Westside Story Newspaper – Online The News of The Empire – Sharing the Quest for Excellence
By Lue Dowdy
Breaking the Silence is WHAT IT DO! Domestic violence is on an all-time rise. It seems like every other day you hear about a young lady being killed by the hands of her spouse or lover. Just recently a friend of mine loss his daughter due to domestic violence. Although I didn’t know the young lady personally, it hit home.
LOVE and FEAR are two of the main reasons individuals suffering from abuse stay silent. I myself have experienced physical, mental and verbal abuse. I never said a word. I just suffered in silence praying that it would stop because I was in love with my abuser; it made things more difficult for me.
I didn’t have the nerves or the guts to speak out and seek help. I kept finding excuses not to leave. It would be days which I would literally go into work battered and bruised with a big smile on my face in order to masquerade what I went through last night. I was ashamed and embarrassed that this was happening to me, a woman that is supposed to be strong and unshakable. But I got out, I was one of the lucky ones. I was able to escape before things took a darker turn. I’m grateful to the Creator that I no longer suffer from abuse.
I want to encourage anyone dealing with domestic violence or know of a person going through it to please seek help. Domestic violence against men exist too. People need to realize that abuse can happen in a heterosexual relationship or same sex relationship. Research the signs of an abuser to see if you may have a potential abuser in your life.
According to The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence statistics show that on average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. For one year this equates to more than 10 million women and men. There are free community agencies that can assist you with referrals for shelter and resources such as ‘211’.
This has been a PSA from LUE Productions. Please share this message. At the end of the day you may be closer to saving a LIFE! Until next week L’s!
