Domestic Violence Month: Raising Awareness Amidst a Pandemic

October 9 | Paige Stoeffler

Domestic violence is an epidemic that affects and disrupts millions of lives all around the world. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), “nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner,” and “1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence.”

The state of Wisconsin is not immune to this issue. The NCADV found from a previous analysis that “32.4% of Wisconsin women and 23% of Wisconsin men” had been and/or are afflicted by domestic violence in their lifetimes. These numbers do not include the children or unreported cases.

The month of October is dedicated to a very important aspect in understanding and tackling domestic violence’s prevalence in our society- awareness raising. Marquette University’s Center for Peacemaking is working alongside NWSP to be an active participant and increase both awareness and support in the community.

The Center plans on holding various virtual events to educate the community, offer support, provide resources, and promote an open, safe dialogue around the issue. This will include a facilitated discussion around red flags and a conversation about the stigma on relational violence. In addition, coloring pages will be distributed to students along with information about the resources available on campus.

Sojourner, a collaborative partner with the Center, provides ways for individuals to be active throughout the month of October (and after.) For example, anyone can donate to victims in need by purchasing items on the Amazon Wishlist included in the link provided here.

For additional resources on domestic violence as a result of COVID-19, please refer here.