homeTuesday, 30 October 2012
It seems that any other awareness campaign that happens in October gets overshadowed by Breast Cancer Awareness. I don't know of all of the awareness campaigns for October, but I do know besides Down Syndrome Awareness, it is also Domestic Violence Awareness.
Even though this evolved from the first Day of Unity in Oct 1981, it still seems to be something that is not often spoken about or brought out in the public light. It is still one of those issues people just don't like to talk about. It's an ugly topic, no doubt about it. It's not easy to bring the subject up if you suspect someone of being abused, and it's not easy to admit if you are being abused.
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence has many resources, information, and ways to get help. There is also a trailer for a powerful documentary called Private Violence: Why Didn't She Leave?
According to a few stats I've read recently:
- 1 in 4 women have experienced domestic violence
- nearly 3 out of 4 Americans know someone who is or who has been a victim of domestic violence
- an average of 3 women in the United States lose their lives every day as a result of domestic violence
Pretty sobering statistics. While those all reflect what happens to women, domestic violence can and does happen to men as well.
I am one of those 1 in 4 who have experienced domestic violence in a relationship.
It happened around 15 years ago. I don't dwell on it anymore. That seems like another lifetime to me now. I've moved on. We've both moved on. We've both remarried and last I heard he has 5 boys. I certainly hope that means he changed his ways and learned some coping strategies with anger management classes.
What I experienced wasn't as extreme as what some woman experience, but I know it can help to read about some one's story. To read about something you might have went through, or are going through, and know you're not alone ... even though every story is different.
Here is my story that I first posted 5 years ago.
Even though this evolved from the first Day of Unity in Oct 1981, it still seems to be something that is not often spoken about or brought out in the public light. It is still one of those issues people just don't like to talk about. It's an ugly topic, no doubt about it. It's not easy to bring the subject up if you suspect someone of being abused, and it's not easy to admit if you are being abused.
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence has many resources, information, and ways to get help. There is also a trailer for a powerful documentary called Private Violence: Why Didn't She Leave?
According to a few stats I've read recently:
- 1 in 4 women have experienced domestic violence
- nearly 3 out of 4 Americans know someone who is or who has been a victim of domestic violence
- an average of 3 women in the United States lose their lives every day as a result of domestic violence
Pretty sobering statistics. While those all reflect what happens to women, domestic violence can and does happen to men as well.
I am one of those 1 in 4 who have experienced domestic violence in a relationship.
It happened around 15 years ago. I don't dwell on it anymore. That seems like another lifetime to me now. I've moved on. We've both moved on. We've both remarried and last I heard he has 5 boys. I certainly hope that means he changed his ways and learned some coping strategies with anger management classes.
What I experienced wasn't as extreme as what some woman experience, but I know it can help to read about some one's story. To read about something you might have went through, or are going through, and know you're not alone ... even though every story is different.
Here is my story that I first posted 5 years ago.
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