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Domestic Violence By the Numbers

Oct 30, 2019

Domestic Violence By the Numbers

If you have ever tried to find statistics about the prevalence of domestic violence, you know how hard it can be. The numbers vary significantly based on the inputs — worldwide versus United States, violence against women as opposed to violence against women or children and men. In addition, many states do not specifically track crimes of domestic violence, making it difficult (or even impossible) to know how many of these offenses occur each year. Finally, domestic violen

How Domestic Violence Affects Kids

Oct 16, 2019

How Domestic Violence Affects Kids

When many of us think about domestic violence, we likely consider how it impacts the adult victim. Yet if there are children in the home, domestic violence affects them, too — even if they are not subject to the abuse themselves. It is important to understand these effects so that we can better protect kids from both the immediate harm and the consequences over their lifetimes. In the United States, more than 15 million children live in homes where domestic violence has happ

What Is Gaslighting?

Oct 9, 2019

What Is Gaslighting?

There is a common misconception around domestic violence — that it must involve some type of physical abuse. While many people who engage in domestic violence do hit, shove, or strangle their victims, domestic violence often involves more than physical harm. At its heart, domestic violence is about power and control. For this reason, people who abuse typically engage in many forms of domestic violence, including: Physical Verbal/emotional Psychological Sexual Destruction o

Why We Need a New Definition of Domestic Violence

Aug 28, 2019

Why We Need a New Definition of Domestic Violence

Earlier this year, a number of journalists published pieces alerting the public to the fact that the Trump administration had changed the definition of domestic violence. If true, this news would certainly be disturbing — but this claim was not quite accurate. In reality, the administration changed the definition that was posted on the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) website. Under President Obama, the website defined domestic violence to include a pattern of deliber

How Domestic Violence Affects the LGBTQ Community

Jun 19, 2019

How Domestic Violence Affects the LGBTQ Community

When we talk about domestic violence, the tendency is to focus on heterosexual relationships. This is an important conversation — but it often excludes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people who experience domestic violence. Domestic violence is not limited to relationships between men and women, and can affect people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. This Pride Month, bringing awareness to this issue can help us ensure that resources a

Ending Child Marriage in Pennsylvania

May 29, 2019

Ending Child Marriage in Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, there is currently no minimum age to get married. A child of any age can get married if they meet certain requirements. For those under the age of 18, a custodial parent or guardian’s consent is all that is needed to marry. For anyone under the age of 16, permission to marry requires parental consent and for a judge to agree that it is in the applicant’s best interest. A new bill, House Bill 360/Senate Bill 81, would change this law. If it is approved an

When Abusers Are Given the Benefit of the Doubt

May 22, 2019

When Abusers Are Given the Benefit of the Doubt

In criminal cases, if a defendant is found guilty of a crime, they are given an opportunity to present evidence before the judge at sentencing. This often comes in the form of letters of support or testimony from friends, family or colleagues. It is an integral part of our criminal justice system, and one that gives defendants an opportunity to present mitigating factors in their case. During this phase, victims also have the opportunity to present an impact statement that

How Can Peace Begin at Home If Home Is the Most Dangerous Place for Women?

Dec 12, 2018

How Can Peace Begin at Home If Home Is the Most Dangerous Place for Women?

In November, the United Nations (U.N.) released a report that led to shocking headlines: home is the most dangerous place for women. According to the U.N., around 87,000 women were killed around the world in 2017. Approximately 50,000 of those women — or 58% — were killed by intimate partners or family members. This translates to 6 women being killed every hour by people they know. With numbers like these, it is little wonder that the U.N. has concluded that home is the l

The Truth about Domestic Violence in LGBTQ+ Relationships

Jun 6, 2018

The Truth about Domestic Violence in LGBTQ+ Relationships

June is Pride Month — a month of celebration, protest and political action for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community. The first Pride marches began in 1970 in commemoration of the Stonewall Riots. Today, Pride Month encompasses a variety of activities, from parades, festivals and carnivals to political protests. It is in the spirit of Pride Month that we kick off a series of blog posts designed to highlight issues facing the LGBTQ+ community.

