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Raising awareness about the problem of domestic violence

The statistics are as grim as the display of 82 crosses outside First Covenant Church, each representing a life lost to domestic violence in Michigan in the past year.

Nationwide, an incident of domestic violence is reported every minute, on average, in the United States; two women die each week at the hands of their assailant. One in four women will be a victim of a domestic assault in her lifetime, according to Caring House, which offers shelter, sexual assault and domestic violence services, counseling and other resources in Dickinson County for those touched by such abuse.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, aimed at making people aware both of the problem and services available to address this ongoing threat.

“The month is set aside to mourn those who have died because of domestic violence, celebrate those who have survived and connecting all of us who strive to end the national tragedy of domestic violence,” said Cheryl O’Neil, executive director.

To bring the problem closer to home, Caring House from October 2014 to September 2015, its last fiscal year with figures, housed 122 people, assisted another 539 not living in the shelter and heard concerns related to sexual assault from 88 individuals. That’s nearly 750 individuals affected by violence enough to seek help.

Center staff also handled 1,382 crisis calls during that time and provided 15,572 individual counseling sessions.

A statewide survey further reflects the scope of the problem: in one day, 2,607 victims were served, 1,762 victims sought refuge in emergency shelters or transitional housing, 845 adults and children received non-residential assistance and 593 hotline calls were answered.

And that doesn’t include the numbers that perhaps remained silent about their plight, out of fear or perceived shame.

Caring House and others will further mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month with a “Break the Silence, End the Violence” processions through the Iron Mountain and Iron River areas.

Supporters of this effort – including law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, Caring House representatives and members of the public – will gather at the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Department at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday and then drive with sirens blaring and horns honking “to demonstrate our community’s efforts to ‘Break the Silence, End Domestic Violence,'” Caring House officials said.

The same type of display will take place in Iron River starting at noon Oct. 19 at the West Iron County Fire Hall on Ninth Avenue.

“We hope the ‘Break the Silence, End the Violence’ event will assist the community to better understand the extent of this problem and the life and death consequences of domestic violence,” Iron County Prosecutor’s Office officials said.

Let’s hope, too, the effort to illuminate and eliminate the dark stain in the community can be sustained even after the crosses come down and the Domestic Violence Awareness Month ends.

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