October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 out of 4 women and 1 out of 7 men will experience intimate partner violence annually. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42epVoH9Dag (One in Four Women) 1:00 minute

Being in an abusive relationship can be scary and confusing. You may feel isolated, guilty and ashamed. If you are being abused, please seek help. Call 911, the National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799–SAFE (7233), a local Crisis Hotline or your church office.

There is HOPE. You do not need to remain in an abusive situation. Hear from women who have reclaimed their lives. You too can be someone who gets her life back. Reach out today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn3YTMpOOAw&list=PLOKteHQ9LvE8mFgu4-xVM-yc4JSTe1XBA&index=2

It’s a Sign of Abuse if a Partner… Courtesy USCCB Publishing Washington, D.C.

• Calls names, insults and constantly criticizes or humiliates
• Isolates her from family and friends
• Monitors where she goes and how she spends her time
• Controls finances, refuses to share money, or gives her an allowance
• Threatens to have her deported or to report her to a welfare agency
• Threatens to take her children away
• Threatens to kill or hurt her, the children, other family members, or pets
• Threatens her with a weapon
• Destroys property, such as household furnishings
• Pushes, slaps, hits, bites, kicks, or chokes her
• Forces her to have sex or to perform sexual acts

Make Your Safety & the Safety of Your Children a Priority

No one has the right to hurt you or your children. Did you know that 3-4 million children between the ages of 3-17 are at risk of exposure to domestic violence each year? U.S. government statistics say that 95% of domestic violence cases involve women victims of male partners. The children of these women often witness the domestic violence. Whether or not children are physically abused, they often suffer emotional and psychological trauma from living in homes where their fathers abuse their mothers. Children whose mothers are abused are denied the kind of home life that fosters healthy development. Children who grow up observing their mothers being abused, especially by their fathers, grow up with a role model of intimate relationships in which one person uses intimidation and violence over the other person to get their way.

Are you a victim of domestic violence? Trust your instincts Know it is not your fault Don’t be afraid to call for helpValue your freedom to choose, learn and grow.