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Human Services Secretary Honors Lives Lost to Domestic Violence, Advocates to End Domestic Violence

Oct 24, 2019

Harrisburg, PA – Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller joined Second Lady Gisele Fetterman, members of the legislature, and advocates on Monday to commemorate 123 lives lost to domestic violence in 2018 at the annual Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV) Domestic Violence Awareness Month ceremony.

“Everyone deserves to live a life where they feel empowered and, most importantly, safe,” said Secretary Miller. “We must always create a safe, supportive environment where all affected by domestic violence know that they are not alone. We are proud to work with PCADV as they support survivors navigating through unimaginable obstacles to build a safe, supportive environment and achieve a better life.” 

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. One in four women and one in seven men experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime. Domestic violence does not discriminate by age, race, gender, or socio-economic status. PCADV works across the commonwealth to support domestic violence survivors, give victims the tools they need to leave and overcome harmful situations, and train advocates to understand and identify signs of domestic violence to broaden the network of support for survivors.

“PCADV’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month ceremony is an annual event to raise public awareness of the work we, our programs, and our partners do year-round to ensure that victims and survivors of domestic violence in Pennsylvania get connected with services to help lead them to a path of safety and autonomy,” said Julie Bancroft, Chief Public Affairs Officer. “Each year we commemorate those who have lost their lives to domestic violence in Pennsylvania to emphasize its prevalence in our state, and as a reminder that we do this work every day in an attempt to prevent the additional loss of life to this epidemic of domestic violence.”

Among many focus areas, PCADV is working to help survivors build economic stability through training, toolkits, and resources in the Economic Justice and Empowerment Initiative. The Economic Justice and Empowerment Initiative is a statewide, coordinated effort between PCADV and the 59 community-based domestic violence programs that create nine sites to provide a comprehensive training and continual resources that help address barriers to economic stability and safety.

More than 10 million people are affected by domestic violence every year. For more information about signs of abuse, how to support survivors, and PCADV, visit www.pcadv.org.

For anonymous, confidential help available 24/7, call the National Domestic Violence Helpline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

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