The Charleston Job Corps Center recognized Domestic Violence Awareness Month with a guest speaker on Oct. 10 during the Monday business meeting. Students and staff heard from Kenyatta Grant, community organizing coordinator with the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, who stressed that “domestic violence can happen to anyone. It does not discriminate based on race, class or gender.”

The West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence offers resources to assist individuals and families across the state. Grant stated, “It’s not just the individual who goes through domestic violence, but the entire family is affected.” Grant encouraged attendees to “help bring awareness about domestic violence beyond the month of October because it happens every day.” She also shared the warning signs of domestic violence and how victims and get help.

According to coalition’s website www.wvcadv.org:
1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men in the United States have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner.
On a typical day, domestic violence hotlines receive approximately 21,000 calls, 15 calls per minute.
Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime.
The presence of a gun in the home during a domestic violence incident increases the risk of homicide by at least 500%.
72% of all murder-suicides involved an intimate partner; 94% of the victims of these crimes are female.
Charleston Job Corps Center prominently displayed a purple wreath in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness at the center’s reception area.

If you are or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, please contact the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence at (304) 965-3552. In emergency situations, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE.