This October, organizations and individuals across the country have turned their focus and efforts to raising consciousness about domestic violence and Bowling Green is no difference.

The Women’s Center, located in 107 Hannah Hall, has been an active participant in Domestic Violence Awareness Month, sponsoring numerous events within the last week with no signs of slowing down.

The semi-annual “Take Back the Night” march took place on Tuesday of last week.

A Brown Bag Luncheon on the correlation between animal abuse and domestic abuse was held Wednesday, as well as the Silent Witness unveiling later that evening. All events drew considerable crowds and volunteers.

The month’s largest event was the Silent Witness ceremony, according to Mary Krueger, director of the Women’s Center, which founded the Silent Witness program in northwest Ohio.

The unveiling took place in the St. Thomas More University Parish on Thurstin Road, and consisted of 30 life-sized plywood silhouettes painted red, each one representing a local female victim of domestic violence.

“The church [St. Thomas] was filled,” Krueger said. “About 355 people attended.”

These high attendance numbers reflect the importance of the issue at hand, according to Krueger.

“Domestic violence is the number one reason that American women go to the emergency room,” she said.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month was initially called the Day of Unity, and was established by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Held in October 1981, its purpose was to connect victims of domestic abuse, as well as women’s advocates dedicated to ending violence in the home.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that more than 5 million women experience an incident of domestic violence each year, resulting in about 1,300 deaths.

Women are also more likely to be abused or killed by their husbands or boyfriends than by anyone else, according to Krueger.

These startling facts have given birth to the establishment of the Cocoon Shelter in Bowling Green, a non-profit organization that provides shelter, food, legal advice and other services to victims of domestic abuse.

Its location is kept confidential for safety purposes.

“The Cocoon Shelter opened this past June, and had its first client call within 24 hours,” Krueger said. “It’s been busy ever since.”

A Brown Bag Luncheon will be held today at noon in 107 Hannah Hall concerning the Cocoon Shelter.