According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), National Domestic Violence Awareness Month was first launched in October of 1987 “as a way to connect and unite individuals and organizations working on domestic violence issues while raising awareness for those issues.” The NCADV also recorded that on average, close to 20 people per minute will be physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States alone. One in three women experience physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime, as well as one in six men. Portsmouth Police Department has reported that there have been 485 domestic violence calls as of Sept. 30. This is only slightly less than the year prior which totaled 517.

Brooke Hurley, a former resident of Scioto County, states what National Domestic Violence Month means to her as a survivor: “To me it gives acknowledgement to what people may being going through behind closed doors, and to never judge someone before you truly get to know their hardships. It also is so liberating to know that we have come to a point in our society that we can recognize this issue and work to resolve it so that maybe it may prevent others from facing what many of us have gone through.”

During this month there are educational events, support groups, community gatherings and many more services that allow survivors of domestic violence find resources and help that they might need.

In Portsmouth, Ohio and the surrounding area, there are a number of resources available to those affected by domestic violence:

The Southern Ohio Shelter: offers emergency services, legal and financial assistance services, housing services, support services, children’s services, community educational services, and counseling services. For more information or in a case of emergence please call 800-570-1819.

The Lawrence County Domestic Violence Task Force: offers emergency services, legal and financial assistive services, housing services, support services, and children’s services. For more information call 740-532-7284 and for any emergence call 740-532-7111.

The Partnership Advocacy Center of Pike County: offers emergency services, legal and financial assistance services, housing services, support services, and children’s services. For more information call or in case of emergence call 740-947-1611.

The Safe Harbor of NE KY: offers emergency services, legal and financial assistance services, housing services, support services, children’s services, community educational services, and counseling services. For more information or in a case of emergence please call 606-329-9304.

Ross County Coalition/Phoenix House: offers emergency services, legal and financial assistance services, housing services, support services, and community educational services. For more information or in a case of emergence please call 740-775-5396.