Ways Everyone Can Support Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Why It Matters

By Christine Murray

Have you ever wondered how you can make a difference during October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM)?

During this month, it’s likely you’ll see more stories about domestic violence in the media, and you may even hear about community awareness events being held in your local area.

Whether or not you have any personal experiences with an abusive relationship, your support of DVAM can go a long way. Awareness months like this one are important for bringing more attention to topics that are often hidden in the shadows, but that impact people’s lives in complex ways. Although community-level awareness about domestic violence has grown a lot in recent years, there is still a lot of stigma and shame surrounding this issue. More awareness efforts will be needed for years (and likely decades) to come.

It’s important to raise awareness about domestic violence all year long, not just during October. However, getting involved in DVAM activities in your community and helping to raise awareness among your personal and professional network is important for at least two main reasons:

• You never know when someone in your life may become involved in an abusive relationship. Raising your personal awareness about the dynamics of abusive relationships and the community resources available to help will equip you with information about how to offer support if you or someone you know is affected by abuse.
• There are many hard-working professionals in communities across the country (and beyond) who work in agencies and organizations that aim to prevent abuse, support victims and survivors, and hold offenders accountable. Having worked alongside many of these professionals and organizations for a long time, I can tell you that their work is very difficult, and they are often working with limited resources and overwhelming caseloads. Supporting DVAM efforts (along with other year-round awareness-raising activities) offers a show of support for these professionals that means a lot to them. And, informed community members can better support their work and help advocate for more resources to help them do their work.

This October, be on the lookout for ways you can connect with and support DVAM outreach in your community and beyond. Here are a few possible ways to get involved:

• Re-share social media posts put out by local and national domestic violence-related agencies to your own social media networks. Posts with information about the dynamics of abusive relationships and where to get help may be especially useful for people who are experiencing an abusive relationship or who have a loved one who is. Even a single social media post or attending a local event can spark important conversations and provide support to those who need it.
• Attend local awareness events. Often, you’ll have a chance to hear from local speakers and hear their experiences, either as a survivor or based on their work in the field. It means a lot to these organizations when they have a solid turnout for these events. Plus, these events can be a great way to increase your own knowledge about domestic violence and local community resources. 
• Consider ways to engage in advocacy efforts to further raise awareness about domestic violence. You might consider writing a letter to the editor, inviting a guest speaker to your faith community or workplace, or even sharing a flier electronically or in paper form about your local domestic violence resources to people in your network. 
• Strive to learn at least one new fact, resource, or statistic about domestic violence this month. One useful resource can be found in VAWnet, which is an initiative of the National Resource Center for Domestic Violence. VAWnet’s online resource library is a treasure trove of information to learn more about abusive relationships and ways that community organizations can support survivors and hold offenders accountable. 

If you are a community supporter who cares about the issue of domestic violence, then October is just one of the twelve months during the year when this topic is important to you. However, you can leverage the momentum around this issue during this month by getting connected to DVAM activities in your community. In this way, you can help support important initiatives this month that can make a big difference in the lives of survivors, as well as in the work of the professionals and organizations that support them. 

This October, I challenge you to take at least one of these steps to support Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Your involvement can make a difference.