As fun and lighthearted as the Royal Reporter is, it also gives me a platform to talk about some serious issues in our society. October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. Domestic violence plagues Americans of all ages, races, and demographics. According to the National Centers for Disease Control, every year about ten million people become victims of domestic violence, and over one in three women has been a victim of some sort of domestic abuse in their life.

Domestic Violence Awareness month started in 1987 with the goal of bringing awareness to domestic abuse survivors and family members of domestic violence victims. This event first started as a single “Day of Unity” in 1981 but has evolved since then.

Bringing awareness to domestic violence is important to ending the Cycle of Violence, a three-stage cycle used by law enforcement officers and domestic violence experts to describe the way abuse sometimes occurs in relationships. The Cycle of Violence goes through stages of escalation during which an act of violence occurs. To get an in-depth view of what this looks like, I asked my dad, a detective specializing in domestic violence and elder abuse and one of the leading law enforcement experts in the state. He said, “The Cycle of Violence represents the chaotic nature of the on-again-off-again domestic violence relationships that have an abusive partner that wants to have power and control over their partner. Understanding the Cycle of Violence is important to ending the worst acts of domestic violence (homicide, child abuse, etc…) and ending the process of creating future abusers.”

There are a number of things you can do to help. First, if you know someone who is a victim, reach out and make sure they get assistance. When victims are afraid, sometimes a friend or family member is the only one who can save them. You can do this by either calling the police (in an urgent situation) or calling the Domestic Violence Hotline.

Although domestic violence is a serious matter and should be handled by professionals, on our very own campus, there are students trained to help other students going through difficult times. PAL, led by Mrs. Huerta ’94, is a conflict resolution program which helps students become advocates and sounding boards for each other. Mrs. Huerta says: “PAL is there for anyone to seek help from their peers, they are here to listen, and help students.”

In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, you can wear a purple ribbon in solidarity. Purple is a sign of peace and courage.

Anyone can donate or volunteer at a shelter for women or other domestic violence related causes. I have donated to Sheepfold, a Domestic Abuse Center for Women with minor children, many times in the past. They’re a faith-based shelter here in Orange County for the women and children who are victims of domestic violence. They help to rehab and transform the lives of mothers and children who have been able to escape abuse. Please consider helping this organization; to find out more, you can go to their website.

Domestic violence is a problem disproportionately affecting women; for more information, statistics, and ways to help, you can go to Violence Against Women-WHO. By raising awareness and bringing attention to this issue, even you can make a small difference. Co-founder of the Project Crime Stoppers club, Nicole Pineda ’23, remarks on the importance of educating about Domestic Violence, “Something we can all do to aid crime prevention is to utilize education as a means of empowerment and as a tool to bring awareness. The more we become educated about and discuss these issues, the more we can help prevent crimes like domestic violence through helping identify indicating behaviors or taking action to help people out of abusive situations.”

By simply recognizing Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we can give hope to the survivors, as well as hear the stories of those affected by domestic violence.