The October 2006 newsletter, print version
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Past Issues
The October 2006 issue, online version.
It is Your Business: October
is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October
is nationally recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Gov. Mike
Easley has proclaimed the observance in North Carolina as well saying, “I
further urge our citizens to become aware of this destructive force in
our society and to become part of the efforts to stop violence in families.”
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Awards First College Scholarship
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Information and resources on Pandemic flu
It Is Your Business:
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
She had broken up with her violent boyfriend, and he had threatened to hurt her. She went to the police. They helped by talking with her and encouraging her to visit the local domestic violence agency. She had a class at the local community college that afternoon, and she planned to go talk with a domestic violence advocate about getting a Domestic Violence Protective Order when her class was over. But while she was in class, she saw the ex-boyfriend get out of a car in the parking lot. A classmate went out to talk with the boyfriend, but he only wanted to talk with her. She went out to try and calm him down, afraid that someone would get hurt. Someone did get hurt. He had a gun. He dragged her into the woods and murdered her. Then he killed himself.
This
is not a hypothetical scenario, it really happened in a community in
North Carolina three years ago. We have all been affected by the violence
that some people inflict on their intimate partners, and we must recognize
that thousands of children who witness domestic violence are deeply affected
by what they see and experience. Children struggle with how to deal with
violence. They struggle with how to not be violent, how not to fear,
how to be safe, how to protect their mothers, and how to go to school
and act like everything is all right when it is not all right.
October is nationally recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Gov. Mike Easley has proclaimed the observance in North Carolina as well saying, “I further urge our citizens to become aware of this destructive force in our society and to become part of the efforts to stop violence in families.”
In 2005, 51 women ages 19 to 84 years of age, 12 men, and 6 children died in North Carolina because of domestic violence. One of the murdered women was eight months pregnant. During the first six months of 2006, a total of 33 persons lost their lives to domestic violence (see www.nccadv.org/homicides_2006.htm.)
“This is a time to remind the citizens of North Carolina of the price we pay because of domestic violence.” said Susan S. King, family violence prevention coordinator with the Division of Social Services. In October, DHHS will begin displaying the Silent Witness exhibit. Throughout the year, the Silent Witnesses will be exhibited in DHHS divisions and locations across the department.
The exhibit is part of a public education program of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act funding, which began in 1990. The exhibit consists of red silhouettes that commemorate the lives of North Carolinians who died because of domestic violence. Each silhouette represents a person whose life was taken by a trusted partner or family member.
To contact your local domestic violence agency regarding Domestic Violence Awareness Month events, please see the listing on the Domestic Violence Commission website at www.doa.state.nc.us/cfw/cfw.htm (click on Programs, then Domestic Violence Programs; in the last paragraph, click on Programs receiving state funds).
For additional information, call Susan King at 919-733-2279.
Last Modified: February 4, 2013