Every three seconds, someone becomes a victim of domestic violence. That number only counts physical violence. There are many other forms, including sexual, verbal, psychological and financial.
“There’s always this misconception that it’s strictly a women’s issue. It impacts all of us,” says Victor Rivas Rivers.
The actor, activist and author recently spoke at a fundraiser for the Fort Bend Women’s Center. In his memoir A Private Family Matter, Rivas details his father’s years of abuse.
“I think it’s time for men to understand it’s men’s violence against women,” he says.
The numbers back Rivas up. One in three women and one in four men are physically abused by a partner in their lifetime. In 96 percent of those cases, men are the attacker.
It is a life-or-death issue. Seventy-two percent of murder-suicides involve an intimate partner and 94 percent of those victims are women.
“What begins in our homes and in our relationships is the same violence we fear in our schools, in our streets and in our world,” says Rivas. “It’s an issue all of us have to stand shoulder-to-shoulder to fight.”
So what can you do? Simply understanding and being able to identify the signs of domestic violence is important. If you need help, organizations like the Fort Bend Women’s Center are here to answer your call: 281-342-HELP (4357).