Women ages 18 to 34 are at the greatest risk of becoming victims of domestic violence.
More than 4 million women experience physical assault and rape by their partners.
In two out of every three female homicide cases, the victims are killed by a family member or intimate partner.
A guy friend of mine once told me, "Every woman gets hit at least once in her life by the man she loves." At that point, it had never happened to me, and the thought only made me mad. I have always been a bigger girl, so I felt that if worst came to worst, I could handle myself.
That was until I tried to break up with a boyfriend of two years while still remaining his friend. Once I started dating other guys, he couldn't handle it. I had been dating a friend from college for a few months and had spent the night at his house. As I was heading to work, my ex started to call me. I didn't answer. Five seconds later, I saw him pull up next to me and demand that I exit the highway.
Five minutes from my job, he made me get out of my car and started questioning me. When he received answers and attitude he didn't want, he tried to hit me in my face. When I blocked it, he held my hand to make sure he got a good hit. I did hit him back, and he broke my phone. By the end of the fight, all I wanted to do was get back to work and get on with my life.
I walked into work an hour and 30 minutes late. The worst part was explaining the situation to my long-time boss, as I was never late without calling. I gave her a quick answer and told her I just wanted to get to work. I told my family, but kept out most of the details. At the end of the day, I felt it was my fault for not being with him anymore.
I would love to say I didn't go back, but I did. We were never boyfriend and girlfriend again, but over the years, I kept giving him chance after chance to improve and change. No matter how many times he told me he was sorry or tried to make it up to me, I never felt the same about him again. He was always the man who put his hands on me.
I was able to get away and stay true to myself. Not everyone has that chance. I believe it's not only important to teach our male children to respect a woman and never put their hands on a girl, but we must also teach our female children to respect themselves and take nothing less than respect from the males they deal with.
If you or someone you know is being abused, tell someone and get help. It is never okay to put your hands on ANYONE for ANY reason. Always remember there is someone who can help you break free.


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