October-Domestic Violence Awareness
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
History
Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) evolved from the “Day of Unity” in October 1981 conceived by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The goal of this event was to connect advocates across the nation who were working to end violence against women and their children, and the range of activities associated with the effort ultimately expanded to include events at the local, state, and national levels.
In October 1987, the first Domestic Violence Awareness Month was observed, and the first national domestic violence toll-free hotline was launched. In 1989, Congress designated October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and every year since, organizations around the country have marked the month with a variety of awareness activities focused on a few common themes: mourning those who have died as a result of domestic violence, acknowledging and celebrating those who have survived, and connecting allies and others motivated to end all forms of relationship violence. (NCDSV, 1996) Each year, the Day of Unity is celebrated on the first Monday of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Domestic Violence Facts
Domestic violence is also referred to as dating violence, relationship violence, and intimate partner violence. It can include physical, emotional, verbal, and psychological violence, as well as stalking. It is associated with other forms of violence and various serious health consequences and economic impacts. (CDC, 2020).
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) reveals the following concerning Domestic Violence Statistics and Facts
- In the U.S. over 10 million adults experience domestic violence every year.
- 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men experience sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
- Intimate partner violence is most common among women who are aged 18 to 24.
- 1 in 5 women and 1 in 40 men in the U.S. are victims of rape or attempted rape.
- 1 in 2 female victims and 1 in 13 male victims are murdered by intimate partners.
- On an average day, domestic violence hotlines across the nation receive over 20,000 calls.
- Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crimes.
- The presence of a gun in a domestic situation increases the risk of homicide by 500%.
- Only 34% of people who are injured by intimate partners receive medical care for their injuries.
Children and Domestic Violence
- According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, each year, 1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence. Furthermore, 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to this violence.
- In the U.S., 15.5 million children live in families where partner violence happened at least once within the past year.
Domestic Violence in the LGBTQ Community
- In comparison to 35% of heterosexual women, 43,8% of lesbians and 61.1% of bisexual women have experienced rap, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner.
- In comparison, 29% of heterosexual men, 26% of gay men, and 37.3% of bisexual men have experienced rap, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner.
- LGBTQ Black/African American victims are more likely to experience physical intimate partner violence.
Teen Dating Violence
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a 2019 survey revealed that over the past year, 1 in 12 students experienced physical or sexual dating violence.
- Each year, almost 1.5 million high school students are physically abused by their partners.
Domestic Violence in Later Life
- In a survey of nearly 6,000 elderly participants, 57% reported the perpetrators of physical abuse were partners or spouses.
- Elder abuse, including neglect and exploitation, is experienced by around 1 in 10 people aged 60 or older who live at home.
- Between 2002 and 2016, over 643,000 older adults were injured from non-fatal assaults, and over 19,000 older adults were victims of homicide.
Domestic violence affects millions of people of every race, religion, culture, and status. It’s not just punches and black eyes — it’s yelling, humiliation, stalking, manipulation, coercion, threats, and isolation. It’s stealing a paycheck or a password, tracking someone online, texting non-stop, constantly using the silent treatment, or calling someone stupid so often they believe it. (Break the Cycle, 2014)
Help Is Available
Each county offers services for domestic violence victims.
Click here for DCF’s Domestic Violence Services
New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence (NJCEDV)
Toll-Free Statewide Hotline: 1 (800) 572-SAFE (7233)
Phone: 609-584-8107
Web: www.NJCEDV.org
The New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence (NJCEDV) is a statewide coalition of domestic violence service programs and concerned individuals whose purpose and mission is to end domestic violence in New Jersey. NJCEDV performs its work through advocacy for survivors of domestic violence; collaboration with state agencies and its member programs; education and training; and technical assistance for its members and the community.
New Jersey Domestic Violence Hotline
Toll Free: 1 (800) 572-SAFE (7233)
The New Jersey Domestic Violence Hotline is available statewide 24-hours a day/seven days a week. It serves domestic violence victims and others seeking domestic violence information. The Hotline is a bilingual service and accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing.
State Office of Victim-Witness Advocacy
Phone: (609) 896-8855
Web: www.njvw.org/index.html
As a crime victim or a witness, you have certain rights in the criminal justice system. Victim-witness advocacy services help make your participation in the criminal justice system less stressful and more informed. Services from the Office of Victim-Witness Advocacy are available in county prosecutors’ offices.
