness for two important issues that primarily afflict women, breast cancer and domestic violence.  A great job has been done raising awareness for Breast Cancer, but few people know that October is also Domestic Abuse Awareness Month.  Breast cancer will affect one in eight women during 2008.  However, one in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). An estimated 1.3 million women are physically assaulted by an intimate partner each year; 73% of violence victims are female.  There are 16,800 homicides and 2.2 million (medically treated) injuries due to intimate partner violence annually, which costs $37 billion.  One out of fourteen men has been physically assaulted by a cohabitating partner or spouse during their lifetime, with an estimated 835,000 men physically assaulted by an intimate partner annually.  Domestic abuse is a national epidemic shrouded in silence for many complicated reasons; shame, fear of retribution, fear of blame, to name a few.  So, I am doing my part to break the silence with the hope and desire that it will help other women to speak up and speak out.  Two years ago this month, my daughter was brutally assaulted by her ex- husband and left for dead.  He received only 2.5 years in prison with credit for six months served.  Let’s break the silence on this national epidemic of Domestic Violence; let’s call for prevention, promote safety of all people, demand offender sentences that fit the crime and offer rehabilitation when appropriate.  Let’s create a lot of noise in October for Domestic Violence Awareness!   If you or any one you know is suffering from domestic violence please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY)

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