Tea and Empathy: 3 ways relationship violence affects you every day

Written by Workhorse Marketing

by Diane McDaniel Rhodes, former Chief Program Officer at SafePlace

Relationship violence affects our society, our town, our neighborhood and affects you. I encourage you to take a moment this week, perhaps with a cup of tea, and think about the ways relationship violence touches you.

•  1 in 4 women are abused in their lifetime. You or the women you love are afraid to be outside after dark.
• In the U.S., healthcare costs associated with domestic violence total $5.8 billion annually. When you pay high insurance premiums and co-pays you are paying in part for this care.
• Loss of job productivity due to domestic violence costs $727.8 million every year. When someone you work with calls in sick because of violence in their home, you have to do their work and don’t know why.

When I talk to a group of people about relationship violence I know there are more than just a few survivors listening in the audience. How could it be any other way? I also know when I’m in the grocery store, the library or the movies there are more than just a few survivors there shopping, reading or watching as well.