ALPHA CHI OMEGA and DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

At Alpha Chi Omega 's 1992 National Convention, delegates voted to adopt the Support of Victims of Domestic Violence as a national altruistic project.

The Alpha Chi Omega Foundation supports educational programs for victims of domestic violence as well as hands-on support at the local community level where personal involvement can make a difference. Grants go to various agencies across the nation providing services to victims as well as to provide development and implementation of educational programs for members.

In observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Founders Day, Alpha Chi Omega's are encouraged to participate in events in their communities during the month of October.

Iota Phi takes the fight for Domestic Violence very seriously. As women we understand how this epidemic affects women everywhere. In addition, it hits home because one of our own sisters was murdered by a man looking for his estranged wife in 1998. Our chapter was blessed for the little time we had with Liz Pernel. Her memory lives on not only in our chapter, but also at our University. A tree dedicated in Liz's memory stands outside of the Commons, one of the freshmen dorms on campus. Iota Phi holds its annual Frisbee Fest in memory of Liz. This year we raised over $13,000 and presented the check to the Domestic Violence Shelter of Greater New Haven.

Here are some staggering statistics about Domestic Violence. More are listed on http://www.ndvh.org/

*Nearly one-third of American women (31 percent) report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives. –Commonwealth Fund survey, 1998

*It is estimated that 503,485 women are stalked by an intimate partner each year in the United States. – National Institute of Justice, July 2000

*Estimates range from 960,000 incidents of violence against a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend each year to 4 million women who are physically abused by their husbands or live-in partners each year. – Violence by Intimates: Analysis of Data on Crimes by Current or Former Spouses, Boyfriends, and Girlfriends, U.S. Department of Justice, March, 1998

*While women are less likely than men to be victims of violent crimes overall, women are 5 to 8 times more likely than men to be victimized by an intimate partner. – Violence by Intimates: Analysis of Data on Crimes by Current or Former Spouses, Boyfriends, and Girlfriends, U.S. Department of Justice, March, 1998

*In 1996, among all female murder victims in the U.S., 30% were slain by their husbands or boyfriends. – Uniform Crime Reports of the U.S. 1996, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1996

*Forty percent of teenage girls age 14 to 17 report knowing someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend. – Children Now/Kaiser Permanente poll, December, 1995

*Females accounted for 39% of the hospital emergency department visits for violence-related injuries in 1994 but 84% of the persons treated for injuries inflicted by intimates.– Violence by Intimates: Analysis of Data on Crimes by Current or Former Spouses, Boyfriends, and Girlfriends, U.S. Department of Justice, March, 1998

*One in five female high school students reports being physically or sexually abused by a dating partner. – Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), August 2001

Domestic Violence Hotline - 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)