October brings a lot of great things: fall weather, pumpkin spice lattes, comfy sweaters, and domestic abuse awareness. That's right, October is Domestic Abuse Awareness Month. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), approximately 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States and individuals between ages 18 and 24 are the most commonly abused in terms of age. This is absolutely terrifying and needs to be addressed, which is why the movement #PutTheNailInIt was started.
Have you seen people walking around with one nail painted purple? Well, this is more than just some fashion trend -- it's a signal for support or a possibly cry for help.
Safe Horizon, the non-profit that started the movement, seeks to provide support, prevent violence, and promote justice victims of crime and abuse and started the social media campaign in order to raise awareness for this ever growing problem. #PutTheNailInIt is a subtle way to show your support for individuals that are victim to this heinous act. The one purple nail (the color purple represents domestic abuse awareness) is a simple and subtle way to start a conversation and shatter the silence that often surrounds domestic violence.
Many different celebrities have shown their support to this by painting their nail and speaking out about experience that they've had in the past. Personalities, including Tameron Hall, Dave Navarro, and Michael Bolton all sport their purple ring finger while being advocates for something that affects 1 in 3 females and 1 in 4 males -- a statistic that grows more and more with each day that passes by.
More than just men and women are subject to this needless violence, though. Domestic violence crosses all barriers, affecting 1 in 15 children. This is more than forceful contact -- this includes sexual assault, stalking, and emotional abuse that an individual in an intimate-type relationship is purposefully exposed to.
This movement is meant to bring awareness, break the stigma, and end this needless violence that often goes unreported. It's meant to remind individuals that they are not alone in something that many isolate themselves in. There are other options; there is an out.
If you or somebody that you know is going through this situation, or you need someone to talk to, you can call this 24-hour hotline: 1-800-621-HOPE (4673).
You are not alone. Along with this month and along with this movement, we can find a way to end the abuse once and for all, finally putting the nail in the coffin: putting the nail in domestic violence.
