GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — October marks National Domestic Violence Awareness Month; a time designated to acknowledge survivors and be a voice for its victims.
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
The Domestic Violence Awareness Project defines domestic abuse as a pattern of abusive behaviors that adults and adolescents use to control their intimate or dating partners.
Statistically, 1-in-4 women and 1-in-9 men will experience violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime.
Abuse can take different forms including:
- Physical- Includes hitting, slapping, kicking, burning, choking, using weapons to cause injury
- Sexual- Forcing a partner to engage in unwanted sexual acts, refusing to practice safe sex or treating a partner like a sex object
- Emotional- Includes name-calling, shifting blame, threatening to harm oneself or others
- Economic- Includes stealing money & preventing a partner from getting or keeping a job
In Grand Rapids on Monday, community members, survivors and activists came together for a candlelight vigil on The Blue Bridge. During the annual event, the names of those lost to domestic violence in the last year were read aloud.
"So we hold a candlelight vigil, and read the names of those who have lost their lives in the last year to intimate partner violence, and come together to create opportunity to both lament and grieve, and also acknowledge that there needs to be more action taken to prevent abuse and stop domestic violence," says Rachel VerWys with Safe Haven Ministries.
Domestic Violence has seen a rise in Michigan in recent years. According to state data, there were 24,000 additional cases from 2019 to 2020.
"[There] actually has been an increase, especially since COVID. COVID had a tremendous impact. Right around COVID, we saw people were kind of in put together, we saw an increase in domestic violence. And that's kind of stayed the same, it has not necessarily gone down," said Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker. "I think there's just a lot of going with stresses, whether it be the economy, whether it be just that what things are going on in the world, those numbers have stayed somewhat high."
Monday's event was put on by the Kent County Domestic Violence Coordinated Response Team which includes a number of community partners.
Organizers say the vigil isn't just important to remember those lost, but to also get survivors and people who are in violent situations help they need.
"From this event, we have seen family members connect to resources that they didn't know were available, people to connect with one another," said VerWys.
They also say it helps connect people in the name of healing and stopping cycles of violence.
"Just the power of being surrounded by other people, and that connectedness helps bring healing," said VerWys. "And so, I think it's important that we continue to come together each year to both process the grief we're experiencing, and also acknowledge that there is a way forward for us as a community to hold abusers accountable."
"There are survivors and survivors go on to have wonderful lives it can be can be a dark tunnel in a dark place that you're in when you're going through it. But there's a lot more people to get through that than actually succumb and actually are killed. I think that's maybe some hope," said Becker.
Signs of domestic violence include:
- Kicking & Shoving
- Using weapons against you or threatening to do so
- Forcing or coercing someone into unwanted sexual acts
- Threatening to disclose private personal information
- Controlling what someone does or who they see
- Using technology to track, monitor or frighten you
- Stealing or destroying your belongings
- Making you feel afraid
If you or someone needs help there are places to call including the Domestic Violence Hotline1-800-799-SAFE (7233) and the National Teen Dating Abuse Hotline 1-866-331-9474. You can also text
“loveis” to 22522.
