Safety In Numbers!

September 12 was Safety In Numbers - PWCL's (Portland Women's Crisis Line) annual awareness and fundraising event. Of course as a member of the board of directors, I attended. However, after 2.5 years on the board, attending isn't an obligation, its an event I look forward to.

In case anyone is wondering how I came to be involved with PWCL, it isn't the greatest story but I'll tell it anyway. I am a big fan of the author Ann Rule and have read most, if not all, of her 20+ books. I found that a recurring theme in many of her true-crime novels was domestic violence and sexual assult. I came to believe, and still do, that I am nothing but lucky and fortunate to have not had experienced this in my life. I really started to feel for all the many women out there that have to deal with this and simply wanted to help.

I have learned so much in my time with the board, including some of the startling statistics of sexual assualt and domestic violence. Hopefully these will shock you too:

-Estimates range from 960,000 incidents of violence against a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend per year to three million women who are physically abused by their husband or boyfriend per year.

-Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime.

-Nearly one-third of American women (31 percent) report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives, according to a 1998 Commonwealth Fund survey.

-Intimate partner violence is primarily a crime against women. In 2001, women accounted for 85 percent of the victims of intimate partner violence (588,490 total) and men accounted for approximately 15 percent of the victims (103,220 total).

-As many as 324,000 women each year experience intimate partner violence during their pregnancy.

-Three in four women (76 percent) who reported they had been raped and/or physically assaulted since age 18 said that a current or former husband, cohabiting partner, or date committed the assault.

-One in five (21 percent) women reported she had been raped or physically or sexually assaulted in her lifetime.

-Annually in the United States, 503,485 women are stalked by an intimate partner.

-Eighty percent of women who are stalked by former husbands are physically assaulted by that partner and 30 percent are sexually assaulted by that partner.

PWCL answers thousands (literally) each month from individuals seeking help from a domestic violence and/or sexual assault situation. For additional information about this organization see: http://www.pwcl.org/.

Now onto the Safety In Numbers-

Here's my friend Sarah and I at our table.
My cousin Craig was in town from Illinios and joined us at the event.
City Commissioner Nick Fish talking with another guest:

One of our co-chairs - Rebecca Sweatman (center) - at her table at the event. I'm sure she'll be thrilled I posted this picture...

In the center left, PWCL's awesome Executive Director Rebecca Peatow-Nickles with Nick Fish.

Amy Wagoner was our event chair this year and put on a fabulous evening. She was also dismissing her MC abilities but I'm convinced she could have a career in it if interested...

Below are the fine folks who have devoted so much of their time and energy to making our PSA. Please check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEVcw71GVV4 or look for it on tv soon!!

This is Kelly who has done a great job as our auctioneer at the event for the last 2 years.

One of the biggest treats (for me) was our honored speaker, Justice Betty Roberts. She gave a very inspiring speech it is great to have the support of such an accomplished Oregon woman bring to light and support the issues PWCL is addressing.

PWCL is committed to ending sexual and domestic violence. The staff of PWCL works so hard every day in an effort, ultimately, to eradicate this form of violence to the point where a place like PWCL is no longer needed.

As friends and family of mine, I'm sure by now you can tell that this is a cause near and dear to my heart. I would love if you'd donate money to PWCL. However, I know that isn't viable to everyone. All I really ask is this: when you're in the situation where a friend, coworker, classmate, family member, etc. comes to you to discuss a domestic violence or sexual assault situation they are in, please give them PWCL's phone number. Even if you just suspect there might be something going on, give them the phone number and lend a sympathetic ear. The phone number is: 503-235-5333.