New Jersey Address Confidentiality Program
Toll Free: 1 (877) 218-9133
The New Jersey Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) provides eligible domestic violence victims a substitute mailing address that does not reveal their location. This service is important for victims forced to relocate for safety. First-class mail is forwarded without charge.
New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Toll-Free Hotline: 1 (800) 601-7200
Phone: (609) 631-4450
Web: www.njcasa.org
The New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NJCASA) is the statewide advocacy and capacity-building organization that represents the twenty-one county-based rape crisis centers, and the Rutgers University Office of Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance. NJCASA elevates the voice of sexual violence survivors and service providers by advocating for survivor-centered legislation, training allied professionals, and supporting statewide prevention strategies that work to address and defy the socio-cultural norms that permit and promote rape culture.
New Jersey Adult Protective Services Providers
Web: http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/doas/home/adultpsp.html
If you know someone 18 years of age or older who is subject to abuse, neglect, or exploitation, contact your county Adult Protective Services (APS) office. An APS investigation is a thorough assessment of a potential at-risk adult. Within 72 hours of a referral’s receipt, a face-to-face meeting with the adult by a trained APS social worker is required. During this meeting, the potential client is interviewed in private. Every effort is made to determine the competence of the adult. Other individuals or agencies that have knowledge of the situation may also be interviewed. When the investigation is complete a report is submitted to the APS Supervisor who will then consult with the social worker and determine if the adult is at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation. All information generated by the investigation is confidential.
https://www.breakthecycle.org/
Learn the facts, take action, and make a difference.
Attend the Day of Unity or the Empty Place at the Table, stop by our informational tables, participate in Purple Thursday, educate yourself on the facts, and apply to be a LiveWell Warrior to teach your peers about domestic violence.
Day of Unity
The Day of Unity, now recognized on the first Monday in October, celebrates the origin of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This is a perfect time to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going in the movement to end intimate partner violence.
Purple Thursday
Purple is the recognized awareness color for domestic violence. Purple Thursday aims to raise awareness about intimate partner violence and domestic violence by highlighting support for survivors and efforts to reduce the stigma, advocate for survivors, and work for greater safety and equity for victim-survivors. Everyone is encouraged to wear all things purple as a symbol of peace, courage, survival, honor, and personal dedication to domestic violence awareness.
Empty Place at the Table
The Empty Place at the Table awareness project, in which a place setting is waiting for someone who has been affected by domestic violence. This display will offer an opportunity to learn about victims’ stories and honor their lives.
HISTORY and BACKGROUND of the PROJECT
The Exhibit An Empty Place at the Table was born out of a desire to grieve the loss and celebrate the lives of women and children who were killed in acts of domestic violence. The impetus for this exhibit came from the deaths of two women Phyllis Mashio and Cindy Marshalek, and a child. Sheena Marie Jones occurred within 22 days of one another in 1903.
Sometime later a group of Phylls’ friends, as well as other concerned family and friends of victims, WRC staff, and volunteers gathered at the Women’s Resource Center. Those gathered wanted to explore how to respond to the senseless acts of violence that took the lives of these three.
Peg Raddy, director of the Women’s Resource Center, and Jane Kopias, a volunteer, continued to explore how to memorize these victims. They recalled other women from the area who had been murdered in recent years and considered how to include these women as well.
Jane and Peg were inspired by Jutty Chicago’s artwork, The Dinner Party, which represents women neglected in history, the Quilt Project, which memorializes victims of AIDS, and A Place at the Table, authored by Edith Konecky, which examines mental illness and the systematic oppression related to the illness. The social situation dealt with by these examples parallels the role that social and political systems play in the oppression of women. Whatever form the memorial took, it would point to the need to address systemic support for violence as well as the personal impact of the violence.
Inspired by these concepts and the image of an empty place created by domestic violence homicide. Jane suggested developing an exhibit of a label with personalized place settings for each of the victims. They then decided to call the project An Empty Place at the Table.
An Empty Place at the Table premiered In October 1993 at the Lackawanna County courthouse. Tragically, domestic violence homicides continue to add place settings to the original table. The exhibition has been duplicated by domestic violence centers throughout Pennsylvania and has been exhibited elsewhere in the United States
The Table image is a symbol and experience that is common to most victims of domestic homicide, no matter their social status, age, race, ethnicity, or other life experiences. Each of the victims had a place at the table in their homes as members of a family. Their murders leave an empty place at that table, and a symbolic empty place in society: Domestic violence homicide tragically changes the family table and the symbolic table in the community and society as a whole.
An Empty Plate at the Table, 1999 Women Resource Center, Inc. Scranton, Pennsylvania