Published: October 3, 2019
While Western Health Advantage recognizes October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we also recognize that domestic violence is not restricted to a single month and that knowledge is a means to end this hidden crime. WHA encourages our members to become educated about domestic violence during this month and to take action throughout the year.
Here are some ways each of us can take action to end domestic violence in our community:
- Educate yourself. Learn the long-term impact domestic violence has on the victim, the children who witness the abuse, and on the community. Visit womenshealth.gov for more information about this.
- Support the domestic violence agency in your community. To provide comprehensive services to victims of domestic violence, agencies rely on community support.
- Volunteer. Domestic violence agencies depend on committed volunteers to answer crisis line calls, assist with events, and to educate the community.
- Host a drive for needed items. Domestic violence shelters are in constant need of food, household supplies, toiletries, and other essentials. In the Sacramento area, you can find WEAVE’s Wish List on their website or contact the agency in your community to learn about their most pressing needs.
- Stop violence when you see it. If you suspect a friend, family member, neighbor or co-worker may be experiencing domestic violence, let them know you are worried and share information about resources to help them.
Domestic Violence Facts
- One in four women and one in seven men will experience severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetimes. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- On average, more than three women are murdered every day by a current or former partner in the United States. (American Psychological Association)
- 74% of all murder-suicides involved a current or former intimate partner. Of these, 96% were women killed by a current or former partner. (American Psychological Association)
- 4,774,000 women in the United States experience physical violence each year. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
WEAVE
WEAVE (Women Escaping a Violent Environment) is Sacramento County’s primary provider of services to survivors of domestic violence and maintains extensive information on its website. If you live in a different county, go to the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence website to find the domestic violence agency in your community and learn more about their programs and services.
WEAVE provides these domestic violence services:
- Answers calls to the Support & Information Line.
- Provides bed nights of emergency shelter and transitional shelter to victims of domestic violence.
- Provides legal advocacy, and assistance and limited scope legal representation, to victims of domestic violence.
- Provides crisis intervention triage services to individuals.
- Provides individual counseling and group counseling.
In an emergency, victims of domestic violence should call 911 or contact state or local law enforcement officials, who can respond to these crimes. Individuals in need of non-emergency assistance can also call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE or visit www.TheHotline.org.