Allison Perkins
Reporter
The month of October brings about thoughts of cooler nights, red leaves and the beginnings of hot chocolate-filled mugs. It’s the first month that the South even thinks about the weather finally chilling down, but what doesn’t first come to people’s minds is the fact that October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
As a general agreement, domestic violence is always something that individuals should be aware of. And though most people think of domestic violence as something physical, that’s not always the case. Domestic violence covers everything from forced sexuality to verbal intimidation and lying, and there are so many more people who suffer every day from domestic abuse than we know about. Even in small cases, domestic abuse abounds in daily life, and it shouldn’t. People need to know all the facts so that they can notice the abuse when it’s happening and can help to stop it.
To go along with that attitude, there are so many ways that average people can help with the overall problem. Mississippi has its own Coalition Against Domestic Violence that is always looking for help. It can be reached by email at dvpolicy@mcadv.org, by phone at (601) 981-9196, and the office can always be contacted at P.O. Box 4703, Jackson, Miss., 39296. If you know anyone, or are someone, who suffers from domestic abuse, the people on the other end of any of these contacts are willing and happy to help in any way that they can.
And if you would like to donate, you can do so through the national website – www.ncadv.org/donate.php. All of the money that’s donated goes to assist the victims who break free and have nowhere to go, the parents of people who are doing their best to keep abusive ex’s away from their children, provides free surgery to help victims with reconstructive procedures and helps with the education of communities across the U.S.
All of this information and more can be found on the website above mentioned, and if you can’t afford to donate or help in some physical way, even just a letter or note of encouragement would be appreciated as well. There are people working around the clock for the unheard and unknown victims who are in other states and also in our own neighborhood. Be informed about domestic abuse and know the signs of it so you can help be one of the people to put an end to it.