October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Do you know that October is domestic violence awareness month? Domestic violence, relationship abuse, stalking, sexual assault . . . All such forms of violence are more common than we like to admit. Sometimes we suspect someone we know is a victim but we don't know what to do. Often it seems easier to look the other way, change the subject, think about something else. Sometimes we try to deny the fact that we, ourselves, suffer domestic violence. But these forms of violence will not go away on their own. We must identify them, call them what they are, stand up to them, help those who suffer, help ourselves. We can do that most readily–and safely–through education, understanding, and using tools and resources that have been developed for that purpose.