October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Every October, advocates for domestic violence survivors rededicate themselves to breaking the cycle of domestic violence through a month of advocacy, education, awareness, and activism. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) initiated this tradition in 1981 through a Day of Unity to connect battered women’s advocates across the country.  In 1994, the Violence Against Women Act was passed, landmark legislation led by Senator Joe Biden. This legislation introduced new provisions and programs to hold offenders accountable and provide access to programs and services for survivors of domestic violence. As a result, “the overall rate of domestic violence dropped nearly two-thirds, and state lat is important to recognize that not all victims of domestic violence are women, although the majority are. According to the NCADV, “one in four women and one in nine men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner contact sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking with impacts such as injury, fearfulness, post-traumatic stress disorder, use of victim services, contraction of sexually transmitted diseases, etc.” In Vermont, 33.6% of women experience some form of physical or sexual violence or stalking in their lifetimes. Even more shocking, 51% of all homicides in Vermont between 1994 and 2010 were related to domestic violence.

The latest episode of our new podcast, Community Pulse with Eileen Peltier, features guest Diane Kinney, Co-Director of Circle. Her frank conversation with Eileen provides insight into domestic violence and what community members can do to support victims and survivors of domestic violence. Check it out!

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