Domestic Violence Awareness Month – Take Action!

Domestic Violence Awareness Month will continue this year as part of the Domestic Violence Awareness Project.

The observed month has been running since 1995 when several organizations including the Family Violence Prevention Fund and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence united to tackle the problem.

Why is Domestic Violence Awareness Month so important?

AM I BEING AB– USED?

Does your partner:

• embarrasses the other person with put-downs
• looks or acts in ways that are frightening
• tries to control what the other person does, who the other person sees or talks to, or where the other person goes
• tries to stop the other person from seeing friends or family members
• tries to take the other person’s money or Social Security check
• makes the other person ask for money or refuses to give the other person money that is supposed to be shared
• makes all of the decisions
• threatens to take away or hurt the children
• prevents the other person from working or attending school
• acts like the abuse is no big deal, denies doing it, or blames something or someone else, even the person being abused
• destroys the other person’s property or threatens to kill pets
• intimidates the other personwith guns, knives or other weapons
• shoves,slaps, chokes or hits the other person
• forces the other person to try and drop charges
• threatens to commit suicide
• threatens to kill the other person

If you answered ‘yes’ to even one of these questions,you may be in an abusive relationship.

For support and more information please call: National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or at TTY 1-800-787-3224.

World: map to domestic violence information « Hot Peach Pages …

Because domestic violence is an extremely serious issue. It can have a huge range of consequences if it goes undealt with and in some cases has even lead to death.

Do you think you’re being abused? Do you often feel ashamed or scared? Has being with this person lowered your self-esteem? Do they try to stop you seeing family or friends? All of these signs and more suggest that you’re being unfairly abused by your partner.

Sometimes the partner’s manipulation is so subtle that you might not even realize you’re being abused at first – you might just feel gradually worse. If you think any of these signs apply to you, then click here for more facts about domestic violence.

CANADIAN WOMEN’S FOUNDATION

We help women in Canada to move out of violence by funding emergency shelters, support programs, and effective follow-up programs. We also invest in school-based violence-prevention programs, where girls and boys learn how to stop the violence — for good.

Sources

1. What is violence against women?
2. What causes violence against women?
3. Who is most at risk?
4. But isn’t there less domestic violence now than in the past?
5. Since crime rates in Canada are falling, is violence against women still a serious problem?
6. Aren’t males just as likely to be victims as females?
7. If a woman is being abused, why doesn’t she just leave the relationship?
8. What effect does domestic violence have on children?
9. What should I do if I think someone is being abused?
10. Can violence against women ever be stopped?

There is a flip side to all of this.

Maybe this can be the month that domestic abusers get help to change they way they behave.

~ Do you shout and call your partner names?
~ Have you ever hit them, threatened them or kept them away from loved ones?

What could you do to help raise awareness this year?

Past events have included activities that mourn the people lost at the hands of domestic violence, celebrates the survivors – and brings together both everyone that is affected wants to help.

All with the same goal – to end violence once and for all!

The effects of domestic violence can be long-lasting. But hopefully everyone will get involved in October during Domestic Violence Awareness Month and make sure they push for changes that will be long-lasting in helping those who have been abused. If you’re unsure about whether you’re in a healthy relationship, take part in the quizzes at the Love is Respect website to find out.

No one deserves to live through an oppressed cycle of violence – people should be able to live freely and relationships are about loving each other. Not making the other person’s life miserable!

The project and the organizations stand up for what is right for women and 2013 is your chance to organize an activity that gets people thinking about domestic violence and the changes that need to be made.

It’s a challenge I’m sure you can Take Action!

To find out more about what this means, go to the Domestic Violence Awareness Month website.

RELATED:

Parents Are the Key to Ending Domestic Violence

Let’s End Domestic Violence: A Challenge to All Fathers