Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women – more than car accidents, muggings and rapes combined.
As women, most of us are afraid to walk the streets alone at night – victims of domestic violence are afraid to enter their own home.
Domestic violence is the third leading cause to homelessness.
Most people aren’t fortunate enough to escape an abusive relationship. You would think these victims would be lucky once they finally gain the courage to escape, but that is usually not the case. These victims often leave with the clothes on their backs and a few essentials and don’t have enough money to support themselves. Many of these victims have nowhere else to go but the streets.
Every 15 seconds in the U.S., a woman is assaulted or beaten.
In the amount of time you took to read up to this point, at least three women have suffered from the hands of their partners.
Many of us may not know how it is to walk in her shoes, but we can at least sympathize, take a stand and try to do something about it.
Last Sunday on October 18th at 3 p.m., Her Campus Penn State participated in Walk a Mile in Her Shoes with the members of Sisters on the Runway: Penn State, Alpha Kappa Lambda, Phi Chi Theta, Phi Gamma Nu in support of the Centre County Women’s Resource Center. The participants, males and females, were expected to wear heels and walk a mile around State College.
When the walk started, it was beautiful weather. Despite the slight chill in the air, it was sunny with clear skies. I didn’t mind walking in this weather at all until it took a drastic turn.
Before I could even blink, the chill in the air made me uncomfortable; the sky turned eerily gray, and it started to hail out of nowhere. Personally, this weather put everything in perspective for me. In domestic violence relationships, most of them start off like any ordinary relationship – there is laughter, love and happiness. However, out of nowhere, the light can vanish, and the victim is left in complete darkness. She is cold. She is uncomfortable. She is not prepared for the drastic turn her relationship is undergoing. And here I was, complaining about the discomfort of walking in heels in this weather. But as I was walking, the amount of discomfort I felt is nothing compared to the lives of these domestic violence victims.
After walking a mile in her shoes, I came to a conclusion: real men wear heels. Males are victims of domestic violence, but it is prominently females who suffer the abuse. So the fact that these men were proudly walking around State College to raise awareness about domestic abuse made me feel hopeful. Gender issues aren’t just a female’s problem anymore. There are power in numbers, and the fact that males are recognizing this issue and are right alongside with us shows me that we are moving towards a more positive and peaceful future.
This guy even said to us, “I don’t know how the heck you guys do this.” Walking in heels is easy compared to the victims that walk through life constantly living in fear of their intimate partners – I can’t even imagine how those women do that, and hopefully from events like Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, those women won’t have to walk in fear for much longer.
Domestic violence is so hush hush, that it is a cause that many people fail to recognize. Everyone, especially women, should know more about this issue because 85% of domestic violence victims are women. Fortunately, this event is helping raise awareness and lower statistics.
A mile does make a difference, but there are still miles and miles to go to finally put an end to domestic violence. So grab your heels, and step with us to increase the peace. Are you willing to find out how it feels to Walk a Mile in Her Shoes?
If you’re intersted in learning more about domestic violence or would like to get involved, please check out Sisters on the Runway: Penn State and the Centre County Women’s Resource Center.
Sources: DoSomething.org