October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, where the county office building in Kingston is lit up in purple. The devastating impact of domestic violence transcends the bruises and other visible injuries.
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“The prevalence of domestic violence means we all are touched by it”.The Rotunda ceremony is among the many community events and activities scheduled to commemorate Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
A report from the Willow Domestic Violence Center shows there were over 4700 reports made in 2014.
For advice and help with a domestic violence situation, call the 24-hour hotline at 528-0226.
Community members are also asked to wear purple on October 22nd, known as #PurpleThursday. These strides give us hope that we can truly break the cycle of violence. “Domestic Violence is a pervasive problem that demands a multi-disciplinary approach to help survivors find safety, hold perpetrators accountable and create communities that are aware and able to respond”.
We have no broadly sweeping editorial stance to take on the issue; domestic violence in all forms is wrong – that should be a universal view. YWCA Chief Development Officer Amberlie Phillips said what’s hard to know is if the actual cases are going up or if more people are just reporting it.
Under New York State’s Human Rights Law, it is unlawful for employers to discriminate against someone because that person is a victim of domestic violence.
“All the more reason to engage the public and provide information about healthy relationships, signs of abuse, and how to access resources including emergency shelter”, said Adele Pincock, Outreach & Development Director at DOVE Center.
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The intent was to connect advocates across the nation who were working to end violence against women and their children, according to the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence. She says, prior to the 1980s, people assumed children were ignorant of domestic violence. They are also more likely to be affected by violence as adults – either as victims of abuse or perpetrators.
