Category: Domestic Abuse

Desperate to Escape:The Link Between Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence

Many victims of human trafficking have also been victims of domestic violence in their past. Childhood sexual abuse is very common in trafficking victims, and the emotional and mental damage from the abuse often leads to adulthood issues that could put a person at further risk of being trafficked later in life.

10 Years Later: The Joe Paterno Saga

As a survivor, we normally assume that most people think like us.  Maybe they have not experienced domestic violence, sexual assault, or child abuse, but you assume that they still find these things as abhorrent as you find them.  It was disheartening to hear these people bend over backwards to defend a cover-up of sexual assault towards children.

The Holidays and Domestic Violence

The Numbers May Lie Do you remember hearing that the Great Wall of China is the only man-made object visible from outer space? This is a piece of trivia that has been passed along since I can remember.  It gets repeated so much that it is very possible that it is the first thing you […]

Better Health Through Giving

… it is important to remember that giving isn’t just about packages that can be wrapped and put under a tree for loved ones.  Giving can be even more emotionally satisfying when it helps people we don’t know.  When we give to someone who is truly in need, we get the biggest reactions and make the biggest impacts.

Looking For A Sign

By Rick Dougherty Social media has been a blessing and a curse for those of us who try to battle violence against women.  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms have allowed organizations like Break the Silence Against Domestic Violence to spread our message.  Unfortunately, as many of us are well aware, social media has also […]

What I Learned (and Had to Unlearn) from Witnessing Financial Abuse

Even the women in his family didn’t think women should be treated equally.  When I later married, they mocked my wife for not taking my last name.  This didn’t come from the men in the family.  It came from the women.  The patriarchal family structure was comforting to all of them, as a protection from a scary world.  Even if that structure suppressed them, it provided a feeling of safety.