THE BLOG: ISSUE 3

Endless Chit Chat is about women moving out of their comfort zone and talking about all the things on the minds of women at this stage of life. Yet, I did not want to do this project without talking about an issue that effect women disproportionately – domestic violence. That is not to say that men can not be the victims of domestic violence but to acknowledge the reality that women unfortunately are affected by issues in a way that men aren’t. Even more troubling is that as a society we don’t talk more about intimate partner violence and the misconceptions around this issue.

October is the month where publicly domestic violence is spotlighted in hopes of raising awareness. Domestic abuse can come in the form of physical abuse, threats, mental and emotional abuse by a party that an individual is in a relationship with (i.e. married, living together or have children together). Dating violence usually refer to parties in a relationship but they are not married, don’t live together and don’t have children. Below will be linked a reference tool called a Power and Control Wheel that provides information regarding the different types of abuse a person may face and signs of abuse. This is a useful reference for anyone that knows someone that may be in an abusive relationship or you yourself are the victim of abuse. It should be said that if you or someone you know are a victim of abuse one should be careful in using technology to review such material if its possible that your abuser has access to one’s computer or smartphone and can have access to one’s digital history.

It is also important to let people know that if you are the victim of abuse – you are not alone. There are organizations and hotlines that can assist victims and others with information about domestic violence and resources such as counseling, housing, work and education. Most communities have social service organizations that provide these services and victim advocates that can assist victims. Law enforcement is also a resource if a victim of abuse decides to make a report. Below will be a link to a national domestic violence organization/hotline that can refer individuals to help and support in one’s community.

As the old slogan stated, “Love Should Not Hurt”. You are not alone. There is help for those enduring domestic abuse. Family, Friends and community organizations can provide support. We as a society should not turn a blind eye to this issue. The issue of domestic abuse doesn’t just affect victims of abuse, but affect our families, schools and communities. This is why we should care and all work towards ending intimate partner abuse.