October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Places You Can Turn to for Help

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It is a time to reflect on the fact that domestic violence occurs in every community around the world. If you believe it does not affect you because you have never been physically or mentally abused, you are wrong. Parents, siblings, co-workers, employers, neighbors, and friends are all affected by it. The physical scars are not the only marks and manifestations of domestic violence. It also produces significant emotional and psychological trauma, which not only affects the victim but everyone around them.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, in the United States an average of 20 people experience violence from an intimate partner every minute. In 2019, domestic violence claimed the lives of 67 people in Wisconsin, 12% of whom were younger than 18. The problem is serious and getting worse.

Taking Your Life Back

You do not have to live with someone who is abusing you physically, mentally, sexually, and economically. You do not have to live under the fear and tyranny that you will lose everything—your home, your children, your material security—if you leave your abuser. The law is on your side and you should seek protection in it.

Wisconsin domestic violence defense attorneys help people like you. Hiring a Menomonee criminal defense attorney will help you get the immediate assistance you require. Your attorney will help you find a place to stay and will ensure that you and your children are provided for. They will also represent you in negotiations over child custody and the division of assets if you are not married to the live-in partner who has abused you.

Finding the Help You Need

If you are being abused, your first move should be to seek safety. Whether you live in the northern, northeastern, western, southern, or southwestern part of Wisconsin or in one of the state’s Native tribe areas, you can find the help that you need here: https://www.endabusewi.org/get-help/

You can also find highly experienced Wisconsin domestic violence lawyers at McLario Helm Bertling and Spiegel.