Domestic violence is a hidden secret in some homes across Southeast Texas. It doesn't have to be that way. There is help out there to support you in getting yourself out of an abusive relationship. You just have to take the step to get that support by picking up the phone.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Estimates range from 960,000 incidents of violence against a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend each year to 4 million women who are physically abused by their husbands or live-in partners each year.

• While women are less likely than men to be victims of violent crimes overall, women are 5 to 8 times more likely than men to be victimized by an intimate partner.

• Violence by an intimate partner accounts for about 21% of violent crime experienced by women and about 2 % of the violence experienced by men.

• 31,260 women were murdered by an intimate from 1976-1996.

• Females accounted for 39% of the hospital emergency department visits for violence-related injuries in 1994 but 84% of the persons treated for injuries inflicted by intimates.

From: "Violence by Intimates: Analysis of Data on Crimes by Current or Former Spouses, Boyfriends, and Girlfriends, U.S. Department of Justice, March, 1998"

If you are in a relationship that involves domestic violence, here are contact phone numbers to get help locally:

Jefferson County: Family Services, 800.681.8882

Orange County: Women's Shelter, 409.886.3333

Tyler County: Women's Shelter Outreach, 800.621.8882

What can you do? Participate in the upcoming Walk Against Domestic Violence.

KFDM.com- The Walk Against Domestic Violence will be held on Saturday, June 23rd from 9am to 11am on Crockett Street in downtown Beaumont. The noncompetitive one-mile walk is free to the public, and free food and drinks will be served to participants. There will also be free t-shirts for the first 100 adults and face painting and bracelets for children. Dallas Cowboys' lineman, Marcus Spears, will also be there to talk about how he is working to stomp out domestic violence.

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