Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Word from Winkler

A huge problem
By Jim Winkler, General Secretary, General Board of Church & Society

I confess that I don’t think often about domestic violence. I have never considered striking a woman. I didn’t spank my children. Domestic violence, to the best of my knowledge, has not taken place in my family. I know, though, that domestic violence is a huge problem the world over.

I know people who have been abused. Therefore, domestic violence is a concern of mine.


Six in ten adults report that they personally know someone who has experienced domestic violence, according to research cited by the National Domestic Violence Hotline. One in three teenagers report knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, kicked, choked or physically hurt by their partner.

October is “Domestic Violence Awareness Month.” It has been commemorated since 1987 as a means of raising awareness about this plague on society. Purple is the color that marks the observation. When you mix black and blue you get purple.

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence says its occurrence may include not only the intimate partner relationships of spousal, live-in partners and dating relationships, but also familial, elder and child abuse may be present in a violent home. Abuse generally falls into one or more of the following categories: physical battering, sexual assault and emotional or psychological abuse, and generally escalates over a period of time.

This is a good time for people to become familiar with domestic violence service agencies in their communities, how to contact battered women’s shelters, and to learn how your community is addressing domestic violence.


It is also an excellent occasion to discuss domestic violence in your congregation. Domestic Violence Awareness Month should be lifted up from the pulpit, highlighted in adult forums, and discussed in United Methodist Youth Fellowship gatherings.

Education and prevention make more sense than having to spend a lot of time and money dealing with the consequences of domestic violence. Alcohol problems, school dropouts and crime are just a few other societal ills that can result from domestic violence.

In the United States, the General Board of Church & Society has supported full funding of children’s services, prevention programs, law enforcement initiatives on domestic violence, rape crisis centers, and other state and local programs that provide services for victims and families. The amount of money spent on these programs is a tiny fraction of what society spends on weapons and training for war and violence.

Domestic violence crosses all barriers of race, ethnicity, nationality, social and economic class, and marital status. Domestic violence includes physical battering, sexual assault, emotional and psychological abuse.

Everywhere in the world, men commit most incidents of domestic violence. Men are usually larger and stronger than women. They use their size and power to harm and intimidate women. It’s common and it’s wrong.

According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, research indicates that one in four women has been physically assaulted or raped by an intimate partner as compared to one in 14 men. Research also reveals that as many as half of the men who batter partners also abuse their children.

This is a problem not often addressed in church. It’s ugly and messy. The victims often get blamed for their own situation: “What did she do to set him off?” “Why doesn’t she just take the kids and leave?” “If she stays, she deserves what she gets.”

We can be harsh and judgmental.

This is a situation the local church needs to address. We need to minister to victims, educate our people about the problem, advocate for funding for programs that combat domestic violence, and work to break the cycle of violence.

Date: 9/29/2008
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