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Please help in any way you can to join the fight against domestic violence. You have no idea how strong these women and girls are. But they shouldn't have to be that strong. Please think of these people and what they have to go through.
**Note: please feel free to take one of these butons to put up on your site, and link it back to your e-mail (or mine if you wish) just to offer a little help. Thanks.**
Statistics:
*Over two-thirds of violent victimizations against women were committed by someone known to them.
*On average each year, women experienced 572,032 violent victimizations at the hands of an intimate, compared to 48,983 incidents committed against men.
*It is estimated that 25% of workplace problems such as absenteeism, lower productivity, turnover and excessive use of medical benefits are due to family violence.
*Violence is the reason stated for divorce in 22% of middle-class marriages.
*There are 1,500 shelters for battered women in the United States. There are 3,800 animal shelters. (Sickening, isn't it?)
*Each year, medical expenses from domestic violence total at least $3 to $5 billion.
*Every 15 seconds a woman in this country is beaten by her current or former husband or intimate partner. Studies report a range of between two and four million women being abused annually.
*Domestic violence is the single greatest cause of injury to women.
*More than half of women patients in emergency rooms report that they have been abused at sometime in their lives.
*1/3 of all teenagers report having experienced violence in a dating relationship.
Martina McBride:This brave lady released her signature hit "Independence Day" in 1993. The song was written by Gretchen Peters from the point of view of an 8 year-old girl who is watching her mother endure beating after beating. Martina received high acclaim for her single, and the video, directed by George Deaton and Robert Flannigen, won "Video of the Year" at 1994 CMA Awards and "Song of the Year" at the 1995 CMAs.
"[F]rom the countless letters that I get, you have no idea how a song can change literally...That's not me, that's the song and that's the power of music that can literally change somebody's life." - Martina
Andy Griggs: I truly admire Andy for releasing his song "Waitin' On Sundown" from his "You Won't Ever Be Lonely" album. It didn't get much widespread recognition, but this is the first song I've heard where a guy is helping out a girl in a violent relationship. "So he quit his job and drew his pay/Now he's helpin' Shelby make her getaway." You can't get more thoughtful than that.
Melina Kanakaredes: Melina teamed up with NBC's "The More You Know" campain and spoke out against child abuse. In addition, her character on NBC's "Providence," Dr. Sydney Hansen, has had to deal with patients who have been abused. Way to go, Melina.
"No one likes a busybody. But when it comes to protecting a child, it's everybody's business. If you know a child that you suspect is being abused by a friend, or even a family member, don't keep quiet about it. That child is depending on someone like you. You have the power to stop the abuse. So if you're worried about a child you know, speak up. When you save a child from harm, you're not a busybody. You're a hero."
Ashley Judd: Props go out to Ashley for bravely portraying a woman who is beaten up for protecting her kids in "Where The Heart Is." It shows what women will do when their kids are in danger. The scene in which she is talking to Novalee (Natalie Portman) is very emotional.
Naomi Judd:**Former domestic violence victim Naomi Judd's story makes her a powerful motivational speaker against such injustices. She shows how emotional and physical scars can be transformed into inner strength and fulfillment.
"I felt lucky to have escaped because I knew he could have killed me...I wish there had been a shelter for battered women in West Hollywood in 1973. My heart goes out to battered women, especially those with children and poor finances. There's no place scarier than home." - Naomi Judd Love Can Build A Bridge
Sandra Bullock: Attagirl to Sandra when she played Sally and assisted her sister Gillian (Nicole Kidman) in "Practical Magic" when she was punched in the face by her boyfriend. She also played a victim of violence in "Time To Kill" -- just a brief scene, but it still counts.
Terri Clark: Terri released a song/video called "Every Time I Cry" that dealt with domestic violence along with other social issues. She even arranged for the Domestic Violence Hotline number to appear at the end of the video. Tip your hats to Terri.
Mary Stuart Masterson: In 1999, Mary Stuart Masterson played Fran Bennedetto in the movie "Black and Blue," a book written by Anna Quindlen. The movie revolves around a New York nurse who is married to an abusive NY detective. She finally has enough of the pain and runs with her son across the country for safety. But, with her husband being a detective, she has to work extremely hard to keep her and her son alive. Thank-you Mary.
"But he's nice on your birthday, so you stay. Your kid starts a new school, so you stay. And then it's summer, and it's the holidays, and twelve years go by." - Mary as Fran Bennedetto
*Christina Applegate: In the September 1999 issue of Jane magazine, actress Christina Applegate ("Married with Children," "Jesse") describes her experiences in a long-term, abusive relationship:
"I felt I couldn't trust people, and [my boyfriend] came into my life and said all the things that someone in my position needed to hear: 'You can trust me. I'm the only one who's on your side.' A lot of brainwashing. His control over me was his main focus. That's how it started... From there it got darker and darker, his desire for control became harder for him, 'till finally it was violence, frightening and all very dramatic. I'd like people to realize that anybody can get themselves into that kind of situation. I hate it when people say, 'Oh, she was weak, that's how it happened.' It has nothing to do with that." -- Christina Applegate
*Mary-Chapin Carpenter and John Jennings:
Singer-songwriter John Jennings (not pictured) produced an album, I Belong To You, which features songs dealing with pressing social issues, including domestic violence. Mary-Chapin Carpenter and Jennings sing the title song together. It includes the sarcastic lyrics:
"This is all so beautifully wrapped. Everybody knows lovers' lives are sealed with a slap... I look good in black and blue. How could I be sad? I belong to you." -- "I Belong To You"
*Anna Quindlen: On November 17, 1999 CBS aired Black and Blue, a made-for-TV movie based on Anna Quindlen's novel of the same name. The movie, which stars Mary Stuart Masterson and Anthony LaPaglia (mentioned above), tells the story of a battered woman who goes "underground" with her son to escape abuse.
"The first time my husband hit me I was 19 years old." In Black and Blue, Frances Benedetto's story of spousal abuse is emotional and explains why women stay in abusive marriages, enduring the physical and emotional scars they receive.After the first time Bobby hits Frannie, she thinks, "Once we get married, he'll be fine." After they marry, Bobby gets worse and Frannie tries to calm herself thinking, "Once we have a baby, he'll calm down." But even after Robert is born, Bobby continues to lay on the physical and emotional beating. After almost 2 decades of marriage, Frannie realizes that nothing will change Bobby's abusive and violent behavior. With the help of a former victim, Patty Bancroft, Frannie disappears from New York and attempts to blend into the suburbs in Florida with her son. But soon, Frannie realizes that she cannot erase her past or stay on the run from Bobby forever. Even the United States is a small place when one is trying to hide. A compassionate and graphic book about spousal abuse with a shocking ending, Black and Blue is prone to make readers flinch and cry yet keep turning the pages and they get deeper and deeper into the root of abuse. CBS aired the number for the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-END-ABUSE) at the end of the broadcast, which raised issues about what family members, friends and health care providers can do to help battered women.
*Oprah Winfrey
The Oprah Winfrey Show has done a number of very powerful programs on domestic violence, including shows addressing the role of friends and neighbors, employers' response to domestic violence, the connection between athletes and abuse, men who are battered, and children who witness domestic abuse in their home.
