Break out your purple ribbon, purple tie, purple scarf, or whatever purple item of clothing you’ve got. October 1 is Peaceful Purple Day, an event to kick off Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Wear your purple with pride to show that you do NOT support domestic violence, that you do NOT condone violent behavior, and that you are doing your part to make every house a safe house.
Here are a few facts to consider and pass along:
- Domestic violence is one of the most common of all crimes. About half of all couples experience at least one violent incident; in 1/4 of these couples, violence is a common occurrence.
- Twenty per cent of all murders in this country are committed within the family, and 13% are committed by spouses.
- Most family violence is committed against women. Ninety-five per cent of all spousal assaults are committed by men.
- Six million American women are beaten each year by their husbands or boyfriends. Four thousand of them are killed.
- Battering is the single major cause of injury to women — more frequent than auto accidents, muggings, and rapes combined.
- Domestic violence takes its toll on the family, society, and the future. Over one million women each year seek medical help for injuries caused by battering.
- Victims of domestic violence are three times more likely to be victimized again than are victims of other types of crimes.
- Children are emotionally traumatized by witnessing family violence; many of them grow up to repeat the pattern as victim or abuser.
- While you were reading this, 4 women were severely beaten.
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Then there is the statistic that no one knows, which is just how many women go through this and don’t tell a soul.
Yep. There’s no real number because so often domestic violence goes unreported. Could be one in two households, or higher!