October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month and is as important an issue as healthcare and the economy. The statistics are disturbing, to say the least.

Domestic violence is the number one reason women visit the emergency room

• Health costs for treating victims of domestic violence are nearly 6 BILLION dollars a year.
• Women account for 95% of domestic violence victims
• More than 5 million women are physically abused each year.
• Nearly 1250 women are murdered annually due to domestic violence.

Violence in one’s home affects others outside the home. 95% of abused women experience problems in their jobs, 74% are harassed while at work, 56% report to work late and more than half of all victims lose entire days due to their desire to hide injuries.

Pregnancy increases the risk of abuse and the long term effects on children who witness violent abuse on a parent is substantial and forever alters their lives.

If you find yourself in a situation that threatens your life, take measures now to protect yourself and your children. The first step might be to have a judge issue a restraining order. This is important because once the order has been violated, your local police are better positioned to arrest the abuser. If you’re married, now is the time to contact a lawyer to provide legal guidance. You will want to take measures to protect your children and make your wishes known should the worst case happens. Filing for divorce should be a priority as well. If you have children, your lawyer will be able to petition the court for an order that will require your spouse to begin making child support payments.

It’s incredibly difficult to pick up the pieces after having endured abuse for any amount of time. But it can be done. In fact, women and men find the strength to walk away on a daily basis.

Your first priority is to put as much space between your abuser and you. Many times victims feel safer relocating to a different state or at least a new city. If that’s not an option, you will want to change the locks and if there’s anyway to include the purchase of a good security system in your budget, it’s strongly encouraged.

It is simply never, ever acceptable to allow someone to abuse you. If you need help, there are many resources available, including the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Domestic Violence Resource Center.