By Nicole Winks
The month of October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Domestic Violence Awareness Month came from the Day of Unity which was originally celebrated and then it was extended to a week. In 1989, Congress passed legislation creating Domestic Violence Awareness Month. During the month of October, activists against domestic violence use the color purple to promote awareness.
Some of the signs of a violent relationship include: feeling like you are being controlled in any way; feeling fearful of your partner; having a partner that constantly puts you down or calls you names; having your partner constantly threaten to leave or to take your children away; or a general sense of not feeling safe.
There are also some abusive red flags that everyone should know. These red flags include: pressure to move fast into a relationship or pressure for immediate commitment, the partner has been abusive in past relationships and the partner has an overly domineering personality.
The partner may be jealous and possessive and proceeds to isolate you from friends, family, and co-workers. They may have a doubled-sided personality in which your friends see them as a good person, but behind closed doors they are aggressive or angry towards you. They will have the tendency to experience most emotions as anger and will have difficulty expressing other emotions. An abusive partner will also most likely be cruel or violent towards animals and will monitor your whereabouts, activities and spending.
The Family Services, Inc is the domestic violence shelter in Winston-Salem and it is located at 1200 S. Broad Street. Family Services, Inc. has a 24 hour crisis line for domestic violence and for sexual assault. The crisis line for domestic violence is (336) 723-8125 and the crisis line for sexual assault is (336) 722-4457.
Family Services, Inc. also provide many different services for those who come to them. Such services include emergency services, legal and financial assistance services, counseling services, housing services, support services, children’s services and community educational services. This shelter serves individuals, women and families, as well as those who are deaf or disabled or in the LGBTQIA+ community.
For more information go to:
https://www.domesticshelters.org/nc/winston-salem/27101/family-services-inc#.WAVWnCSluKI
thesalemite.org 