...you probably have experienced domestic violence yourself or seen it affect someone close to you. The sad truth is that despite significant progress, one in three women have been physically abused by an intimate partner. Domestic violence transcends all demographic boundaries and causes trauma that can affect generations of families.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which presents an opportunity to raise awareness and amplify the voices of survivors.
If you’ve been touched by domestic violence, this is your moment to be heard and take a stand. Even if you aren’t a victim or survivor, your support is invaluable, so consider this your call to action.
It’s time to wake up, stand up and speak up. Ending domestic violence in our homes and communities starts with each of us.
View the "Roadmap for the Way Out" Resource Guide
Even if you know you are in an abusive relationship and need to get out, actually leaving may seem impossible — especially if there are children to consider, if you have limited financial resources or you fear for your safety and that of your loved ones.
If you’re contemplating an escape, here is a roadmap to help guide you.
Survivor Stories
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In 1997, I met a handsome and charming guy while we were stationed at Osan Air Base, South Korea. In August 1998, we were married, and the military relocated us to Virginia. We began what I’d hoped would be a happy life. We rented a townhouse, met friends and settled into being a married couple. […]
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Mark walked into my life when I was a naïve, sheltered 20-year-old. He was exciting. He was daring. And he introduced me to unchartered waters. Abusive people can always identify the vulnerabilities in others that allow them to move in and take control. Mark found my feelings of missing something from life and a need […]
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Red flags. So many red flags. I saw them but chose to ignore them. He studied me like a book and learned my likes, dislikes and traumas. He then used that information to create the person I believed was my soulmate. He was “saving me” from an already bad place and blinding me with his […]
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My name is Sharita Cook, and I am the mother of seven beautiful children, which includes five sons and two daughters. I am the eldest daughter of Larry and Janis Burks. My parents were hard workers. There were five of us altogether, two brothers and two sisters. My mother was a chef, and also a […]
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Photography by Brandi Stage Portraiture On June 3, 2021, Keli Mornay penned a diary entry begging God for the strength to go on. “I am done with having a full heart that I give to those that stomp and crush it,” she confided to her journal. “I don’t deserve any more of this, not another […]