The chances are high that you or a loved one has been on the receiving end of an abusive act by an intimate partner.
Why? Because one in three women and one in four men have been victims of [some form of] physical violence by an intimate partner within their lifetime, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV).
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Have you made plans to talk about it in your groups, congregations or communities?
On average, 20 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States—more than 10 million women and men a year, according to the NCADV. (Read more here.)
Domestic violence is a “pattern of abusive behaviors–including physical, sexual, and psychological attacks as well as economic coercion–used by one intimate partner against another (adult or adolescent) to gain, maintain, or regain power and control in the relationship,” reports the Domestic Violence Awareness Project. “Batterers use of a range of tactics to frighten, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, often injure, and sometimes kill a current or former intimate partner.”
In 2015, the ELCA adopted a social message on Gender-based Violence that “seeks to raise awareness about the growing level of gender-based violence” in the U.S. Gender-based violence, the message says, “includes but is not limited to rape, sexual abuse, physical and sexual assault, domestic and dating violence and sexual harassment.” You can download it here.
If you choose to address domestic violence this month, here are some websites that might help:
- Domestic Violence Awareness Project
- The National Domestic Violence Hotline
- The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more statistics
- How To Stop Domestic Abuse infographic
- ELCA Justice for Women resources
Please let us know how you recognized Domestic Violence Awareness month by contacting us here.
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