I recently came across the above-referenced season-long campaign against Domestic Violence that has been undertaken by Dr. Phil McGraw on his “Dr. Phil” television show and whether you are a fan of Dr. Phil, or not, this show and his website at DrPhil.com are way too important for anyone to miss. This is not just another “let’s talk about it” theme to promote his show but an all-inclusive site for learning more about domestic abuse, how you can identify abuse through a list of warning signs, a number of ways to reach out to get the help that you need to get out of an abusive situation and many other opportunities to help yourself and/or help others.
Every 15 seconds a woman in America is being abused,” Dr. Phil says. One out of four women will fall victim to domestic violence at some point in their life, and this is a season-long call for action.
Here is Dr. Phil’s pledge: “”Every 15 seconds a woman in America is being abused,” Dr. Phil says. “One out of four women will fall victim to domestic violence at some point in their life, and this is a season-long call for action. There is silence about this. This is something that isn’t talked about. It’s probably one of the most under-reported things going on in America today. I’m going to attack this on multiple fronts, so I am organizing a task force with congressmen and women in the legislature.”
I know what it is like to be in an abusive situation with a loaded gun in your face on a regular basis. I know what it is like to be beaten for absolutely no reason. I know how hard it is to get out of an abusive situation when you are promised that if you leave, you will be hunted down and killed. And I know that even after being successful in getting away, how all of the physical and maybe even more importantly, the mental abuse will haunt you long after it is not a part of your life.
It is a silent epidemic because those who have experienced abuse are afraid to talk for so many reasons. If you share your situation with someone who does not know abuse, they believe that you are just weak and too lazy to figure out how to leave and start over. Many times they believe that you are stupid for having gotten yourself into such a situation in the first place. They do not understand the fear that is instilled in you with all of the threats heaped upon you if you should try to leave. They don’t understand that in many cases the victim truly believes that she has done something to warrant the abuse and that she believes that she can find a way to make things better so that the abuse will stop. And many times, other people just don’t want to get involved. Even if they know what is happening, as long as it is not their “problem”, they just don’t care.
That is why I am really asking each and every one of you who reads this to share with every single one of the women that you know the information about what Dr. Phil is doing on the show and on his website. I would bet that there is not a single woman who doesn’t know abuse in her own life or who doesn’t know someone else who has been made a part of this epidemic. Please help by sharing this resource so that other women will know that they are not alone, that there are resources and help available and that other people do care. By working together and sharing this information, we can all make a huge difference. We can help stop a woman from being abused every 15 seconds in this country.
If you or someone you know is affected by Domestic Abuse, you can call The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 1.800.787.3224 (TTY)
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Barbara Jacoby is an award winning blogger that has contributed her writings to multiple online publications that have touched readers worldwide.