Every single day, we hear about all of the tragedies and problems going on in the world. We hear about gun control, terrorism, abortion, addiction, poverty, homelessness, and more, every time we turn on the news or listen to the radio. Nobody wants to constantly hear or see all of the bad things going on around us, so we pick up a celebrity gossip magazine or change the channel to "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" and ignore the real issues at hand.
Why don’t we hear more about relationship abuse or domestic violence?
After all, intimate partner violence accounts for 15 percent of all violent crime. After all, every nine seconds in the United States, a woman is assaulted or beaten. After all, one in three women and one in four men will be a victim of physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
Why are we not completely horrified, enraged, and disgusted by these statistics? Why aren’t we doing more to change these numbers? I mean, is it just me who feels this way? Am I the only one that thinks domestic violence is that serious of an issue? Or how about this: am I only fired up about this topic because I'm a woman? Is that it?
Domestic violence is not a women's issue. It is an everybody issue. Domestic violence directly or indirectly impacts every single individual out there, whether they know it or not. It affects all ages, all ethnicities, and both sexes. This is not a "man hitting a woman" issue; this is a "human being assaulting another human being" issue, and if you're a human being, I hate to break it to you, but it is something that could impact you or your loved ones. Now that we've cleared up the fact that this is an everybody issue, we need to look and see how we can fight back.
We’ve heard that we’re the generation that can change the world. We have education, technology, creativity, drive, and most of all, our generation has the responsibility to make changes in our society. We have the ability to improve society in so many ways, and all we have to do is work together to achieve that. It starts with this: it starts with awareness, it starts with education, and lastly and most importantly... it starts with us.
Force this issue to be a priority with your peers, family, teachers, or co-workers. Make a discussion. Have a conversation. We did.
"I think it is important for college-aged people to get involved with domestic violence awareness because we are at the age where we are learning who we are and how we want to be treated in a relationship. It pains me to see people that are in relationships where their partner does not treat them how they deserve to be treated. By educating people about domestic violence and how to avoid it/get out of it, I think we can empower young men and women to seek healthy relationships and help others as well."
-Holly Parker, Sophomore at USC
"I think that it is so important that young people of both genders be aware of domestic abuse. To me, it's astounding that every nine seconds, a woman in the U.S. is assaulted or beaten. I think that making everyone aware of this issue is something that needs to be a larger priority on college campuses. We are at the most susceptible age for domestic abuse, and I think a large majority of young people wouldn't be able to tell you that that is true. It works the same as anything else; the earlier you educate yourself on something, the easier it becomes to recognize and prevent it. We need to empower each other, men and women, to stand up for what is right and understand what is going on in our society. We also need to make it very clear that this is a problem that should not be tolerated by anyone, because if it were you, you would want someone to be equipped to help you."
-Grayson Perry, Junior at USC
"It is so important for young people, especially our generation, to learn about domestic violence so they can see the warning signs of abuse not only in their own relationships, but also in the relationships of other people around them. After a tragedy happens, we often find ourselves saying 'What if?' What if we knew they were unhappy? What if we knew they were being abused? And upon reflection, we find that we DID know, and it's absolutely terrifying and heartbreaking. That is why I'm involved with domestic violence awareness, because I don't want to ever ask 'What if.' Everyone deserves to be in a happy, respectful, and uplifting relationship, and I believe domestic violence awareness is a key factor in making that happen."
-Mandy Bidinger, Sophomore at USC
