Coalition Welcomes October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Topeka, KS, 10/01/2015 – The Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence (KCSDV) welcomes October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women aged 15 to 44, and one in four women in the U.S. will be the victim of domestic violence at some point in her lifetime. According to a Kansas Bureau of Investigation report, in 2013, there were 23,508 incidents of domestic violence reported to law enforcement, and one domestic violence murder occurred about every 12 days. On a single day in 2014, 951 victims of domestic violence in Kansas sought help from their local domestic violence victim advocacy program.

“The month of October is a time for us to raise awareness about domestic violence,” says Joyce Grover, executive director of KCSDV. “These numbers are startling and we encourage people to take action and support life-saving services for victims in their communities.” In Kansas, there are 29 community-based victim advocacy programs located throughout the state that provide safety services and support to victims of sexual and domestic violence in all 105 counties. According to Grover, Kansas advocacy programs regularly serve more than 20,000 victims of sexual and domestic violence annually while also responding to over 25,000 crisis hotline calls, and the demand for these critical services continues to rise.

“Ending domestic violence takes us all,” says Grover. “Promoting healthy relationships that include equality and respect, getting involved in your community and supporting your local victim advocacy program, and helping to raise awareness through community education and action are all ways someone can get involved this October.”

Kansas domestic violence victim advocacy programs are also using October as a time to raise awareness in their local communities. Learn more about what you can do, and find a list of statewide events at kcsdv.org or check with your local victim advocacy program.