BECOMING AWARE OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE  

Could you graduate from Harvard and still not realize you are marrying an abuser after he choked you five days before your wedding? Would you marry him anyway?
 
This happened to Leslie Morgan Steiner! Like her, this happens all too often to those who do not know what domestic violence is or ignore the early warning signs of a potentially abusive relationship. 

• Domestic violence happens to people of every educational and socioeconomic level and in all races, religions and age groups.
• You don't have to wait for someone to treat you bad repeatedly. All it takes is once, and if they get away with it that once, if they know they can treat you like that, then it sets the pattern for the future.
• Domestic abuse, also called intimate partner violence, is the systematic suffocation of another person's spirit.
• Not knowing the dynamics of domestic violence threatens our children, our family members, and our community.

Sources:  Search online -  “Youtube Video on Why Domestic Violence Victims Don’t Leave by Leslie Morgan Steiner” and also search online – “Youtube Video on Victim: My Abuser Was a ‘sympathetic character”; https://online.rutgers.edu/awareness-of-domestic-violence-and-abusive-relationships/ &  https://www.healthyplace.com/  
If you or someone you know is being abused, seek help today. In an emergency, please dial 911. For all other help, please call: Illinois Statewide Domestic Violence Helpline 877 TO END DV ( 877-863-6338), 877-863-6339 TTY. They can direct you to the best place for your individual situation.