Shadow / Light
It starts by talking about it with The Female Quotient's Power of The Pack
"We are connecting more deeply with each other than ever. And even if you haven't experienced domestic violence personally, it's crucial to recognize someone you know might be suffering in silence." - Amber Coleman-Mortley
From The Noodler
8 million days.
That is the number of paid work days victims of intimate partner abuse and violence collectively lose each year. That equates to more than 32,000 full-time job holders disappearing from the US workforce.
The Noodler's co-curator Brady Hahn had an opportunity to join The Female Quotient’s Power of the Pack with Amber Coleman-Mortley to unpack a topic we rarely cover in professional spaces - intimate partner abuse and how it impacts women, their ability to work, and ways you can support friends and colleagues who have been or are going through it.
“I never thought I would be someone who would be in an abusive relationship, until I was... Abuse hides in the shadows and thrives in secrecy - and I think the more we can normalize talking about it, the better.” - Brady Hahn
Domestic violence is not a small problem. It’s estimated that in the US alone — more than 12 million women and men are victims of domestic violence or abuse over the course of a single year. That is 3 in 10 women and 1 in 10 men. What makes these kinds of relationships so 'duplex' is that the person who hurts you is also the one who soothes you. And that dynamic makes it incredibly complicated to recognize and understand.
Domestic violence is enacted in many different forms. Abuse happens on a spectrum and takes an incredible mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual toll. This is why it is so important to take these conversations out of the shadows into the light - because if you know what to listen for, you can save a life. It might even be your own.
Watch The Discussion
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Panel Notes
Host: Amber Coleman-Mortley, Sr. Director of Community & Culture, The Female Quotient
Guests
-Courtney Adams, Consultant, Grocery Shopii
-Brady Hahn, Founder, The Noodle Collective
-Rita Smith, Consultant, International Expert on Violence Against Women, Rita Smith, LLC
-Chris Wasko, Spiritual Coach
-Ebony Green, MSW, Supportive Housing Coordinator, Partnership Against Domestic Violence
-Sarah Scott Alperin, Actress and Intimacy Coordinator, Intimacy Professionals Association
-Mildred D. Muhammad, Author, Advocate, & Consultant to the Office on Victims of Crime and the U.S. Department of State
Discussion Topics/Themes
-Answers to why we all need to be more educated on the topic.
-Answers to why defining domestic abuse/violence is more complicated than we think.
-Examples of considerations/obstacles that victims face when trying to leave.
-An understanding of why domestic abuse is so under-reported and not discussed more openly.
-Victim? Survivor? How to talk to and about people who have been through this kind of experience.
-Tips and tools for asking for help and ways to resource people in your life who may need help.
Resources
-National Domestic Violence Hotline
- National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- US Department of Justice: Office on Violence Against Women (OVW)
- DomesticShelters.org
- Dr Ramani Durvasula
- How Social Stigma Silences Domestic Violence Victims
- Facts and Figures: Ending Violence Against Women