Bulletin boards, changing rooms and bathroom stall doors throughout Jessamine County will soon display purple flyers offering resources to victims of domestic violence.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month which has spurred the Jessamine County Victims’ Advocacy Office to partner with local businesses, churches, schools and other public venues in the area to bring awareness and resources to those in need of help.

The posters feature some statistics about domestic violence including the following:

In the U.S., an average of 20 people experience physical violence by an intimate partner every minute; one in three women have been victims of some form of physical violence by an intimate partner within their lifetime; one in seven men report being severely physically abused by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime; four in 10 women and four in 10 men have experienced at least one form of coercive control by a partner.

The flyers also include the phone numbers of the Victims’ Advocacy Office and The National Domestic Violence Hotline. These numbers are printed at the bottom of the flyer on tabs that are able to be torn off and taken home.

The idea behind the flyer is they will be able to provide awareness and resources to victims in specific places where their perpetrators may not be around.

The flyers are designed to grab residents attention and make them consider their relationship as well as prompt people to reach out for help.

The goal is to have these posters at a number of locations throughout the county including churches, restaurants, stores, parks and libraries.

Domestic violence continues to take its toll on both male and female victims across the country.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), there are more than 20,000 phone calls made to domestic violence hotlines nationwide every day. NCADV also states that around 15 percent of all violent crime is attributed to intimate partner violence.

If Jessamine County falls in line with the national statistics, that means in this county alone, around 8,306 women and 5,917 men will experience some form of physical violence by a partner in their lifetime with 6,229 women and 3,381 men experiencing severe violence.

With these numbers in mind, and as a way to participate in Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Victims’ Advocacy Office is encouraging business owners and management staff, pastors, teachers and more to hang these flyers and continue to spread awareness about how victims can reach out and receive help. Volunteers for the office will also be traveling around the county within the next few weeks promoting and encouraging their use.

To request flyers call the Victims’ Advocacy office at 859-885-9112. For more information visit https://ncadv.org/statistics

Randi Anderson is a volunteer at the Jessamine County Victims’ Advocacy Office.