By: Regina Wright ~Staff Writer~

Xavier’s chapter of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) hosted “Stop the Silence, Stop the Violence” on Oct. 20 as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

The issue of domestic violence has been brought back into the spotlight after some high-profile cases of abuse.

“Recently in the media, there have been several domestic violence incidents within sports, entertainment and the music industry, thus we felt it is time to bring awareness to campus and to educate people on what domestic violence is,” Briana Davis, president of the Pan-Hellenic Council, said.

Attendees at the “Stop the Silence” event discussed the recent domestic violence cases in the media, including those involving former NFL player Ray Rice, soccer player Hope Solo and rapper Jay-Z.

Xavier Title IX Coordinator Kate Lawson facilitated a discussion about these cases and how to identify and help victims of domestic violence.

Davis and the NPHC hope that the event and the ongoing discussion about abuse will educate people about and bring awareness to domestic violence as well as encourage victims to seek resources for help.

“More importantly, (the event) is to help everyone understand and recognize all forms of domestic violence and the long term effects of it,” Davis said.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), more than 10 million men and women per year (20 people per minute) are victims of abuse by an intimate partner.
One in three women and one in four men will be victims of domestic violence.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month has evolved from the Day of Unity, which is observed on the first Monday in October.

The Day eventually became a week of community and national evnts, and was expanded to a month in 1987.

For more information on domestic violence, visit the NCADV at http://www.ncadv.org.