October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. It’s estimated that more than 40 million people are survivors of sexual abuse in America.
Domestic abuse survivor and author, Deanne Foster, has one message for anyone who suspects someone they know may be in an abusive relationship … do something.
“I was a happy, well-adjusted little girl. I was living in a fairy-book reality until the day I was snatched. I found my dream world being shattered when I was awakened and grabbed by a man I didn’t know,” says Deanne, who shares her own story of childhood sexual abuse in Scared Girls Talk, a free eBook available at ScaredGirlsTalk.com.
Domestic abuse can include a wide number of acts including: sexual abuse, physical abuse, mental abuse, stalking, and can impact children, teens and adults. Attacks are oftentimes by family members or people known to the victim. In many cases involving children, the abusers are the very people that are supposed to protect them.
The statistics are staggering. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV):
• Every 9 seconds in the US, a woman is assaulted or beaten.
• 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men will be victims of domestic violence in their lifetime.
• 1 in 7 women and 1 in 18 men have been stalked by an intimate partner to the point of being fearful of being harmed or killed.
• On average, domestic violence hotlines receive 20,000 calls per day.
• 1 in 15 children are exposed to domestic violence and 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to the act.
“Bringing this horrendous disease into the light of day is the only way to stop its spread,” says Foster. “It’s the only way to begin the healing – for new victims and old. If you suspect someone is being abused, please do something.”
Within the pages of Scared Girls Talk are words of raw truth. Deanne Foster’s life story is that of a victim that survived against all odds. Once a young girl, stripped of her innocence, she is now a woman of character and strength. She’s a survivor and through her story, her aim is to save others from becoming victims, stop the cycle of abuse and break the silence that stifles them.
For more information, please visit www.ScaredGirlsTalk.com.
