Silence hides violence...Love shouldn't hurt.

This is the second blog for the month of October in our "I Rock!" series. This week, we'll be discussing domestic violence.  Unfortunately, like Breast Cancer, many of us have known someone who has been a victim of domestic violence. According to www.domesticviolencestatistics.org there are some shocking statistics most recently.  These I admit have shocked me too!

Here are a few that I have found.
*   Every 9 seconds a woman is assaulted or beaten.
*  1 in 3 women have been beaten during her lifetime where the abuser is a member of her family.
*  Up to 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually.
* 16% of adult men who reported being raped and/or physically assaulted were assaulted by a current or former spouse, cohabitating partner, boyfriend/girlfriend or date
* It is estimated that 835,000 men are physically assaulted by and intimate partner annually

http://www.ncadv.org/files/MaleVictims.pdf
This had my jaw dropping! The thing is, that not all abuse is created equal. Since the boom of technology over the years, different types of abuse have been added to the list of the most common types.

1. Emotional or Verbal abuse is non-physical behaviors such as threats, insults, constant monitoring or “checking in,” excessive texting, humiliation, intimidation or isolation.

2. Stalking. This abuse is a person being watched repeatedly, harassed or followed.

3.Financial abuse. This happens when money or assets are used to keep or hold control over another person.

4. Physical abuse is the use of force with the intent to cause fear or injury, like hitting, shoving, biting, strangling, kicking.

5. Sexual abuse is where a person is forced to have sexual activities or any action that impacts a person's ability to control their own sexual activity.

6. Digital abuse, the use of technology such as texting and social networking is used to bully, harass, stalk or intimidate a partner. Often this behavior is a form of verbal or emotional abuse perpetrated through technology.
www.loveisrespect.org


Regardless of the type, it all leaves a scar.  This is one of the hardest topics to talk about right now for many different reasons. But in all of that, I want to challenge each of you reading this to this one thing. All this month, be an voice of encouragement, a ear to hear and not to judge, and a source of comfort for someone that you may know that is dealing or has dealt with any form of abuse.  You may be the only peace they have. So show love, strength, and remind them that love shouldn't hurt.