Mariah Escobar 
Mykel Del Angel | THE RIDER
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and it is important to bring attention to an issue that affects many people, according to Cynthia Jones, director of the Office for Advocacy and Violence Prevention.
According to Jones, one in four women will experience some sort of violence; the phenomenon is not as simple as it may seem and can occur to anyone. Its costs, if there are physical injuries, measure approximately $1 billion a year in the U.S. alone.
“Domestic violence is broad though lots of people think it’s just about husbands and wives, but it’s not,” she said.
Priscilla Palacios, associate director of Special Programs for OAVP, said the month encourages communities, agencies, advocates and people hoping to end domestic violence to “come together to bring awareness on this important topic.”
Jones added there are many ways a person can be violent.
“Violence doesn’t have to have a physical component; someone who is abusive toward you can never lay a finger on you and, yet, totally control you, be demeaning toward you, subjugate you in a way that disempowers you and takes away your agency,” she said.
The director said it is important to raise awareness of the issue to try to steer clear of people thinking abuse is a personal issue.
Jones added many survivors of domestic abuse tend to say that being hit, punched or kicked is not as bad as other things they have withstood.
“What we try and do is what I say, ‘Flip the narrative,’” she said. “People always ask me why somebody stays in an abusive relationship, for example. I think the more interesting question is why someone is abusive toward someone they care about, love.”
Palacios said one way the office raises awareness is by putting up purple ribbons on the pillars in the Bronc Trail on the Edinburg campus for community members to think, “Hey, what is this ribbon about?”
Purple is the color selected “to promote awareness for the first Domestic Violence Day of Unity in October 1981,” which later became Domestic Violence Awareness Month, according to allagainstabuse.org.
The OAVP offers confidential appointments and resources for anyone that may be struggling.
“Education is a key component to get somebody in a safe way out of what they’re experiencing,” Palacios added.
She said students can support each other especially if they are not ready to speak up.
For more information on resources available and upcoming events, visit the OAVP website and V Link.
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