Domestic Violence awareness

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month.

I'm neither a victim nor survivor of domestic violence. And I thank God for that every single day. But there are women, men, kids walking around who are. They have secrets and demons.

My mom is a survivor, and my hero.

I read the posts on VU.com to be aware, to offer support and to ensure the contributor doesn't feel alone or at fault. I don't know why. It moves me.

I'm so moved, I wanted to share this "refresher" that maggie posted. You never ever know just who's reading and if someone is helped, well, then I'm paying it forward.

(from maggie at violenceunsilenced)
I thought this might be a good time to offer a quick refresher on the Violence UnSilenced project. Please pass this post on; it is highly likely you know someone who needs it, whether you realize it or not. Domestic violence and sexual abuse/assault impact all of our lives.

* Violence UnSilenced features two survivor stories each week, on Monday and Thursday at noon central time. At this point in time I don’t want to run them more frequently, because I want each survivor to have sufficient time to garner support from the community.

* Anyone can have his or her story posted on Violence UnSilenced. You don’t have to be a “writer”, you don’t have to be a blogger, you don’t have to go through an approval process.

* This site is not just for survivors. Perhaps just as importantly it’s for non-survivors to listen to and support the brave people willing to speak out. Each comment is so important. You can also show your support and help spread the word about VU by “taking the pledge,” wherein you paste this badge on your website and I add your blog to the blogroll.

* Violence UnSilenced is not a forum. It is not a space for debate, or free and open discussion. This is a safe space, and only supportive comments are tolerated.

* If you would like to submit your story, email it to me at maggie [at] violenceunsilenced [dot] com and I will add it to the queue. Please try to keep your post between 700-900 words. Due to the number of submissions it may take me a day or two to respond. If you do not hear from me within three days please resubmit.

* PLEASE DO NOT POST YOUR VIOLENCE UNSILENCED STORY ON YOUR OWN BLOG. We can work together on supplmentary posts, but fresh material here is appreciated.

* I will never run your story without contacting you first. You will always have some warning, and the opportunity to make additional changes to your piece.

* Since Violence UnSilenced launched in February 2009, we’ve had a several month wait list. Submissions, with some exceptions, are run in the order in which I receive them.

* We have added a Wednesday Q&A feature. If there is something you would like to know about domestic violence and/or sexual assault, please email our volunteer expert Carrie K. at carrie [at] violence unsilenced [dot] com.