Physical and emotional abuse, continued...

Lifetime Art Impressions, LLC photo "Only you can change you; not someone else. Be brave and reach out for help if you are suffering domestic violence."

Click on the below article link to obtain background information to this blog post:

Examiner article

I have been volunteering in a domestic violence and sexual assault shelter for almost 8 years. Intimate partner abuse can be serious and fatal; it is not uncommon in our communities. As I was driving home today and talking to my mom, she told me of a local news story about a woman (a mother of 4) that was killed this week by her ex-husband. This type of violence has to stop; it's unacceptable!.

Safehorizon.org offers these haunting statistics about domestic violence:

•       1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime.

•       Women experience more than 4 million physical assaults and rapes because of their partners, and men are victims of nearly 3 million physical assaults.

•       Women are more likely to be killed by an intimate partner than men

•       Women ages 20 to 24 are at greatest risk of becoming victims of domestic violence.

•       Every year, 1 in 3 women who is a victim of homicide is murdered by her current or former partner.

Can you imagine being abused by someone you love? It is a traumatizing thought not alone living in this hell. And, if you consider all of the children who are in these environments and the impact this violence has on them, without help, this pattern is continues to be energized.

It is horrific to think that in the year 2014, our communities and families are suffering such pain. The way we can stop this suffering is to talk about it, to support local shelters and agencies and most importantly, to get involved!

Have you been touched by domestic violence or sexual assault? If so, how were you able to leave the relationship? Or, are you still in it?