Saturday, October 2, 2010

Purple Lights for Domestic Violence are lighted at City Hall

In 1987, the first Domestic Violence Awareness Month was observed. Later, the "National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) convened several national domestic violence organizations - the Family Violence Prevention Fund, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline and later the National Network to End Domestic Violence - to launch a new effort to support domestic violence programs' awareness and education efforts for Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), observed annually in October. The collaborative effort became the Domestic Violence Awareness Project (DVAP)."

For the second year in a row, the City of Lake Worth joined in this effort to bring attention to domestic violence with a Proclamation and the lighting of the purple lights at City Hall. This was spearheaded by Commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill, a victim of domestic violence. Her story was told on NBC, Channel 5 last night.



"Violence is a serious public health problem in the United States. From infants to the elderly, it affects people in all stages of life. In 2006, more than 18,000 people were victims of homicide and more than 33,000 took their own life.

The number of violent deaths tells only part of the story. Many more survive violence and are left with permanent physical and emotional scars. Violence also erodes communities by reducing productivity, decreasing property values, and disrupting social services."
Source: Center for Disease Control

Understanding what domestic abuse is Helpguide

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