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It’s also National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. And you don’t hear much about that unless you’re “in the industry” for the most part.
Domestic violence should be getting a lot more attention. I think it will over time as my colleagues and I continue to pursue advocacy, education and resolution to this social ill.
And it is an “ill”. Certainly a social one; and in many ways a mental one. It’s complex and comes in numerous forms, the causes of which are many. Similar, metaphorically speaking that is, to breast cancer.
How about we make a few more comparisons, because it may help you to realize how prevalent domestic violence is and how desperately we need to end it.
Comparison #1
How many women get breast cancer?
The American Cancer Society’s most recent estimates for breast cancer in the United States for 2010 says that there will be about 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer in women.
The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life is a little less than one in eight.
How many women will “get” domestic violence?
Yet the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence says one in every four womenwill experience domestic violence in her lifetime.
An estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year.
85% of domestic violence victims are women.
Comparison #2
Deaths from breast cancer:
About 39,840 deaths from breast cancer (women)
Deaths from domestic violence:
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s web site shows almost one-third of female homicide victims that are reported in police records are killed by an intimate partner.
And the Family Violence Prevention Fund reports; on average more than three women a day are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in the United States.
Comparison #3
Breast Cancer Treatment
According to Cedars Sinai : The choice of treatment depends on the patient’s age and general health and the type and stage of cancer. The stage is determined by the size of the tumor and whether it is localized in the breast, has reached the lymph nodes of the armpit (axilla) or has spread (metastasized) to the liver, brain, lungs or bones.
A woman diagnosed with breast cancer has to take the expertise from her oncologist and listen to her own instincts when choosing treatment. It boils down to a woman has to decide for herself; is she willing to be aggressive with chemotherapy, surgery, or oral medicines. There are a lot of choices – and it’s frightening to decide. She can only do it when she’s ready – although sooner is far better than later.
Domestic Violence “Treatment”
When a woman finally comes to terms with the fact that she’s a victim of intimate partner abuse she’s offered choices. They may consist of counseling, legal assistance, shelters, Orders of Protection (or injunctions), hotlines to call, advocates to speak with, workplace assistance e.g. schedule or location changes, friends to talk with and so on. There are a lot of choices – and it’s frightening to decide. She can only do it when she’s ready – although sooner is far better than later.
Sound familiar?
Comparison #4
Workplace costs
CDC says of BC: Maintaining a healthier workforce can lower direct costs such as insurance premiums and worker’s compensation claims. It will also positively impact many indirect costs such as absenteeism and worker productivity.
(Isn’t that the same thing we say of DV?)
Domestic Violence
(FVPF) The annual cost of lost productivity due to domestic violence is estimated as $727.8 million,
with over 7.9 million paid workdays lost each year.
The costs of intimate partner violence exceed $5.8 billion each year, $4.1 billion of which is for
direct medical and mental health care services, xii much of which is paid for by the employer.
Comparison #5
No one wants to talk about “it”.
According to an interview I once read of Nancy Brinkman, the Founder of the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure, when her late sister, Susan, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in the early 1980’s, ect. the subject was so taboo that people would even avoid he sister in grocery stores thinking they would “catch it”.
Now we can talk about it. We know it’s not contagious.
