Kansas Governor Laura Kelly Proclaims October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Kansas

The awareness month stems from the movement to help victims and survivors of domestic violence. The first Day of Unity for victims and survivors was held in 1981, and this evolved into a week-long period of gathering and events to increase awareness about domestic violence. The first Domestic Violence Awareness Month was established in 1987, and in 1989, federal legislation passed to nationally recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October.

In 2018, Kansas domestic violence victim advocacy services programs collectively provided services to 702 domestic violence victims in just one day. Over 77,000 individuals sought and were provided with victim advocacy services by Kansas victim advocacy services programs in 2018. In that year, 4,000 requests for service had to be referred to other service providers outside the victim’s community. A fourth of all homicides in the year in Kansas were domestic violence-related.

Domestic violence, intimate partner violence, is a pattern of abusive and coercive behavior used to gain dominance, power, and control over an intimate partner. It includes the use of illegal and legal behaviors and tactics that undermine the victim’s sense of self, free will, and safety. The abusive behavior can impact other family members and can be used in other family relationships. Abusive tactics that all abusers use in varying levels include but are not limited to: physical violence; sexual violence; coercion and threats; intimidation; emotional abuse; isolation; using children; economic abuse; male privilege/entitlement; minimizing, denying, and blaming.

“Domestic violence impacts all Kansans and Kansas communities,” said Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence (KCSDV) Executive Director Joyce Grover. “Domestic violence is a widespread, preventable, public health problem. It takes us all to create safe environments and communities.”

For further information on domestic violence, contact Lucca Wang at 785-633-6648 and lwang@kcsdv.org.

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