VALDOSTA —
October is Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, focusing attention on an issue that affects millions each year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention monitor violence just as they do other causes of death and injury, and the statistics on intimate partner violence is frightening.
According to the CDC:
• 1 in 5 women will be raped in their lifetime; 1 in 71 men will be raped in their lifetime.
• 1 in 6 women have been stalked in their lifetime; 1 in 19 men have been stalked in their lifetime.
• 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men are victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner.
• Approximately 80 percent of female victims experienced their first rape before the age of 25 and almost half experienced their first rape before age 18; 30 percent between 11 and 17 years old and 12 percent at or before the age of 10.
• About 35 percent of women, who were raped as minors, were also raped as adults compared to 14 percent of women without an early rape history.
• About 28 percent of male victims of rape were first raped when they were 10 or younger.
Considering the lifelong impacts of the cycle of violence, the disproportionate victimization of females and young children, and the long-term effects on health, safety and family status, the issue of domestic abuse is one that touches everyone.
Being aware of the statistics is not enough. As a society, there needs to be a much greater effort to not only prevent intimate physical and sexual violence but to keep it from being considered normal, mainstream, or acceptable in any way. It is not now nor should it ever be considered OK to victimize another individual, particularly one in your own home.
What We Think
Being aware of domestic violence
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Thoughts on graduation
Graduation ceremonies reflect how life marches on. For the students receiving their diplomas and degrees, graduation is a culmination of the majority of their lives’ work.
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Thumbs up, thumbs down
THUMBS UP: To Dr. John Gaston, retiring dean of Valdosta State University’s College of the Arts. For the past 10-plus years, Gaston has worked to build a more interconnected program with various artistic and communications departments working together. Given that you are likely to see one College of the Arts department collaborating with another during events is proof of Gaston’s success.
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On the go this weekend
Take a breath.
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Sharing the roads with motorcycles
With the recent pleasant temperatures and sunny skies, the number of motorcycles on area roads has increased.
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Thank your local law enforcement today
Today, May 15, was designated Peace Officers Memorial Day back in 1962 when President John F. Kennedy was in office.
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Visit musical roots this weekend
Beginning Saturday, May 18, Nashville, Ga., will be hosting a special Smithsonian exhibit, “New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music.” The exhibit will continue through the end of June and Nashville has done a tremendous job in promoting and planning for the exhibit.
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Happy Mother’s Day!
A few years ago, a television commercial asked, Who first believed in you? Many folks may have instinctively answered by simply saying, Mom.
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Thumbs up
THUMBS UP: To mail workers, volunteers and food bank staff for gathering food for the annual Stamp Out Hunger postal food drive today. A plastic bag designated for canned goods and other non-perishable food items should have arrived in your mailbox earlier this week. If you haven’t already, take a few moments to fill the bag with food and hang from your mailbox. If you didn’t receive the special Stamp Out Hunger bag, any plastic bag filled with food will do. This food drive helps feed thousands of South Georgians annually. Valdosta-Lowndes County often donates more food than nearly all other cities and counties in Georgia.
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Celebrating nurses
She is considered the founder of modern nursing so it seems only natural that National Nurses Week would include Florence Nightingale’s birthday.
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Helping the hungry: Mail it in!
Valdosta-Lowndes County continues revealing its generous spirit.
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Thoughts on graduation
