Ending Domestic Violence Would Be A Win for Everyone

Daily writing prompt

If you had a million dollars to give away, who would you give it to?

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As October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I would give a million dollars to the various groups that work tirelessly to put an end to the violence in people’s homes. These groups include the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), an organization whose mission is to “lead, mobilize, and raise our voices to support efforts that demand a change of conditions that lead to domestic violence, such as patriarchy, privilege, racism, sexism, and classism.” As a former survivor speaker for a group funded by NCADV, I want to see everyone, men and women, safe in their own homes.

Yes, men are also the victims of domestic violence, although the vast majority of victims are women. As a sociology professor, I ensured that students read research on both genders as victims, because men find it difficult to get help, because men are not meant to let women dominate them, and cause them physical hurt. Yet, it doesn’t matter who is the victim; we must find ways to hold perpetrators responsible to the community, and we must not turn our heads when we see domestic violence occur, considering it a personal issue. We all pay for the consequences of domestic violence in lost productivity, the costs of medical services to victims, and the number of children left with lifelong traumas who often become abusers as adults.

I am thankful for the people who helped me escape the violence. I am grateful for their empathy and compassion. I survived two near-death experiences, but so many other victims do not. It is in their memory that I would give money to provide housing, means of escape, security for victims and their children, and hope to live free of the violence. As a Christian, I can do no less, because people of God are called to be the Lord’s hands and feet, meaning to provide the means by which God keeps His promises. One promise is found in Psalm 18:48, which refers to God as the One “who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes; from a violent man you rescued me.” I seek to be part of those who work tirelessly to rescue from the violent men and women. I believe we all are.

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