Shenitha Shiver, victim advocate, holds her sign and yells to passersby to honk in support of domestic violence victims during the Domestic Violence Awareness Month Honk and Wave, Oct. 10.

Laverne Martin, victim advocate with Army Community Service holds the ‘honk if you stand against domestic violence,’ sign during the Domestic Violence Awareness Month Honk and Wave, Oct 10. ‘We’re letting people know it’s real and we want to stomp out domestic violence,’ Shiver said.

A pinwheel spins in the breeze as victim advocates hold up signs to raise awareness to domestic violence. The event was part of the post’s support to the Department of Defense’s domestic violence awareness measures.

Army Community Service Specialists hold signs and show support for Domestic Violence victims during the Domestic Violence Month Honk & Wave, Oct. 10.

An Army Community Service victim advocate holds her sign and yells to passersby to honk in support of domestic violence victims during the Domestic Violence Awareness Month Honk and Wave, Oct. 10.

On a typical Tuesday morning, the intersection of Jackson and Strom Thurmond boulevards is uneventful, filled only with the sounds of the Fort Jackson community quietly commuting to their place of duty for the next eight to 12 hours, but the morning of Oct. 10 was different.

“Today is one of the many events that we have been participating in as far as Domestic Violence Awareness Month which is this month,” said Shenitha Shiver, a victim advocate with Army Community Service. “We’re trying to bring awareness and to let everyone know that it is real.”

The event was part of the post’s support to Department of Defense domestic violence awareness measures.

In a release dated Oct. 3, the Department of Defense called on “the military community to help prevent abuse and support victims as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which is recognized annually in October. This national observance was created to raise awareness about how to report domestic abuse and encourages community members to speak up if they suspect abuse.”

This year’s campaign theme is “United Against Domestic Abuse.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three women and one in four men report having experienced severe physical violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime and one in 10 high school students reported physical violence from a dating partner.

Shiver said the team worked together to come up with activities to shed awareness on domestic violence when they realized a higher participation rate for Breast Cancer Awareness events.

“A lot of people said ‘you don’t choose to get cancer, but you choose to be in a violent or abusive relationship,’ but that’s not true,” she said.

Domestic violence doesn’t always occur at the beginning of a relationship. Instead, the abusive partner slowly manipulates and escalates their abuse over time.

Shiver said there are many reasons a person may stay in an abusive situation such as financial, children or the perpetrator could even threaten the life of the victim or their loved ones.

“If you truly believe they’re going to carry out those threats, then you’ll likely stay to try to keep your children, family, pets or yourself safe,” she said. “So, there’s a lot of dynamics that people have to consider when they talk about leaving.”

DOD Family Advocacy Programs and Military OneSource offer counseling and education services. According to the DOD release service members and their families don’t need to be in a crisis to speak with a domestic abuse victim advocate.

The United Against Domestic Abuse page on Military OneSource has more information about reporting options. The page can be found at: http://www.militaryonesource.mil/united-against.

For more information, contact the Family Advocacy and Victim Advocacy Programs at 751-5256 or visit them in person at 9810 Lee Road.

(Editor’s note: The National Domestic Abuse Hotline is available 24/7 at (800) 799-7233.)