Arizona Republic Newspaper Mesa Editorial :

If today is a normal day in our country, three women will be murdered by
husbands or boyfriends. Tomorrow, three more will die. The next day, three
again.
Many more will be beaten or raped, screamed at or shoved against the wall
in a fit of anger by men who say they love them.
They lie.
Love doesn’t equate to violence, no matter what the circumstances. Violence
is about power, control and fear. There is no love involved, yet it so
often is the man a victimized woman loves who hurts her.
For most people, the idea of being hit by someone they love is foreign. But
nearly one-third of women in our country report being raped or physically
assaulted by a man in their life. A close man, not a stranger. A man who
should love her.
We need to change that. As a society, as families, as individuals, we need
to stop domestic violence. It is a curse that touches every aspect of our
community, our workplaces, neighborhoods, even schools. It requires effort
from everyone to overcome the cycle that is as old as time.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. All the ads and public safety
campaigns come down to a simple yet often ignored message: Don’t allow
people to hit you. Don’t hit people. Don’t scream or threaten them, either.
The people in your life are not put there as punching bags, as objects on
which to relieve your temper or frustrations.
Domestic violence knows no bounds of culture, socioeconomic class or age.
Men also are victims of domestic violence, but the large majority is women.
Women without money face higher hurdles trying to find a haven for
themselves and their children. We applaud community shelters such as My
Sister’s Place in Chandler, which take in women and help them find their
way beyond the violence. Mesa’s Center Against Family Violence also opens
its doors to victims needing solace. If you are a victim or know someone
who needs help, call the national hotline: 1-800-799-7233.
Even more tragic than the women who stay in violent relationships is the
children they bring with them. More than half the female victims of
domestic violence have children under age 12 in the home. The message those
youngsters learn is clear: Anger and violence are a normalcy in their
lives.
That message plays out in our community’s teens. One in five high school
girls reported being physically or sexually abused by a boyfriend,
according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. That’s one in
five who likely will go on to be adult victims.
That’s why it’s called the Cycle of Abuse. It just keeps rejuvenating,
until someone intervenes to end it.
Last October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This October it cycled
around again.
Wouldn’t it be nice if an October came without need of such awareness?