SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- The month of October is dedicated to raising awareness of domestic violence.
Domestic violence is verbal, emotional, physical or sexual behavior that is controlling, humiliating, intimidating, threatening, blaming or violent against a spouse, partner or family member.
Domestic abuse is the single largest cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 to 44 in the United States, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians; more than robberies, car accidents and rapes combined.
Though Domestic Violence Awareness Month only lasts during October, the staff at the Family Advocacy Program work year-round to prevent domestic abuse.
“The mission of the Family Advocacy Program is to build healthy communities through implementing programs designed for the prevention and treatment of child and partner abuse,” said Jennifer Price, family advocacy treatment manager.
The Family Advocacy Program offers several courses to help cope with or prevent domestic violence to include victim groups for both men and women, anger management courses and parenting education. There are also multiple programs to remove and protect victims from potentially dangerous environments.
“Our main priority is to ensure safety for the victim,” said Price. “Our goal is to prevent another incident from happening again.”
For more information on domestic violence, please call the Family Advocacy Program at 919-722-1878 or visit the following websites for more information: www.thehotline.org, www.ncadv.org and www.domesticshelters.org.