October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

It seems that our fall calendars fill up quickly don’t they?

September has back to school. November has Thanksgiving. December, Christmas. With all that goes on in the fall and winter months, October can get overlooked.

But it shouldn’t.

Especially because it is one of the most important months of the year. Why? Because October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

1 in every 4 women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.

An estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year.

With startling statistics like these, no one can ignore domestic violence. If we do, more people will be beaten, abused and killed. People like Mary*.

Mary’s entire life has been full of abuse. When she met her husband, she thought abuse was just part of life, so she endured it. She didn’t know what real love felt like.

Decades later, at 51, she couldn’t take it anymore. Somewhere in her heart she knew that she had been created for more. She grabbed a few personal items and fled.

She felt completely and utterly alone.

That’s how abused women feel. They are afraid to leave because the only other choice they have is homelessness.

In fact, up to 50% of homeless women and children are fleeing an abuser.

They need help. That’s one of the reasons Everett Gospel Mission exists. Friends like you are helping to change lives for women like Mary*.

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, please contact us immediately.