Senator Parker Recognizes October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

(Brooklyn, NY) -Senator Parker (D-Brooklyn) today announced that October 2013 is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

“Last year 58% of female homicide victims in New York aged 16 and up were killed by an intimate partner, Senator Parker said. “That horrific violence must end, and we must work together starting with raising awareness of domestic violence in our communities and our willingness to reach out to friends, family, and neighbors to let them know that help is available and they don’t have to go it alone.”

Domestic Violence accounted for more than a quarter (27%) of reported physical assault cases in New York State during 2012. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 70% of domestic violence incidents go unreported. Victims who survive domestic violence often suffer mental and emotional trauma, and include women, men, and children. Children who witness violence in the home, including the aftermath, can suffer severe emotional and developmental difficulties that are similar to those who have been abused directly.

“Domestic violence is an epidemic in New York, and we must take concerted action so that women, men and children do not have to continue to live in fear,” Senator Parker continued. “That is why the issue of addressing and ending domestic violence and helping its victims to reclaim their lives remains one of my top priorities.”

The State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence was formed in 1992 to prevent and increase response to domestic violence, and works in conjunction with local communities, the Department of Justice, and non-public organizations.

For more information and resources, visit:

http://www.opdv.ny.gov/index.html

http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/index.html

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About Senator Kevin Parker

Senator Kevin S. Parker is intimately familiar with the needs of his ethnically diverse Brooklyn community that consists of 318,000 constituents in Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Ditmas Park, Kensington, Windsor Terrace, and Park Slope.  He is the Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee, Assistant Democratic Leader for Intergovernmental Affairs, and Chair of the Democratic Task Force on New Americans.

 Contact: Sonia. A. M. Daly ‌‌‌‌‌| SDaly@nysenate.gov | 718-629-6401 ph | 347-699-0693 cell