Washington, D.C. October 2015 — National Council of Catholic Women Supports Domes-tic Violence Awareness Month with New Domestic Violence Resource
Nearly 1 out of every 4 U.S. women are the victims of severe intimate partner violence, accord-ing to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Women are much more likely to be victims of intimate partner violence with 85% of domestic abuse victims being women. Violence of any kind—physical, sexual, psychological or verbal—is never justified. NCCW joins other advocates in promoting Domestic Violence Awareness Month by announcing our new resource, Women Healing the Wounds, available in both English and Spanish.
“For many years, NCCW has been active in the issue of domestic violence. We are hopeful this new resource will give courage to victims to leave their abuser as well as educate others on the signs exhibited by persons experiencing domestic violence,” explained Sheila Hopkins, NCCW President. “In the Catholic Church, we celebrate Respect Life in the month of October and this is a respect life issue as well.”
Since NCCW’s first Resolution on Pornography in 1970 and the first Resolution on Domestic Violence in 1993, the National Council of Catholic Women has worked to raise awareness about the dangers of pornography and to protect women from domestic violence. Domestic violence affects women, children, the workplace and legal systems; it is a critical healthcare issue and a right to life issue.
The 51-page resource, Women Healing the Wounds, provides everything women need to know about the issue and what we, practically, can do about it. It is available to download free of charge, at nccw.org. Women Healing the Wounds includes a customizable safety flyer, a section on teen dating violence, resources, Church teaching, and more. Please visit the website, www.nccw.org. A copy can be downloaded (under the Commission tab ) or ordered from the online NCCW shop .
For more information, call Laraine Bennett at 703-224-0990 or email [email protected].