Violence is not OK : San Antonio campaign raises awareness about domestic violence during holidays
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Domestic violence doesn’t take a holiday.
That’s the message behind a new San Antonio-led social media campaign that aims to raise awareness about the risks of domestic violence during the holidays and direct victims to resources throughout the community.
“All the research about family violence shows that violence increases when people are under stress,” said Jenny Hixon, violence prevention manager at the Metropolitan Health District. “That’s why we decided that it’s important to get this messaging out there.”
The campaign, unveiled this month in partnership with the Police Department and University Health, is part of a larger effort among city and county officials to address the increase in domestic violence injuries and fatalities in Bexar County.
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The pressure of the pandemic and stay-home recommendations make this holiday season especially dangerous.
Advocates say that’s why it’s more important than ever for victims to have a safety plan in place.
The first part of a safety plan is tough for some people:
setting
up contacts you can alert during an emergency, whether it’s family, friends, neighbors or coworkers.
“You should have a code word, code phrase so that the abuser doesn’t even know what you’re talking about,” said victim’s advocate Dalia Rivas.