WASHINGTON 鈥� Every day in the U.S., 聽are abused by an intimate partner, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports.聽That’s about a million women and men each year, and that鈥檚 why October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
On a typical day, about 21,000 phone calls are placed to domestic violence hotlines across the U.S.
Arlington County police vehicles will display purple ribbons this month in an effort to raise awareness about domestic violence.聽The nonprofit group is donating the purple ribbons to police. It provides temporary shelter and resources for those escaping domestic violence and homelessness in Northern Virginia.
The Domestic Violence Safehouse sheltered 42 adults and 38 children escaping violence last year, and its hotline got more than 1,300 calls.
鈥淓liminating domestic violence requires collaborative prevention and response efforts and the Police Department believes the partnership with Doorways is a step in that direction,鈥� Police Chief M. Jay Farr said in a statement.
Last year, the Arlington County police say, they responded to more than 2,000 calls regarding domestic violence, making 214 domestic-assault arrests.
In 2012, in domestic violence-related homicides 鈥� 34 percent of homicides for that聽year.
says that 85 percent of domestic violence victims are women, and that the聽costs聽of domestic violence is聽more than $37 billion a year.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month evolved from 1981鈥檚 Day of Unity, which was聽held聽to connect advocates nationwide to work to end violence against women and children.
