October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

RPW posted on October 10, 2014 11:00It seems alarming to watch the news on TV or read the newspaper, or even to casually surf the web online and read daily news stories about domestic violence tragedies. The killings and suffering of families of abusive have seemingly escalated to epic proportions. Yet sadly for some of the people who live with this serious, nationwide problem, the reality of everyday living is grim.

There are thousands of stories we do NOT see every day. Domestic abuse comes in many forms, from physical to mental, psychological and emotional abuse and also neglect. This affects women, men and children in every single state. In Louisiana, domestic abuse ranks #2 in the U.S. for murders related to domestic abuse. Here are some other statistics about domestic abuse in Louisiana:

The FBI reports that a woman is beaten every fifteen secondsDomestic abuse affects all races – Black, Hispanic, White & Non-Hispanic – equally with rates of violence committed by spouses or significant othersNearly half of all men who abuse their wife or girlfriend will also abuse their children50% of women and children who are homeless in this country have fled domestic violent circumstancesWomen who threaten to leave or who report abuse are at the greatest risk of attack by their partners2 to 4 million women in America are subjected to violence and abuse every year.

With these kinds of shocking statistics, it is no wonder that children of abusive households grow up to suffer from other problems, such as drug use, alcoholism, suicide and other serious afflictions. This is one of the greatest problems we face not only as a state, or as a country, but as an entire society.

The first Domestic Violence Awareness Month was initiated in October of 1987, which also launched a national, toll-free hotline. A “Day of Unity” is celebrated on the first Monday of every October in honor of those who have died as a result of an abusive relationship. At CARE, INC. our hope is that we can create a powerful and united force against this form of unaccepatable evil that has become all too commonplace in this world.

Learn more about Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2014, here.