The following sample article is for your service leaflet, newsletter, or whatever seems the best venue for your community. It is important that people know that the issue of domestic violence is one that the faith community is concerned about and that the survivors and abusers have somewhere to turn for help. Please include the insert with resource telephone numbers. That line elicited laughs 40 years ago, but today would not because we are becoming more aware of domestic violence and its devastating effects on our families and our communities.
Domestic violence is a pervasive problem in our city.
In 1998, San Antonio Police Department responded to 31,553 family violence and domestic disturbance calls, one call every 15 minutes day and night all year long. Then consider all the calls our police didn't receive from victims and you get a truer picture of the magnitude of the problem. This means that there is a good chance that a woman you know, a woman who may sit next to you in church, synagogue, or place of worship, has or will be a victim of abuse. Domestic abuse and battery between partners is a serious offense that must be stopped. In an effort to raise awareness of the horrors of domestic abuse, Congress has designated October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.