Relationship abuse, or dating and domestic violence/abuse, is characterized by behaviors used by a person to gain and maintain power and control over their partner. Because relationships exist on a spectrum, it can be hard to tell when a behavior crosses the line from healthy to unhealthy or even abusive. Warning signs, or red flags, can indicate that a relationship is going in the wrong direction.
Abuse can take many forms, but it is important to remember that each type of abuse is serious and no one deserves to experience abuse in any kind.
Dating & Domestic Violence Articles
The COVID Effect – Increased Demand for Shelter and Community Support
In 2021, the United Nations coined the phrase “shadow pandemic” in a report that examined the unprecedented increase in violence against women that occurred during the COVID pandemic. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine estimates that domestic violence cases increased by 25 to 33 percent worldwide during the pandemic. In the United States, the National Domestic Violence Hotline [...]
How to Safely Support Someone in an Abusive Relationship
When someone you know is in an abusive relationship, it may be difficult to know how to help. We want the people we care about to be loved, respected, and safe. Unfortunately, sometimes even in our best attempts to help, we may unintentionally make matters worse and put the victim in harm’s way, as well as ourselves. The [...]
Silent Victims: The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children
Domestic violence comes in many forms including physical assault, emotional/psychological abuse, intimidation, sexual abuse, and the systematic power of control perpetrated by one intimate partner to another. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, “1 in 15 children is exposed to intimate partner violence each year…[and] 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to this violence”. Locally, HCWC [...]
A Call to Masculinity
1 out of every 4 women 18 years or older have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. All too often this violence ends deadly. But violence against women is not just a women's issue. This could be your sister, your mother, your daughter, your neighbor, or even your own intimate [...]
More Than a Purple Ribbon – The Importance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Currently, there are almost 500 recognized awareness months. They range from the well-known (Breast Cancer Awareness Month) to the obscure (Workplace Eye Wellness Month). Domestic Violence Awareness is recognized every October although it is often overshadowed by Breast Cancer Awareness Month). Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) is so much more than a purple ribbon. [...]
Download our 2022 Domestic Violence Awareness Month Toolkit!
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a nationwide effort to bring awareness to domestic violence and how it affects all of us. This toolkit includes activities for community members of all ages to raise awareness and create safe homes and communities for everyone. Please complete the form below and click submit. You will be directed to a page [...]
