{"id":2622,"date":"2019-10-02T11:00:05","date_gmt":"2019-10-02T15:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2622"},"modified":"2019-10-02T11:00:05","modified_gmt":"2019-10-02T15:00:05","slug":"from-the-editor-its-national-domestic-violence-awareness-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2622","title":{"rendered":"FROM THE EDITOR: It’s National Domestic Violence Awareness Month"},"content":{"rendered":"

October is usually our \u201cPink\u201d edition, but I thought it was important that we devote some space this month to another public health crisis that actually affects more women.<\/p>\n

While one in eight women will face a breast cancer diagnosis, one in four\u2014some studies say as many as one in three\u2014will be abused by a partner. And while October is traditionally recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it\u2019s also National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.<\/p>\n

As a general rule, I don\u2019t include outside content in the magazine\u2014we have enough great contributors that we don\u2019t need syndicated articles. But I received this column a few months ago from Dr. Buck Blodget, a chiropractor who became an author and motivational speaker after his daughter, Jessie, was murdered when she was 19 by a friend. In the wake of her death, Dr. Blodgett founded The LOVE>hate Project (light.org). Parts of his letter really resonated with me, particularly his title: \u201cIs It Time to Treat\u00a0Violence\u00a0Against Women as a National Emergency?\u201d<\/p>\n

So I wanted to share his letter with you here and encourage you to watch out for your sisters, your daughters, your friends, yourselves: help is a phone call away.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Is It Time to Treat Violence Against Women as a National Emergency?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

By Dr. Buck Blodgett<\/em><\/p>\n

Each day in the United States women are victims of all types of\u00a0violence\u00a0at the hands of men \u2013 murder, domestic abuse, sexual assault \u2013 yet too often as a nation we take little or no notice.<\/em><\/p>\n

But on occasion, for some of us, the\u00a0violence\u00a0hits home and can no longer be ignored. My daughter, Jessie, was 19 when she was raped and murdered in our home by a friend.\u00a0Her death left me stunned, shocked and filled with anguish, yet also inspired me to do all I can to prevent such horrors from happening to others in the future.<\/em><\/p>\n

During her brief life, Jessie developed a strong social conscience. Ironically, her biggest cause was women victimized by male\u00a0violence. Her legacy, The LOVE>hate Project (www.ligth.org), is dedicated to ending\u00a0violence\u00a0against women and inspiring people to choose love over hate.<\/em><\/p>\n

Essentially, we would like to see\u00a0violence\u00a0against women treated as the national emergency it is. Sadly, not only has male against female\u00a0violence\u00a0been going on since the dawn of mankind, but often the attacker is a spouse, boyfriend, ex, or someone close.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Nearly one in four adult women have\u00a0experienced severe physical\u00a0violence\u00a0from an intimate partner in their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/em><\/p>\n

The CDC also reports that 16 percent of women\u00a0have experienced some form of contact sexual\u00a0violence\u00a0from an intimate partner, such as rape, sexual coercion, and\/or unwanted sexual contact.<\/em><\/p>\n

And 10 percent of women report they have been stalked by an intimate partner.<\/em><\/p>\n

(Men can also be victims in these situations. For example, the CDC reports that one in seven adult men have experienced severe physical\u00a0violence\u00a0from an intimate partner.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Certainly,\u00a0violence\u00a0against women is a large societal problem that won\u2019t easily be solved, but here are ways to begin the process:<\/em><\/p>\n