Western Pennsylvania, We Have a Problem

May 16, 2018

Western Pennsylvania, We Have a Problem

In just the past few weeks, there has been a spate of domestic violence incidents in Western Pennsylvania. From a SWAT situation in Pine Township to a man shot and killed by police after holding his wife and child hostage in Lower Burrell to a man shot during an incident in Saltlick Township to a man stabbing his young son in North Versailles, our area has seen far too much domestic violence this spring. This isn’t a problem that is limited to Western Pennsylvania. Across th

Why We Need to Stop Praising Domestic Abusers As “Good People”

Feb 14, 2018

Why We Need to Stop Praising Domestic Abusers As “Good People”

In the past week, two senior members of the Trump Administration left their positions due to allegations of domestic violence. First, Rob Porter, President Trump’s staff secretary either was fired or resigned after it became public that he had allegedly physically and emotionally abused two of his ex-wives. The FBI and senior staff had knowledge of this abuse, including pictures of the injuries suffered by his first wife, and a copy of the restraining order obtained agains

We Need a Domestic Violence Movement

Nov 8, 2017

We Need a Domestic Violence Movement

Over the past month, shock waves have rippled across the entertainment and political landscape as story after story has surfaced of powerful men abusing women, children and men. More women and men than ever before are speaking out about the sexual violence that they suffered at the hands of Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, members of Congress and others. This has been an important moment in history, and one that we hope will create lasting change in our society. Yet one topi

Challenging the Misconceptions of Domestic Violence: Why Some Victims Go Back to Their Abusers

Oct 18, 2017

Challenging the Misconceptions of Domestic Violence: Why Some Victims Go Back to Their Abusers

It is a common scenario in abusive relationships: a person confides in a friend, family member or another person that she or he is being abused, and is ready to leave their partner. The victim might take steps to leave, and may actually do so for a period of time. Yet in many cases, the victim might then return to the abusive relationship, leaving the friend or family member confused, scared or even angry about the situation. The assumption may be that if the abuse were re

Why Taylor Swift Needs to Rethink "Look What You Made Me Do"

Sep 13, 2017

Why Taylor Swift Needs to Rethink "Look What You Made Me Do"

This is not yet another critique of Taylor Swift’s latest song. At Blackburn Center, we are not pop culture critics. Instead, we are an organization that is dedicated to ending sexual and domestic violence, and all other types of violence. So why are we writing a blog about Taylor’s new song? The answer is simple: the title and the chorus. “Look What You Made Me Do” may sound like an empowering choice for Taylor Swift and her fans, but for victims and survivors of domestic

New Report Sheds Light on Persistent Problem: Domestic Violence Homicide

Aug 2, 2017

New Report Sheds Light on Persistent Problem: Domestic Violence Homicide

This month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report that generated shocking headlines: more than half of all female homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner. The report revealed that 55.3% of all female homicide victims are killed by a current or former intimate partner. The vast majority — 98% — of the killers in these cases are men. The numbers contained in this report are sobering, giving us a clearer and more detailed look at

The Impact of Gender-Based Violence on Women of Color

Feb 8, 2017

The Impact of Gender-Based Violence on Women of Color

We know that domestic violence and sexual assault can affect anyone, regardless of race, age, gender, religion or sexuality. Most Americans acknowledge the fact that women are more likely to be the victims of these types of violence, yet may not understand the impact of race on domestic violence and sexual assault. There are circumstances and challenges that are specific to each community of color, but generally women of color tend to experience domestic violence and sexual a

Abuse Is Not Romantic

Jan 11, 2017

Abuse Is Not Romantic

America, we have a problem when it comes to our media — and it isn’t just the spread of fake news. In 2017 and throughout modern history, American pop culture has used abusive behavior as a shortcut for romance. The prevalence of this type of relationship dynamic is as startling as it is damaging. A new hit movie, Passengers, is just the latest in a long line of movies, books and television shows that glamorize unhealthy, abusive relationships. In the movie, the male lead (

Nov 30, 2016

Why PFAs Are Not Always The Answer

Earlier this month, Western Pennsylvania was rocked by another domestic violence related murder-suicide — and this time, the estranged husband shot two police officers, one fatally, before killing himself. It is an all-too-familiar news story in Pennsylvania and across the United States: a husband or boyfriend kills his current or former wife or girlfriend and potentially others (family members, children, first responders) before killing himself. In many of these cases, the

Stand Together To Raise Awareness

Oct 5, 2016

Stand Together To Raise Awareness

To many in our community, October is a month for visiting pumpkin patches and apple orchards, viewing the gorgeous changing leaves, and preparing for Halloween. But for those of us whose lives have been affected by domestic violence, October has a different meaning: a time to raise awareness for domestic violence. This month, we observe Domestic Violence Awareness Month and we ask you to participate to help us reach our goals of raising awareness and ultimately ending the

Take The Purple Purse Challenge!

Sep 28, 2016

Take The Purple Purse Challenge!

At Blackburn Center, we are always looking for innovative ways to raise awareness and educate the community about domestic and sexual violence. That’s why we jumped at the opportunity to participate in the Purple Purse Challenge this October — which also happens to be National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This is the first time Blackburn Center has competed in the Challenge, which raised nearly $3.1 million in 2015 for 161 domestic violence organizations throughout th

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