++ Purple Ribbon Council ++

OUR MISSION

Founded in August 2006, Purple Ribbon Council’s mission is to raise awareness and engage everyday people in the prevention of domestic abuse.
We meet this mission through community engagement, prevention education and training, restorative interventions, and cause marketing partnerships that Break the Silence, Break the Cycle, Save Lives.

Purple Ribbon Council’s programs and services complement existing institutional prevention methods by going deep into communities to leverage front-line “natural helpers” in grassroots prevention, advocacy and outreach that supports, benefits and empowers the most silent victims.

OUR VISION
To become a global leader in grassroots, community-based domestic abuse prevention and awareness.

OUR WORK
The Center for Disease Control statistics tell one side of the pervasive domestic abuse story:

— 1 out of 4 women are affected
— 1 out of 9 men are affected
— 3+ million children are affected each year
— 1 in 3 teens experience dating abuse
Source: Center for Disease Control

Purple Ribbon Council tells the other side:

— An estimated 75% of domestic abuse victims do not access shelter or safety resources. According to the Family Violence Prevention Fund, only 1/4 of domestic abuse victims report and seek help.
— In the last 5 years, over 20,000 children have been orphaned by domestic homicide.
— Domestic abuse can happen at age, to either gender, and in any socioeconomic group.
— Domestic abuse shares a common thread with many of the other social diseases: the same root causes of shame, worthlessness, insecurity, cultural acceptance, and/or learned behavior.
— Domestic abuse is a people problem- and to stop it, prevention needs to start in our own backyards and deep in our communities.

THE STATS
Where local domestic violence shelters provide much-needed emergency services to victims who leave their abuser, Purple Ribbon Council complements traditional services by supporting and empowering victims who are not accessing shelters or law enforcement through grassroots advocacy and community engagement. We engage front-line “natural helpers” such as family members, friends, co-workers, teachers, salon professionals, volunteers, fitness instructors and others in outreach, supportive care, prevention awareness and restorative interventions.

Where our national counterpart organizations such as the Family Violence Prevention Fund, National Network to End Domestic Violence and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence channel their resources to institutional and public-policy based advocacy, we bridge their important work by going deep into communities to leverage the assets of everyday people in large-scale grassroots awareness, education, outreach and advocacy.

Our outreach events, programs, and services meet four areas of need:
— Community Engagement
— Prevention Education & Training
— Restorative Interventions
— Public Awareness & Cause Marketing

WHAT IS DOMESTIC ABUSE
Domestic abuse is a coercive pattern of power and control where one person uses verbal, psychological, physical, economic or sexual abuse to manipulate an intimate partner, spouse, child or family member. It is a social disease that stems from shame, worthlessness, insecurity, cultural acceptance, and/or learned behavior. It is NOT caused by anger, substance abuse or a bad economy. These are triggers that can escalate power and control-based behavior. This can affect anyone, at any time ,at any age. Many of today’s societal problems are natural complications of domestic abuse. Prevention where it starts is the only cure to ending this societal epidemic.

WHO TO CONTACT IF YOU NEED HELP
If your life has been threatened, call 911. Do not take an abuser’s threat lightly.

National TEEN Dating Abuse Hotline
1-866-331-9474
(1-866-331-8453 TTY)

National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
(1-800-787-3224 TTY)

Violence Anonymous (12 Step Program for Recovery from Violent Behavior)
http://www.violenceanonymous.com