Op-ed: Honoring Domestic Violence Awareness Month
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 28, 2021) — The following op-ed was written by Taryn Henning, director of the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Center, housed in the Office for Student Success.
In October 1987, the first Domestic Violence Awareness Month was observed. Across the country, survivors, victims and advocates worked in solidarity to raise awareness on the prevalence of domestic and dating violence and to honor those who have experienced it. More than three decades later, the University of Kentucky continues this work.
Domestic and dating violence aren’t things our society generally feels comfortable talking about, but this month challenges us to flip that script and encourages us to find the courage in having those difficult but oh so important conversations. This month, you’ll notice the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Center, part of the Office for Student Success, on campus has been working to do just that.
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 45.3% of Kentucky women and 35.5% of Kentucky men experience intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner rape and/or rape in their lifetimes. These percentages are oftentimes greater for LGBTQ+ individuals and for those who hold other marginalized identities. Knowing this, I’m sure we can all agree that far too many of us have been or are being harmed. So, what can we do?
Purple is the color for the cause, so you may have noticed that last week, the VIP Center and UK honored and supported survivors and victims of domestic and dating violence by lighting our campus purple. You may have also seen the T-shirts and notecards that students, staff and faculty crafted on display in the Gatton Student Center. This was The Clothesline Project, a visual reminder that abuse is never okay, that it is never the survivor’s or victim’s fault and that survivors and victims are not alone. At UK, we have an entire community of individuals who care.
As Domestic Violence Awareness Month comes to a close, I challenge you to reflect on the reasons why we need to have an entire month designated for awareness of domestic violence, and most of all on the fact that we are all deserving of a gentle love.
If you or someone you know is experiencing violence and you would like to speak to someone confidentially, please come see the VIP Center staff in our new home in the Gatton Student Center addition, or you can call or email to schedule an appointment using the contact information below. Friends of survivors are also encouraged to come speak to our staff on ways to provide support to your loved ones who are or have been in violent situations.
Whether we care for someone being harmed or are experiencing harm ourselves, please know that you are not alone. We are part of a campus community that does not believe violence is ever okay. Everyone at the VIP Center, along with many across campus, is here to provide support.
Violence thrives in silence and isolation. We see this in the fact that our society teaches us that this is such a taboo topic; yet the numbers of victimization are so unacceptably high. My hope is that after this month, we all feel a little more empowered to start and continue conversations about domestic and dating violence, that we can all find ways to enter or continue participating in this movement against violence. Please, join us at the VIP Center so that we can work toward this end together.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.