Intimate partner abuse has been at the forefront of the
news this week with the release of hotel security footage that shows Baltimore
Ravens running back Ray Rice assaulting and rendering unconscious his fiancée
(now wife), Janay Palmer. This incident
and others like it bring to light some of the misperceptions about violence
against women.
Fact:
·
Nearly 85%
of all reported cases of adult domestic violence are women.
·
Women are victims of intimate partner abuse regardless of race, age, ethnicity,
religion, education, income, employment, profession, immigration status,
marital status, sexual
preference or physical ability.
·
Men abuse
because they believe they have the right to do so.
The victim is not at
fault. The ONLY person at blame is the
abuser, and the ONLY way the abuse will stop is if and when the abuser takes
responsibility for his actions.
The reasons women stay or return to an abusive relationship are
complex:
Fact:
·
Women
stay because they love their partner – they want the abuse to end, not the
relationship.
·
Women
stay because they fear becoming homeless.
·
They
stay because they fear physical injury and death. The most dangerous time for the victim is
when she tries to leave or shortly after she has left – on average, three women
die at the hands of a current or former intimate partner every day.
Fact:
The most effective way to
help a victim of intimate partner abuse is to help her develop a safety plan to
ensure that both she and her children remain safe.
More information:
The Social Services Department of the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos
Society published a manual entitled, “Domestic
Violence: Identifying and Responding to Domestic Violence in the Greek Orthodox
Community” to raise awareness about this issue and ways that we, as a
women’s faith-based organization can respond.
Click here for a copy of the manual which includes the document, “How to
Develop a Safety Plan."
Click here for the Social Services Department webpage that has more
resources. philoptochos.org/socialservices
