CULTIVATED INFLUENCE

Good movements by good people should have as many platforms to educate as possible. I recently became aware of Austin’s activity with an End the Silence campaign and wanted to do a Q&A for the site to shed light to as many people as it can. So, here that goes, and there are some shocking revelations you may be unaware of.

Q: First off, what is “End the Silence”?

Austin: End the Silence is a movement that was originated by Dr. Phil, actually. The way I got involved had nothing to do with that though. I am currently in a class that is working with the Domestic Violence Shelter in the Iowa City area. I was put in charge of creating and operating a Facebook group to inform others of the seriousness that is often overlooked, in terms of Domestic Violence.

Q: What makes you so passionate about being an advocate of domestic violence awareness?

Austin: I became passionate about the idea of educating and taking action to stop domestic violence when I was informed of the astonishing numbers that are associated with it. The numbers are staggering.

Q: What are your short-terms goals for your movement and some of the long-term goals you’d like to see happen?

Austin: With the fact that over 40 people are already involved with this movement, at the University of Iowa, right now, we’ve been given the opportunity to take action…fast. Personally though, in a short term sense, I am looking to get the word out to anyone and everyone. I have a feeling that a lot of people have no idea how present domestic violence is, both locally and globally. If I can play a part in educating potential victims of domestic violence, it can hopefully help them to recognize the actions as inappropriate, and take care of the situation.

Q: What’s the biggest misconception of domestic violence, in your opinion?

Austin: Hands down, the biggest misconception is that it is a rarity. A woman is abused or beaten every 9 seconds in the United States. That statistic still baffles me.

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Did you know?

-1 in every 3 women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime.

-Nearly 1 in 5 teenage girls who have been in a relationship said a boyfriend threatened violence or self-harm if presented with a breakup.

-92 % of women surveyed listed reducing domestic violence and sexual assault as their top concern.

-1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year.

-45% of perpetrators of intimate partner violence also abuse children in the household.

You can Like Austin’s End the Silence Facebook Group here.

#EndTheSilence