White Ribbon - Heart of Gold

"With one voice, as one community, we are speaking out and working together to end violence against women"

Hey folks. No, this isn't a post about making gold or droprates in WoW. It's a post about making a difference in peoples lives. It doesn't matter if you are the fairer sex or not, we all have something in common...we are all "crafted" from our mother. You might have a sister, a girlfriend, a fiance, a wife, a friend, a daughter. Whoever you are and whoever you know, as you are reading this I want you to think about them....

According to the DVRC (Domestic Violence Resource Center), 25% of women have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime.




Think about that. When you are at your next family function, shopping in the mall, or in that classroom, take a look around. Think about what you read here. One in four. ONE IN FOUR. One out of every four of those women have or will experience domestic violence at some time in their life. Sickening to think about, isn't it? The horrible truth is that it is real. 

Here's a few more stats:

• Approximately one in five female high school students reports being physically and/or sexually abused by their dating partner.

• Forty percent of girls aged 14 to 17 report knowing someone their age who has been hit or beaten by their boyfriend.

• In a national survey of American families, 50% of the men who frequently assaulted their wives also frequently abused their children. 

• Nearly 2.2 million people called a domestic violence crisis or hotline in 2004 to escape crisis situations, seek advice, or assist someone they thought might be victims.

• Annually in the United States, 503, 405 women are stalked by an intimate partner. 76% of female homicide victims were stalked prior to their death. 

The numbers are frightful to say the least. But they don't lie. These are actual statistics from the Domestic Violence Resource Center.

If you want to make a difference, you can. You can donate, spread the word, get involved, and most importantly, cherish the ones you love. The event is taking place all over the world (as well as in our own little gold blogosphere), you can find out more by visiting one of the many websites devoted to this cause:

Emerge: Counseling and Education to Stop Domestic Violence
World Health Organization
UN- International Day for the Elimination of Violence Toward Women
HREA- International Day for the Elimination of Violence Toward Women
White Ribbon of Fredericton


Thank you for your time.
Alto.

*Edit

If you are in the United States and have been affected by this horrible affliction, there is help out there. A website called TheHotline. There is a toll free number you can call, (800)799-SAFE (7233).




There is a warning if you go directly to the site talking about computer monitoring (you will see the popup). If you suffer from violence, please read that first. It allows you to enter the site without showing up on your recents (in case the abuser checks your recent activity).