HEAL & The Nest Domestic Violence Shelter invites you to honor those who have survived and remember those lost to intimate partner violence by lighting a candle this October during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
The Day of Unity is traditionally celebrated on the first Monday in October. HEAL & The Nest Domestic Violence Shelter have honored this day for many years with a candlelight vigil. At first, the vigil was held privately at The Nest Domestic Violence Shelter for only residents, shelter staff, and Board members. For the last few years, the event has been extended to the public and a community vigil has been held. This year, due to COVID restrictions, we are holding a month-long virtual event.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOMICIDE STATS:
• 1 in 2 female murder victims and 1 in 13 male murder victims are killed by intimate partners.
• A study of intimate partner homicides found 20% of victims were family members or friends of the abused partner, neighbors, persons who intervened, law enforcement responders, or
bystanders.
• 65% of all murder-suicides are perpetrated by intimate partners.
• 96% of murder-suicide victims are female.
• Most intimate partner homicides are committed with firearms.
• Abusers’ access to firearms increases the risk of intimate partner femicide at least five-fold. When firearms have been used in the most severe abuse incident, the risk increases 41-fold.
• While the overall rate of intimate partner has decreased, intimate partner femicide has increased in recent years, driven by an increase in intimate partner femicide committed with a firearm.
(All statistics from: https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2497/domestic_violence-2020080709350855.pdf?1596828650457.)
To learn more about HEAL & The Nest Domestic Violence Shelter and Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), visit our website at: http://helpendabuseforlife.org/october-is-domestic-violence-awareness-month/.
If you or someone you know is in a domestic violence situation, contact our toll-free 24/7 hotline at 866-378-6378.
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