Domestic Violence

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are victims of physical violence by a partner every year.

People who are in an abusive relationship will stay with their partner for a number of reasons:

  • Their self-esteem is totally destroyed, and they are made to feel they will never be able to find another person to be with.

  • The cycle of abuse, meaning the ‘honeymoon phase’ that follows physical and mental abuse, makes them believe their partner really is sorry, and does love them.

  • It’s dangerous to leave. Women are 70 times more likely to be killed in the weeks after leaving their abusive partner than at any other time in the relationship.

  • They feel personally responsible for their partner, or their own behavior. They are made to feel like everything that goes wrong is their fault.

  • They share a life. Marriages, children, homes, pets, and finances are a big reason victims of abuse feel they can’t leave.

If you are experiencing domestic abuse, please go to https://www.thehotline.org or call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) in more than 200 languages. All calls are free and confidential for help.

If you are in danger, call 911.

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