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A couple of days ago, I saw the cover of US Weekly with So You Think You Can Dance judge Mary Murphy on the cover. I was so sad when I saw the reason. She told of her abuse during her former marriage and I was very upset to think of another smart, funny, amazing woman having to go through that. But I know she is not alone. First, here’s Mary’s story:
I was on the Board and did volunteer work for four years for a non-profit charity that helps victims of domestic violence (DV) and rape and the things I learned were staggering. I never knew before about the fact that one in four women will be the victim of rape or domestic violence in her lifetime. One in four!! If you look around you and if there are four women, and you haven’t been aboused, chances are one of them already has. That’s a horrible thing to realize.
Mary also tells how her family did not believe her or help her at all when she was going through all of her abuse. That too is very common. But there are people who can and will help. If you or someone you know needs to talk about abuse and find out the options and help available please share this info with them:
There’s a DV hotline that rings through to the local area of the caller and gets the person calling in touch with someone local who can help them. Maybe what they need is to talk about it. Maybe what they need is a plan or the knowledge that there is help or a place to go. Whatever the need, there is someone there to help:
Help is available to callers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Hotline advocates are available for victims and anyone calling on their behalf to provide crisis intervention, safety planning, information and referrals to agencies in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Assistance is available in English and Spanish with access to more than 170 languages through interpreter services. If you or someone you know is frightened about something in your relationship, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224.