Let's End Domestic Violence - Not Just the Awareness Month

Dear friends,


It's October 31, and this month has been Domestic Violence Awareness month. The month might be ending, but unfortunately domestic violence has not. One quick look at the news will show you that.

I'm not just thinking about physical violence between intimate partners, but also emotional abuse, and abuse of other members of the family (such as children and the elderly. Let's not forget human trafficking victims either.

You can do your part. Educate yourself and others. Take a stand. Intervene in an abusive situation if needed. And by all means, get to safety if you or your children are in danger.

I have included a whole bunch of images in this post that you can download to your computer and then upload again to post on Facebook, your blog, or other social media. And please share this post on Facebook or your blog, too!

My domestic violence resource page has a bunch of links, including my own articles, but here are some links that aren't on there yet. I encourage you to read them carefully.

Here are the links:

• Joyful Mom of Many - mother of 12 and a veteran of home schooling - shares her story of escaping domestic violence here: Part 1 and Part 2 and her resource page.
• Abuse and Relationships - a very comprehensive site on the psychology and tactics of abuse. I was particularly impressed by the article Communal Abuse, which is not about domestic violence, but about controlling behavior within communities such as cults.
• Confronting Domestic Violence with Love and Authority
• The Bible's Unequivocal "No" to Domestic Violence
• The Christian Coalition Against Domestic Abuse
• Focus Ministries Domestic Violence Help
• The 4D's of Bystander Intervention: How to Make the World a Better Place
• Hurts Me More Than You series at Homeschoolers Anonymous highlights the very real problem of child abuse within some home schooling families. If you are a Christian or a home school parent, you are likely to be quite offended, but read it anyway. I don't agree with everything on the site, but they are saying a lot of things that need to be said. We simply cannot close our eyes to the problems and chalk it up to home school alumni being "bitter" or "rebellious" about their upbringing.
• Domestic Violence Awareness Month with Leslie Vernick

As a reminder, here are the links to my own DV articles:

Domestic Violence Interviews 

• Abigail's Story: Responses to DV
• Elizabeth's Story: DV in a Ministry Home
• Lynn's Story: A Dangerous Engagement

Domestic Violence Dynamics and Responses 

• We Can't Ignore Domestic Violence
• Why Couples Counseling is Not Recommended for Abusive Marriages
• Bonding and Bondage in Abusive Relationships 
• Psychological Socialism: Manipulating through Equalizing Blame
• Abuse Thrives in a Culture of Shame and Silence
• Child Discipline or Child Abuse?