Domestic Violence Awareness Month

What is domestic violence?

Signs someone is dealing with domestic violence

On-campus domestic violence resources

Off-campus domestic violence resources in BG

Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) takes place in October, highlighting the facts about domestic violence and resources for those who may need help and are dealing with a domestic violence situation. 

Domestic violence is a common issue everywhere, even in Bowling Green. 

There were 33 cases of domestic violence that ended in charges in 2022 in Bowling Green, and 700 in Wood County overall, according to the Ohio Attorney General.

According to the BGSU Campus Security Report, there was one case of domestic violence in 2022 on campus. 

The Coocon, BG’s local domestic and sexual violence agency says that supporting and recognizing the signs of domestic abuse can save lives, and that having Domestic Violence Awareness Month is crucial to getting to that point. 

“This is a month for everyone to take awareness to what is going on and to end the stigma that domestic violence doesn’t exist, and that it’s swept under the rug a lot. The awareness is to allow others to know that there are survivors that endured domestic violence that have very great outcomes, and that there are some that are still struggling with domestic violence,” said a Mobile Health Advocate at the Cocoon. 

To combat the cases and bring more awareness about the issue to students, BGSU’s Gender Violence Prevention and Education Services (GVPES) hosts multiple events throughout the month. 

These events include the Red Flag Campaign Display, which “encourages the campus community to practice Green Dot bystander intervention when they see warning signs, or “red flags,” of unhealthy relationships,” according to the event page. The flags can be found outside of the Education Building.

The GVPES also hosts the Clothesline Project every year with the Cocoon, which displays t-shirts in the Union Oval made by victims and survivors to voice their experiences and the Silent Witness Project in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union, which shows cutouts of people that memorializes those who have lost their life to domestic violence. 

Empty Place at the Table is another display the GVPES hosts in honor of DVAM, which honors and recognizes women and children who have lost their lives to domestic violence, and can be found in various dining halls around campus. 

Despite the efforts made on campus to bring awareness to domestic violence, some people may not know what exactly domestic violence is.