October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Take action and be aware or you’ll have to beware.
By Kimberly Martinez
When you’re young, things that fall on the list of “scary” are probably more related to ghouls and goblins. But as time progresses, the realities of life can be daunting.
In 1989, the U.S. Congress passed Public Law 101-112 designating October of that year as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. And every year after, the same thing. This came after the realization that so much domestic violence was happening every day but there still wasn’t a fight against it.
However, when people hear domestic violence, they mostly think lover quarrels. But did you know there is a relationship between domestic violence and elder abuse?
When dealing with the elderly, this abuse then becomes referred to as “domestic violence in later life.” This includes anything from physical abuse by a loved one or caregiver, to financial abuse.
So doesn’t October just seem fitting for awareness? A month that includes the one day people dress as their worst nightmares. A day people forget about the true harsh realities and play out fake ones.
Because of this, to highlight October as Domestic Violence Month, it was only fitting that we list the 8 scariest statistics related:
1. The number of American troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2001 and 2010 was 6,488, while the number of American women murdered by current or ex- lovers during that time was 11,766.
2. Every minute, 20 people are victims of intimate partner violence.
3. 98% of all domestic violence cases have a financial abuse proponent to it. Preventing the abused from leaving because of no financial security.
4. Approximately 50% of elders with dementia are mistreated or abused.
5. Approximately 13.5% of older adults have suffered emotional abuse since the age of 60.
6. Victims of financial elder abuse lost an estimated $2.9 billion in 2011.
7. 76.1% of physical abuse toward older adults is perpetrated by a family member.
8. Only 1 out of every 24 cases of elder abuse is reported.
Frightening right? To know we are surrounded by such statistics. Statistics that aren’t only limited to days in October, but every day of the year.
As shown above, elder abuse is still a significant part of domestic violence cases. A fact that Kasem Cares is raising awareness for and we need more attention to these matters. Abuse is abuse! We need many people to continue helping to push for change. In order to do this, we all must take notice of any abuse around us. Take the Pledge. Don’t be the bystander who didn’t help.
Take action and be aware or you’ll have to beware.
References:
Acierno, Ronald, Heidi Resnick, Dean Kilpatrick, John Boyle, Kenneth Steve, and Wendy Muzzy. National Elder Mistreatment Study. Rep. Ann Arbor: Inter-U Consortium for Political and Social Research, 2008. Web.
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NACJD/studies/28561/version/1#cite
“DVM History.” Dvam History. National Resource Center on Domestic Violence. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.
(http://www.nrcdv.org/dvam/DVAM-history
Elder Abuse and Neglect: In Search of Solutions. Rep. American Psychological Association, 2012. Web. http://www.apa.org/pi/aging/resources/guides/elder-abuse.pdf
“Late Life Domestic Violence: What the Aging Network Needs to Know.” National Center on Elder Abuse. National Association of State Units on Aging, 1 Feb. 2006. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.
The MetLife Study of Elder Financial Abuse. Rep. The MetLife Mature Market Institute, June 2011. Web. https://www.metlife.com/assets/cao/mmi/publications/studies/2011/mmi -elder-financial-abuse.pdf
Vagianos, Alanna. “30 Shocking Domestic Violence Statistics That Remind Us It’s An Epidemic.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 13 Feb. 2015. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/23/domestic-violence-statistics_n_5959776.html
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