Contact: Abena Foreman-Trice
(434) 243-2734
UVA HEALTH SYSTEM PARTICIPATING IN CAMPAIGN TO SPREAD AWARENESS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
According to a national poll, 95 percent of Americans are concerned about violence against women. Few of them, however, know what to do if they are ever faced with an acquaintance or loved one in an abusive relationship. Clinicians and social workers at the University of Virginia Health System are partnering with community agencies to raise awareness about domestic violence during October 2006, Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Domestic violence can take many forms. It happens among married couples, intimate partners, dating teens and children who are abused by adults. While women make up the majority of abuse victims, men also are the victims of abuse. So how can you tell that a person may be in an abusive relationship? UVa Health System offers tips for identifying a potential victim of domestic abuse in the workplace:
- A person has unexplained bruises
- A person has explanations that do not add up
- A person is distracted and often misses work
- A person receives upsetting telephone calls throughout the day
A friend or acquaintance also may be in an abusive relationship when socially:
- One spouse or partner controls or humiliates the other
- A spouse or partner loses their temper easily and strikes at inanimate objects
- One spouse or partner acts jealous when the other partner receives attention
- One spouse or partner controls how the other partner behaves, spends money and socializes
When a co-worker, friend or relative is in an abusive relationship, bystanders are not helpless. They can:
- Reach out to a person suspected of being of abused
- Let the abuse victim know that you care about them
- Emphasize to the abuse victim that they are not responsible for what is happening to them
- Explain that domestic violence is a crime and that the police, courts and community agencies can help them
For more information about domestic violence awareness month activities, please see the list of events to follow. To produce a story, please call the Health System Public Relations Office at (434) 243-2734.
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October 13, 2006
2006 Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Calendar of Events
Sunday, October 15th
VIVA: I Never Saw It Coming Public performance of VIVA's (Voices for Interpersonal Violence Alternatives) teen, peer-educational theater production. 4:00 pm, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 190 Rugby Rd.
Tuesday, October 17th
No! The Documentary with filmaker Aishah Shahidah Simmons Cosponsored by the Women's Center and Office of African American Affairs. 7:00 pm, Wilson Hall Room 402
Wednesday, October 18th
Brown Bag Lunch Series Hear speakers from around the state discuss topics relating to domestic violence.
12:00 noon-1:30 pm, Shelter Community Outreach Center, 1410 Sachem Place
Tuesday, October 24th
"Dangerous Living" - Film screening with guest speaker Dilcia Molina (who appears in the film)
7:30-9:30pm Minor Hall 125
Wednesday, October 25th
Brown Bag Lunch Series Hear speakers from around the state discuss topics relating to domestic violence.
12:00 noon-1:30 pm, Shelter Community Outreach Center, 1410 Sachem Place
Monday, October 30th
International Guest Lecture: Justice Mirna Perla, Salvadoran Supreme Court Justice Perla will speak about her work on the issue of gender violence in armed conflict, including domestic violence and sexual violence in the aftermath of war on extreme political repression. Cosponsored by The Women's Center and Law School Human Rights Program
4:00-6:00 pm, Auditorium of the Harrison Institute/Small Special Collections Library
Saturday, November 4th
Tenth Annual 5K Run for Shelter Race begins at 8:00 a.m. on Charlottesville's Downtown Mall.
Pre-registration forms are available at Ragged Mountain Running Shop or on our website at www.shelterforhelpinemergency.org. Pre-registration is $15.00 and race day registration is $18.00.
For details on events, times and locations, please contact Jenny at (434) 963-4676.