KCADV October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence (KCADV) to Host Virtual Press Conference with Governor Andy Beshear on Oct. 14 at 11 a.m.

FRANKFORT, KY, USA, October 9, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence (KCADV) announces October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). Throughout October, KCADV will lead an awareness and fundraising campaign to promote their mission to end domestic violence in Kentucky.

“Kentucky’s rate of domestic violence is higher than the national average,” says Angela Yannelli, CEO of KCADV. “Together, we can change this statistic and make Kentucky a leader in promoting healthy relationships.”

According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Assault Survey, in the US, over 1 in 3 women (37.3%) experienced sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking victimization by an intimate partner during her lifetime. In Kentucky, the rate is 45.3%.

In the US, 47.1% of women experienced psychological aggression in the form of name calling, insulting or humiliating an intimate partner, and coercive control which includes behaviors that are intended to monitor and control or threaten an intimate partner. But KY has the highest rate of every state in the nation at 57.2%.

“Beyond injury and death, survivors of intimate partner violence are more likely to suffer damage to their mental and physical health, making it an ongoing health crisis,” says Yannelli.

Yannelli will join KCADV board Vice President Tori Henninger in welcoming Governor Andy Beshear to a live virtual press conference on October 14 at 11 a.m. Governor Beshear will read a proclamation of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The press conference will also feature remarks by Yannelli and Henninger as well as a commemoration of the lives lost to domestic violence in Kentucky in the last year. The virtual event will be followed by a talk-back featuring a panel of experts on the subject of gender-based violence in Kentucky. Attendees are encouraged to wear purple or display purple in their Zoom backgrounds to show solidarity with KCADV’s commitment to end domestic violence.

Later that evening, the Governor’s Mansion in Frankfort will be illuminated with purple lights.

“Domestic violence is a public health issue just as COVID-19 is a public health issue,” says Yannelli. “Many of the conditions experienced during the pandemic are also risk factors that may increase the likelihood for the perpetration of domestic violence, such as unemployment, social isolation, depression, and substance use.”

“Further, the connection between ending domestic violence and having better health outcomes is addressing social inequities that are rooted in oppression and privilege,” says Yannelli. “Maintaining power and control is the fundamental component in an abusive relationship just as it is a fundamental principle behind racism, classism, sexism and other forms of oppression. To this end, we must fight all forms of oppression if we hope to end domestic violence.”

About KCADV

KCADV is a strong, statewide voice on ending intimate partner violence in our homes and communities. KCADV is rounded in the belief that intimate partner violence is part of a systemic pattern of oppression and that systems created by a combination of privilege, prejudice and institutional power enable and spread disparities, injustices and violence. KCADV nurtures and mobilizes its members and external partnerships to combat multiple forms of oppression that intersect with gender-based violence, including racism, homelessness, and poverty.

Through a network of the fifteen regional domestic violence shelters serving all 120 counties in Kentucky, KCADV strives to provide safe, affirming care that is trauma-informed, presumes the inherent innocence, worthiness, and competence of survivors, and fosters meaningful access to services and resources.

KCADV Mission

The Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence mobilizes and supports member programs and allies to end intimate partner violence.

KCADV Vision

Inspired by the voices of survivors, KCADV creates social change to:
Ensure that survivors have access to and choice of services.
Address root causes of intimate partner violence.
Hold abusers accountable.
Encourage the development of trauma-informed laws, policies, and procedures across all systems.
Prevent future acts of intimate partner violence.

Contact us: www.kcadv.org

Candace Chaney
Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence
+1 859-361-1584
email us here
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