End the Abuse
Immediate Release
October 19, 2011
Batavia, Ohio. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), one out of every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. “This is an epidemic that impacts individuals in every community, regardless of age, economic status, race, religion, or economic background,” said Katy Collura, shelter and outreach coordinator with the YWCA Eastern Area, serving Clermont, Brown, and Adams counties. “Our House of Peace Shelter is at capacity and we are seeing an increase in calls to our hotline.” In September, 456 calls were made to the local YWCA 24-hour crisis hotline at (513) 753-7281. “We encourage people to call for assistance in abusive situations,” she said. “Most cases of domestic violence are not reported to police. The abusers say they will change and it will not happen again; without help, most don’t change. Many victims think they have to stay in an abusive situation because there is nowhere else to go. We can help.”
Collura defines domestic violence as the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior perpetrated by one intimate partner against another. “It’s often a power and control issue,” she said. “Many times the victim is led to believe that the abuse is her own fault because she isn’t doing something right. Abusers like to get into their victims minds. No woman deserves to be abused.”
Domestic violence is the leading cause of injuries to women, according to the NCADV. The coalition reports that 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner. “Tragically, many of these abuse cases result in physical injury, psychological trauma, and even death,” said Collura. To view an interview with Collura about domestic violence, visit the website www.clermontcountyohio.gov/video10142011ywca.aspx.
Pictured above: The YWCA Eastern Area office is located at 55 S. Fourth Street in Batavia. For more information call 732-0450 or visit the website www.ywca.org.
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For additional information about this or other county news, contact Clermont County Communications Director Kathy Lehr at (513) 732-7597 or by e-mail, klehr@ clermontcountyohio.gov.