By Kristy Volmert | Staff Writer
During Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Baylor’s Equity, Civil Rights and Title IX Office seeks to communicate the severity of domestic violence and educate the Baylor family on how they can stay aware of it and what to do in the case that they suspect or witness it.
Domestic violence constitutes any form of abuse by a family member, close friend or romantic partner. There are many types of domestic violence besides just physical abuse — it can also be emotional, verbal, sexual, financial or digital.
Title IX Education & Prevention Specialist Valerie Willis emphasized the importance of understanding that domestic violence is not limited to marital conflicts. Willis addressed “preconceived notions” about the definition of domestic violence, noting that it can occur within a variety of relationships.
“It can occur between same genders or different genders, people who are in a long term relationship or even people are going on a first date. It really could be any dynamic,” Willis said. “It’s really closely related to any kind of violence.”
To some, the phrase “if you see something, say something” may seem redundant and overused, and for many it’s just getting old. But the reason why it is so often thrown out there when discussing these matters is because it really does hold more meaning than many people realize.
According to statistics updated on Oct. 28, 2024, nearly one in two women and more than two in five men in the United States have reported experiencing intimate partner violence at some point in during their lives, and more than 16 million people in the U.S. become victims of intimate partner abuse every year.
Break the Cycle also reports that every minute, around 32 people in the United States experience intimate partner violence.
Furthermore, a fact sheet from the Texas Council on Family Violence reports that in 2023, 205 Texans were killed by their intimate partners.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline also reports statistics about domestic violence: 57% of college students who report experiencing dating violence and abuse said it occurred in college. 43% of dating college women report experiencing violent and abusive dating behaviors including physical, sexual, digital, verbal or other controlling abuse.
Women ages 18 to 34 generally experience the highest rates of intimate partner violence. 38% of college students say they don’t know how to get help for themselves if they experience dating abuse as a victim.
Additionally, 58% of college students say they don’t know what to do to help someone who is a victim of dating abuse.
“We don’t want to see any individual in our community harmed by this form of abuse,” Willis said. “If you see anything that’s unhealthy, we want you to be able to recognize it and have strategies to either intervene yourself or report anonymously.”
The ability for bystanders to report unobtrusively and anonymously has led to a significant decrease in the number of cases that go unreported. This may be in part because many bystanders are afraid that if the perpetrator they are reporting finds out, they may threaten them. This fear is why Baylor’s Title IX Office offers an anonymous reporting tool.
According to Willis, there could be a number of reasons why research shows that individuals aged 18 to 24 are most likely to become victims of domestic violence.
“College environments create a unique environment that I think predisposes them,” she said. “They’re newly independent. They have the stress of academics, huge financial constraints put on them and they’re navigating personal relationships without their usual support networks for the first time, so that puts them at a further increased susceptibility.”
It is important that students recognize these factors and know that they have support systems here at Baylor that are full of resources to help them through whatever new challenges they are facing.
“Domestic Violence Awareness Month at Baylor seeks to empower students to recognize unhealthy behaviors and provide them with the necessary support and resources in case anything does happen,” Willis said. “We foster an environment where violence isn’t tolerated — even by bystanders — and really recalibrate norms to make sure that our campus community is one that is aware and preventative of any cases of domestic violence.”
A report from FOX 44 last week featured a group of Baylor Law students who were taking action to advocate for Domestic Violence Awareness. Students participated in Go Purple Day, a national day on which people would wear purple to honor victims of domestic violence and outwardly demonstrate their dedication to spreading awareness and providing support. Purple is the color used for domestic violence awareness because it symbolizes courage, peace, survival and honor.
This group of law students has been organizing a variety of events and fundraisers that give one hundred percent of profits to an organization in Waco that is dedicated to preventing and spreading awareness on domestic violence in the community.
Santa Barbara, Calif., first-year law student Grace Neale is one of the students highlighted in this group. Neale has earned a master’s degree in criminology and has directed her research specifically towards cases focused on coercive control and victimology.
“We tried to organize as many students as possible to be involved by wearing purple to show their support on Go Purple Day and then the day after,” Neale said. “The following week, we did three days of tabling where we had students and faculty members donate baked goods that were sold for proceeds, all of which became donations to the Waco Family Abuse Center.”
Neale said that as a law student, her future career motivates her to advocate passionately for causes such as domestic violence and to help support victims. She said she believes that anyone who is able to help and do anything to raise awareness has a responsibility to do so.
According to Neale, we commonly hear “everyone knows someone” or “one in four women in the U.S. experiences domestic violence.” Neale said these phrases don’t do a lot to actually portray the effects of domestic violence.
“I think that by raising awareness and and sharing it with the people in your everyday lives, not only are you supporting people that are going through it, but also you can really bring to light those phrases that you frequently hear in a practical way. It brings reality to the statistics,” Neale said.
