By Michelle Kricheff | Development and Marketing Associate
Thank you so much for your generous support of loveisrespect, a project of the National Domestic Violence Hotline! Here's what our team has been up to lately:
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), and it is always a busy time of year for our organization as we work to honor victims and survivors and provide education on abusive dynamics. This year's theme was a continuation of 2018's #1Thing campaign, asking participants what one thing they are doing to prevent and end domestic violence. October 24 was Wear Purple Day, and our staff showed up decked out in their favorite purple pieces to further show support and spread awareness. Because of your generous support, our advocates answered 29,046 calls, chats and texts this DVAM, providing hope to survivors across the country.
Recently a young woman named Dominique*, an 18-year-old survivor, reached out through our chat service. She had broken up with her long-distance, emotionally abusive partner, but he traveled from another state to try to win her back. Her ex had showed up at her apartment and her father's workplace, and was sending her threatening emails. When she showed the emails to police, she was told they were not considered threatening enough for an order of protection. Feeling unsafe at her house, Dominique and her father were preparing to stay at a hotel out of town, and she was feeling overwhelmed.
Our advocate validated how scary Dominique’s situation was, and worked with her to create a comprehensive plan for her and her father’s safety, including local resources, web pages with legal information, and education about stalking. Our advocate shared the name of a safety app that Dominique could use to alert friends if she did not check in, and discussed specific strategies to be safer during her hotel stay. Together, they also explored ways Dominique and her father could take care of their emotional health, including grounding techniques when things got too overwhelming. At the end of her chat, Dominique said, "It was good to talk to you, it really helped. Thank you so much for the very practical tips for us. I've spoken with an advocate before and you are always so awesome and encouraging. Thank you again.”
Thank YOU for being here for Dominique and her father. Your support is helping survivors across the country feel safer and more hopeful, and is empowering young people to recognize and end abuse before it begins. Thank you for everything you do to create a world where all relationships are positive, healthy and free from violence.
*Name changed to protect chatter privacy.
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
