October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a time to learn about domestic violence and recommit ourselves to challenging all forms of violence in our communities.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, "Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another. It includes physical violence, sexual violence, psychological violence, and emotional abuse." Domestic violence affects all people regardless of gender, age group, religious group, or economic level. According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, domestic violence affects nearly 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men.

As people of faith, we are committed to opposing all forms of violence. Our churches are well positioned to "make active and ongoing responses to problems of sexual or domestic violence in their communities" (GC resolution 2000). As we mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we offer resources and steps for action:

These steps can be seen as a beginning to taking action as a community against domestic violence.