Ways You Can Speak Out Against Domestic Violence
When we started the #gno Twitter party in September of 2008, our goal was to change the world one mom at a time. We created the blog Mom It Forward and gathered weekly on Twitter in an effort to do just that. Our mission was and still is threefold: to strengthen self, help moms raise kids with character, and better communities and the world around them. We always believed that this kind of change could only start from within.
When a woman is assaulted or beaten or coerced into sex or otherwise abused, she feels less empowered. She is often put in a position where she can't be a strength to her family, her community, the world, and let alone a strength to herself.
Tonight on Twitter, and together with Avon, we will focus our #gno chat on ending violence against women. This means no more domestic violence. No more dating abuse. No more sexual assault. No more human trafficking.
While we won't be able to solve all of the world's problems tonight, we can raise our voices 140 characters at a time to raise awareness, share experiences, offer tips and ways to get involved and make a difference.
Domestic Violence Statistics
Did you know...
- Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten.
- Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime. Most often, the abuser is a member of her own family.
- Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women—more than care accidents, muggings, and rapes combined.
- Studies suggest that up to 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually.
- Nearly 1 in 5 teenage girls who have been in a relationship said a boyfriend threatened violence or self-harm if presented with a breakup.
- Everyday in the US, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends.
- Ninety-two percent of women surveyed listed reducing domestic violence and sexual assault as their top concern.
- Domestic violence victims lose nearly 8 million days of paid work per year in the US alone—the equivalent of 32,000 full-time jobs.
- Based on reports from 10 countries, between 55 percent and 95 percent of women who had been physically abused by their parnterns had never contacted non-governmental organizations, shelters, or the police for help.
- The cots of intimate partner violence in the US alone exceed $5.8 billion per year: $4.1 billion are for direct medical and health care services, while productivity losses acount for nearly $1.8 billion.
- Men who as children witnessed their parents' domestic violence were twice as likely to abuse their own wives than sons of nonviolent parents.
All information is taken directly from the Avon Foundation Domestic Violence Resource Guide, which comes free with the purchase of any of Avon's Empowerment products. One hundred percent of the proceeds of these products go toward ending violence against women worldwide.
Join in and help spread the word. Click here to watch the Twitter stream or to participate!
Photo courtesy of Diana Scimone who runs the Born 2 Fly organization, helping end human trafficking.
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