Jose Orozco
The Paw Print
A child cries and the sound echoes through an empty hall. The neighbors close their doors and shut their windows. The perpetrator strikes again, leaving three children as victims and their parent as the fourth. If not helped to break the cycle devastated children may continue in the footsteps of their parents, as either the victim or perpetrator.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the day was first observed in 1987. This was also the first year that the institution of a domestic violence hotline was created. The day was initially called the Day of Unity. In 2011, president Obama made a proclamation addressing the issue. The full proclamation can be read by going to www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/10/03/presidential-proclamation-national-domesic-violence-awareness-month
It is expected that three women will experience domestic violence per day and die because of it. One in four women and one in thirteen men experience the trauma at least once in their life. These are only the reported cases, there are more that go unreported.
There are several resources available to those experiencing the trauma, or for those who are interested in offering resources to others. The Counseling and Career Center is a great place that will offer resources to help. The major resource is a program called Tu Casa, which offers free, confidential, and comprehensive direct service to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other cases of abuse in the San Luis Valley. Their 24 hour hotline number is 719.589.2465. They also have a website, http://www.slvtucasa.net/about.php
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