FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2016
OCTOBER: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH
Raising Awareness about the Prevalence of Domestic Violence in our Community
Boise, Idaho – The Women’s and Children’s Alliance (WCA), Ada County Commissioners and Mayors of Boise, Eagle, Garden City, Meridian and Kuna will officially declare October “Domestic Violence Awareness Month” (DVAM) Wednesday, September 28,2016. The joint press conference will be held at 9:30 a.m. at the Ada County Paramedics headquarters to bring light to, and have an honest conversation about domestic violence in our community.
Lane Corless, Paramedic Captain for Ada County Paramedics, said he and his fellow first responders typically respond to a battery call at least once every day.
“Anecdotally, we respond to an average of about three or more battery calls involving strangulation each week,” Corless said. “The frequency of these 911 call types alone tells us all we need to know about the rampant issue of domestic violence in our community.”
WCA Communications Manager Chris Campbell-Davis, said by raising awareness, educating our community and having public conversations we can make our community a better and safer place to live and raise our families.
“This is an unprecedented event,” Campbell-Davis said of the joint proclamation press conference. “The collaboration of these elected officials and public agencies is paramount, and we’re so grateful to have their support.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one-in-four women and one-in-seven men in the US have been severally physically assaulted by an intimate partner. And while we live in a beautiful family-friendly town with strong community support, domestic abuse is an insidious issue in Ada County. In 2015, according to the Ada County Sheriff’s Department there were 4,447 calls for service related to domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse made to local law enforcement agencies.
Officials will each read their respective Domestic Violence Awareness Month proclamations and share remarks about this issue in our community during the press conference. The event will take place at the Ada County Paramedics headquarters located at 370 N. Benjamin Lane in Boise, Idaho.
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About The WCA
The Women’s & Children’s Alliance provides safety, healing and freedom from domestic abuse and sexual assault. The WCA does so through secure shelters, professional counseling, legal advocacy, crisis services and case management to survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault. For more information, visit www.wcaboise.org. For help call our hotline at 208.343.7025.
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Contact: Women’s & Children’s Alliance |
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