It’s not just a catchy hashtag, although it is this year’s very powerful nod to the statistics of those affected by domestic violence.
According to Help Now of Osceola County, the community’s organization that advocates for – and, in some cases, provides a lifelong for – those experiencing that kind of abuse, 1 in 4 women, and 1 in 10 men, has or will experience mental, physical or sexual abuse in a relationship.
To honor those who have and escaped it, or tragically didn’t, and to create awareness of it, Help Now held its 13th annual Rally, Awareness Walk and Candlelight Vigil Wednesday night.
It started at the steps of the Osceola County Courthouse, where victims ought to find justice. Purple-clad participants made signs with messages and put on t-shirts with the names, or causes (like “justice” or “prevention”) they walked for Wednesday.
At the event, a fitting close to Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, those from Help Now and law enforcement shared their pleas for prevention and awareness, then marched down Broadway, creating a blocks-long stand against domestic violence.
The walk went past a mural at Broadway Pizza Bar dedicated to Nicole Montalvo, who perished at the hands of her estranged husband and father-in-law in 2019. The event concluded at the memorial to the fallen at Kissimmee Police Department with a moving candlelight vigil, where prayers and poems were read.
“Thank you for coming out tonight. I hope you will join us in this conversation throughout the year until we meet again next year,” Help Now Executive Director Tammy Douglass said of the tremendous month of advocacy. “Just standing here with us and holding a candle is an impactful message.
“As a community, we say, ‘No more.’ If you have a mother, sister, aunt, niece … if you yourself are not a victim of domestic violence, you know someone who has been. So it takes us all coming together and realize it’s not someone else’s problem. It’s safe to talk about it, it’s safe to seek help.”
Douglass gave a nod to the team of advocates and the Help Now board she works with to continue the messaging in the community, as well as State Attorney Office and law enforcement partners, who spoke Wednesday.
“We’re honored to be a part of such a movement against domestic violence,” Osceola County Sheriff Major Dan Weiss said. “The impact it has on victims and their families is real.”
He noted that 106,000 domestic violence crimes have been reported in Florida 2022, and 63,000 arrests made. About 20,000 calls are made daily to various reporting hotlines. And, for law enforcement purposes, calls they answer are the most dangerous.
“They carry the highest percentage of officer fatalities resulting from them,” Weiss said. “The men and women from our local law enforcement partners take domestic violence very seriously. Our work with Help Now provides critical resources and a roadmap of hope for survivors . We truly value what they do for victims every day. The message needs to be loud and clear, that you don’t have to be a victim – domestic violence is wrong, and the community has your back.”
Intimate partner violence accounts for 15 percent of all violent crimes.
“These numbers are unacceptable,” St. Cloud Police Chief Douglas Goerke said Wednesday night. “Focus on offenders that put victims at risk. Because of seamless partnerships, we are able to quickly coordinate resources to victims, getting them the help and shelter they need.
“I can assure you, all the incredible people you see here today focus on this topic every single day.”
The loudest message made Wednesday was this: nobody ever does anything to deserve being abused, and as a victim, it is never your fault. To reach out to Help Now and hold an abuser accountable for their shameless actions, call its 24-hour crisis hotline at 407-847-8562, or its text line at 407-306-0677. Other resources are available at www.helpnowshelter.org.
