UB Supports Domestic Violence Awareness

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Domestic Violence is violence that happens in the home or within relationships. It can happen to anyone, regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion or gender. Abuse is physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that frighten, intimidate, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, injure or wound someone, according to thehotline.org.

On Saturday, October 15, about 50 University of Bridgeport students rallied and walked around downtown Bridgeport for the annual Domestic Violence Awareness walk.

The event was held by the Caribbean Service Association and African Student Association, and began at the Student Center around noon and ended around 1:30 p.m. back at the Student Center. "The walk brought people together that usually don't come together," CSA member Geralda Moise said.

 "It was a powerful and uplifting walk," Participant Valerie Derisme said.

"STOP THE VIOLENCE, BREAK BREAK THE SILENCE!" and "NO EXCUSE FOR THE ABUSE!" was being chanted during the march, and donations were given by a few passers-bys.

Could you be in an abusive relationship? Does your boyfriend/girlfriend: scare you in any way? Act jealous or possessive? Text you excessively? Blame you for things they say or do? Try to force you to have sex?

Or do you ever: Call your boyfriend/girlfriend names? Text or call excessively? Monitor their email or profile on a social networking site? Get in their face during a disagreement.

If you answered yes to any of those questions, you might be in an abusive relationship and should contact 888-774-2900, a 24 hour, 365 days a year hotline for domestic violence.