October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which is dedicated to raising awareness and educating the public about the indiscriminate nature of domestic violence, directly lifting survivors, and holding their abusers accountable.
Domestic violence, or intimate partner violence, goes beyond the barriers of race, gender, level of income, and education. The violence inflicted by abusers not only harms victims, but the whole family and sends pain through the community.
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said one of the reasons why her office focuses on domestic violence is because it can be deadly and it affects future generations.
“We know that children that grew up in homes where they suffered domestic violence grow up at higher rates becoming victims or abusers because violence is normalized,” Stephan said.
“Violence is never loved and violence is never a healthy way to show love and express a healthy relationship,” Stephan said.
The most recent statistics show that San Diego County had a 3% increase in domestic violence reports, rising from 17,679 in 2020 to more than 18,000 in 2021. Despite seeing an increase in reports, Stephan’s office reported nine deaths due to domestic violence in 2021, a decrease from the county’s average of 13.
“One death is too many. It is preventable. There is hope for abusers to interrupt those cycles, learn about their anger and get away from expressing violence in relationships. Here is also hope for victims,” Stephan said.
According to the National Coalition of Domestic Violence, Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another.
It includes physical violence, sexual violence, psychological violence, and emotional abuse. The NCDV notes that the frequency and severity of domestic violence can vary dramatically, the one constant component of domestic violence is one partner’s consistent efforts to maintain power and control over the other.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month was launched more than 30 years ago in 1987 to connect and unite individuals and organizations working with victims of domestic violence while raising awareness for those issues.
Visit the San Diego County District Attorney’s webpage for more information about domestic violence, the signs, and resources.
For anonymous, confidential help available 24/7, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE).
