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Domestic Violence Awareness
October 2014
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Domestic Violence Awareness Month evolved from the first Day of Unity observed in October, 1981 by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The intent was to connect battered women's advocates across the nation who were working to end violence against women and their children.
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DID YOU KNOW? 
- On average, nearly 20 people per minute are victims of physical violence by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men.
- 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced [some form of] physical violence by an intimate partner within their lifetime
- 1 in 5 women and 1 in 7 men have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime
- 1 in 7 women and 1 in 18 men have experienced stalking victimization during their lifetime in which they felt very fearful or believed that they or someone close to them would be harmed or killed.
- On a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide.
- In domestic violence homicides, women are six times more likely to be killed when there is a gun in the house.
- Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime.
- Intimate partner violence is most common among women between the ages of 18-24
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The NFL and Shedding a Light on Domestic Violence
I love football. I look forward to relaxing Sunday fall afternoons, to settling down on the couch in front of the television with  a big pot of hazelnut coffee and a stack of newspapers. Sunday and football was a happily anticipated ritual - until Ray Rice became front page news.
I'm an avid sports fan and an equally passionate advocate for ending violence against women and girls. Certainly I was aware of the far too frequent times college and professional athletes were involved in domestic violence and sexual assault situations. But the Ray Rice video, Adrian Peterson's smiling mug shot, and a bumbling NFL response generated great conflict. My Sunday afternoon enjoyable entertainment had become a source of discomfort.
The dancing and fist-pumping after a brutal tackle as an opponent lay sprawled on the ground made me queasy. I closed my eyes when a coach grabbed a player's uniform and pulled him close while screaming in his face. And I wonder: Is it possible to separate the violence on the field from life off the field? Continue reading Amy's blog here. |
Sun Sentinel Publishes JFS Letter to the Editor Educating Against Domestic Violence
The emergence of the video exposing former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice's unjustifiable domestic abuse perpetrated against his then-fiancée Janay Palmer should serve as a wake-up call. The American tragedy so aptly described in your Sept. 10 editorial, "Rice case shows time for a flag on domestic abuse," exists right here in our own backyard.
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, 5,537 domestic violence offenses were reported in Palm Beach County in 2013. That is a staggering statistic. Even more disturbing is the number of cases that may have never been reported as women suffered in silence and family members who become aware of such atrocities remained in denial. Janay's story is the story of many in our local community. Domestic abuse is non-discriminatory. It can happen to anyone at any time, regardless of socioeconomic status or religious affiliation.
The most important thing we can do as a community is to become better educated about how domestic abuse happens, and what to do about it if you or someone you know is engaged in an abusive relationship. Turning a blind eye, or pretending not to see a volatile situation is not the answer. Help is available, and you are not alone.
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Why Ray Rice is a Jewish Concern
For the past week I have been flooded with calls and questions concerning Ray Rice with regard to domestic violence. The media has spent hundreds of hours discussing the ins and outs of the case and throughout the United States, people are speculating as to what went on in the relationship between Ray and Janay Rice. One underlying theme seems to emerge among the people I have spoken with this past week; the belief that such incidents do not regularly happen in the Jewish community.
Perhaps there is some truth to that belief, but only if you define domestic violence as just an act of physical aggression; where, in this case, a woman was beaten unconscious and dragged from an elevator. However, in reality, such an incident is the culmination of a systematic use of tactics to gain power and control over the victim. Relationships do not start out as physically abusive. No one would  return for a second date, if physically assaulted on the first one.
The process is insidious and despite desperate attempts, the victim is unable to stop the abuser. The abuse may begin with name-calling, insults, and other forms of verbal abuse and progress to behaviors of isolationism, threats, intimidation and financial control. Constant manipulation leaves the victim "walking on eggshells." As a result, it is not uncommon to see the victim take responsibility for the abuser's actions either because she believes she is to blame or to keep a sense of calm in the relationship. Additionally, while all abusive relationships have issues of power and control, not all will escalate to active physical violence. An abusive relationship can, and often does, exist without physical abuse. Continue reading Shari's article here.
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If you would like to join the Domestic Violence Professionals Committee please email Megan. AJFCA member agency domestic violence professionals meet quarterly to discuss trending issues in their field, communicate through AJFCA's Member Forums and reach out to one another for resources.
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