Chicago Leadership Breakfast Spreads Awareness About Domestic Violence Cases
When a person enters a romantic relationship with another person, the last thing they think will happen is violence, battery, and abuse. However, after the honeymoon phase is over, and even sometimes before it even begins, a relationship can turn violent, and arguments can escalate from verbal to physical, to seriously fatal in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, domestic violence is not rare in Chicago and throughout the United States, and can lead to serious injury, displacement of children and partners to the relationship, and even death. For these reasons and more, domestic violence prevention advocates in Chicago came together this week to spread awareness about domestic violence for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
According to local Chicago news outlets, support groups and activists met in the city on October 6 to raise awareness about domestic violence and to hold a leadership breakfast on the pressing and important topic. At the conference, leaders in domestic violence prevention noted that domestic violence shootings and homicides caused by domestic violence are currently up by 21%. These numbers are quite high when contrasted with other shootings and homicides, which are down in numbers. Speakers noted that gun violence is a major concern in domestic violence cases, and that domestic violence survivors are a whopping 500 times more likely to be the subject of a homicide when a firearm is involved in a domestic violence situation. Advocates and activists hope to reverse the numbers by limiting access to guns for individuals who have been and are committing domestic violence.
Domestic Violence Defined
Domestic violence can affect any person, male or female, from any background and income bracket. In other words, domestic violence does not discriminate. Domestic violence is defined as violence towards a member of a domestic relationship, such as a family member, often a spouse. Domestic violence can take many forms, but commonly transpires as hitting, slapping, punching, kicking, choking, or even shooting another household member. Importantly, domestic violence is illegal and is a crime in Chicago and in Illinois under Illinois domestic violence laws and criminal laws.
Domestic Violence Resources: Reaching Out to a Chicago Domestic Violence Lawyer
One of the complications of domestic violence cases is that domestic violence victims may feel ashamed and afraid to come forward, due to the nature of domestic violence and the fear of retaliation from their partner or family member. However, it is extremely important for domestic violence victims to protect themselves before the violence escalates, as it can quickly turn lethal. Domestic violence victims may be able to obtain orders of protection against their abusers and there may be other legal options available, depending on the case. If you are the victim of domestic violence, it is best to seek help immediately. The experienced Chicago domestic violence lawyers at Birnbaum Gelfman Sharma & Arnoux offer a 100% confidential consultation to hear your side of the story and to see if they can help protect you and other at-risk family members. Contact the law offices of Birnbaum Gelfman Sharma & Arnoux today for your consultation and get started by speaking to a lawyer about your rights and options.
