HARRISBURG – October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Domestic violence took at least 180 lives in Pennsylvania last year, according to our final 2009 Fatality Report released on their Web site. That’s a 22 percent increase over 2008 and a 49 percent increase over 2007.
To help reverse this truly terrifying trend, the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence is asking newspapers across the state to publish a tip a day in October. These are practical and manageable ways your readers can help victims and prevent further violence.
Today’s tip:
-Support domestic violence victims by listening to them in a non-judgmental way, and encouraging them to work with their local domestic violence program to develop a safety plan.