If you're a victim of domestic violence -- or even if you're in a destructive relationship and are concerned about your safety -- help is available.
That's the takeaway we got from our coverage of a domestic violence awareness panel last week.
Our local Rape and Abuse Crisis Service (RACS) has a 24-hour hotline and covers a nine-county area in mid- Missouri. This year, as of last week, it had provided 4,690 bed nights to 94 guests needing a safe play to stay.
"We have resources that we provide to anyone who calls that hotline," said Gwendolyn Jennings, RACS director of shelter services.
October was National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women announced it will provide $476 million in grants to support efforts to combat domestic violence.
RACS Executive Director Angela Hirsch said domestic violence is defined as willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control, perpetrated by one intimate partner against another.
It can include physical, sexual or psychological violence, and emotional abuse.
A big part of the problem in addressing domestic violence in the past has been acknowledging it happens to the extent it does.
Workplaces and colleges have swept incidents under the rug rather than air their "dirty laundry."
In many instances, victims' stories about abuse are met with disbelief, intimidation, ridicule or shock, Hirsch said.
The advent of the #metoo movement has helped to change that. The social movement has aimed to empower sexually assaulted individuals.
But domestic violence still is pervasive in our country, even in our community. We routinely see domestic violence police reports.
As a society, we need to stand against domestic violence and encourage victims to come forward.
The first step to a better life can be a call to the RACS hotline: 800-303-0013 or 573-634-4911.
News Tribune