November 9, 2006
By a conservative estimate, 4 million American women experience a serious assault by an intimate partner each year. Nearly one in three women experience at least one physical assault by a partner during adulthood.
To help raise awareness of this critical issue, and to commemorate National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Gamma Sigma Sigma sorority will host A Concert for Domestic Abuse Awareness. The event will be held on Friday, December 1, from 8 to 11 p.m., in Bright Hall Lounge.
“This is such a great cause that rarely gets recognized,” said Veronica Michalski, President of the Gamma Sigma Sigma sorority. “As a sorority, we wanted make the fight against domestic abuse an annual event.”
The December 1 event will include three live bands and all proceeds will support the efforts of local women's shelters. There is no charge for the event, but monetary donations are encouraged. Event t-shirts will be sold for $10.
In the hope that public awareness will remain keen about all aspects of domestic violence, communities across the United States mark each October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Gamma Sigma Sigma has decided to do all they can to extend this period of awareness throughout the year.
Originally, in October 1981, the intent of the first Day of Unity was to enable battered women’s advocates across the nation to bond in an effort to end violence against women and their children. Six years later, that “day of unity” evolved into a month-long observance that since 1989 has been supported by U.S. Congressional legislation.
From the outset, the diverse activities initiated in American communities during Domestic Violence Awareness Month have been directed at mourning those who have perished as a result of domestic violence, celebrating those who have survived, and linking those who work to end violence. Over the years, a purple ribbon has become the visible gesture of support for victims and survivors of domestic violence.
“Our event is something to not only raise awareness, but something to enjoy, a celebration of coming together to help stop domestic violence. In addition to the live bands, we will be sharing information about the affects of domestic violence,” Michalski said. “Gamma Sigma Sigma wants to raise money and awareness and through this concert we hope to accomplish both. There are so many women who feel that they have been forgotten, that they are trapped in this cycle of violence that they can’t get out of. It is critical for them to know that there are resources in every community specifically meant to help them and their children.”
For more information on the Concert for Domestic Abuse Awareness, contact rocmic@temple.edu. For more information on National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, visit here or here.
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