October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014, 1:42 p.m.Shaw (Watha T. Daniel) Library
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Domestic Violence Awareness Program
Recent headlines graphically demonstrate that domestic violence is an epidemic in American society.The Centers for Disease Control's 2014 report indicates that 31 percent of women living in the United States have experienced domestic violence. Every year, one in three female homicide victims is murdered by her current or former intimate partner, with women more to be killed by an intimate partner than men. Young women ages 20 to 24 are at the greatest risk of becoming victims of domestic violence.
Sadly, even when victims do break away from their abusers, their suffering lingers. Survivors of domestic violence face high rates of depression and other emotional distress.
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and in acknowledgement, the Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Neighborhood Library will provide a domestic violence prevention program that will include testimonies from domestic violence survivors and feature speakers addressing various aspects of domestic violence. Each speaker brings an area of expertise to this event:
- a licensed social worker specializing in domestic violence prevention;
- a practicing lawyer, specializing in domestic violence victims' legal rights;
- and a ministry leader, who leads a recovery support group for domestic violence survivors.