Steph Peters I instantly got mad and sick to my stomach on Friday when I started reading that a little 2 year old boy was beaten so badly at the hands of his mom’s boyfriend that he was hospitalized in critical condition. This story made national headlines as this 2 year old boy was the son of Minnesota Viking’s football player Adrian Peterson. Over the weekend, the story became even more horrific when the 2 year old passed away. I’m sure you had the same reaction of anger, sadness, and just shock. But the shocking news is that domestic violence happens more than we want to think about or talk about. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month so let’s Break The Silence right now and hopefully that will begin to Break The Cycle.
Several years ago, my coworker’s sister-in-law and niece became victims to domestic violence and it sadly ended their lives at the ages of 33 and 1 year old. Yes you read correctly, his niece was only ONE year old when she was killed by domestic violence. We came together as a company and as a community to lean on each other and show support to this family. I can vividly remember going to the first charity event put together to help the family and to start bringing awareness, and that’s where I learned that we need to “Break the Silence.” As many family members said they didn’t even know this was going on behind closed doors because no one talked about it or spoke up. So on all the purple ribbons, pins, and tshirts at this charity event were the words “Break The Silence.”
I learned that many people in a domestic violence situation get scared to speak up and get out. That’s why there is help out there where you can stay anonymous and get confidential help. I also noticed on the website link below, there is a big button you can hit to escape the site and it erases off your computer to keep you safe. So if you are in a domestic violence situation or know of someone who is – speak up and call for help.
Anonymous and Confidential Help 24/7:
1.800.799.SAFE (7233)
1.800.787.3224 (TTY)
