October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Join me tomorrow on Bob Dale's Get Up and Go Show from 8:30 to 9:00 AM on KULY, 1420 AM in Ulysses, as we discuss domestic violence. Some current publications from the American Psychological Association are linked here:

The Mind of the Batterer.pdf

Partner Violence: What you can do

A good website for the State of Kansas is:

helpchangekansas.com

Statistics:

A United States Department of Justice study found that 22% of women and 7% of men had been physically abused by an intimate partner at some point in their lives. The study also found that 1.3% of the women and 0.9% of the men had been abused within the past 30 days. Of those abused, 39% of the women and 23% of the men were injured.

Effects on the victim:

Physical abuse is often accompanied by humiliation, manipulation, and economic control. The effects on the victim include fear, the belief that escape is impossible, post-traumatic stress symptoms and sometimes substance abuse.

The risk of death or serious injury increases once the decision to leave is made.

How to respond if someone tells you of domestic violence:

DON'T minimize the abuse
DON'T blame the victim
DON'T shift the focus (to alcohol or some other problem)

DO be empathetic
DO tell the victim it is not her fault
DO offer to get her help (if you can)

Important Phone Numbers:

As always, if you are in danger, dial 9-1-1

Area Mental Health Center, Ulysses outpatient office for Grant, Stanton and Morton Counties:
1-620-356-3198

Domestic Violence Emergency Shelter (DoVES) of Grant County:
1-620-356-1049

Kansas Crisis Hotline:
1-888-END-ABUSE (1-888-363-2287)

National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233)