Recently, DAWN served one survivor in particular whose partner happened to be a local police officer. We often forget that domestic violence shows no preference, and anyone can experience the realities of DV. This abuser's form of abuse was extreme physical punishment and would often harm the survivor so severely that she would find herself in a hospital room on multiple occasions, only to be blackmailed emotionally by her abuser once released. With tears in his eyes and false words of "change" on his tongue, he would beg her to forgive and forget. "It's hard enough as a BIPOC in this field, please don't make things more difficult on me."

This situation all came to a head one day when he lifted this survivor up and threw her down so aggressively she blacked out in their own living room after hitting her head against the metal fireplace. When she awoke, he was standing over her with the same ask of forgiveness, only this time she wasn't accepting. She waited until he left for work and hurriedly packed a bag of basic necessities and fled the life she once knew. This survivor found DAWN, where our life-saving programs were able to support her and this new life of freedom, released from a world of violence. 

For World Social Justice Day, we ask you to join DAWN and our rise for domestic peace for ALL communities. Living a life free from abuse should never be a privilege, it's the bare minimum standard for all. Sign our petition and promise to promote social justice in all that you do. Your efforts to tackle domestic violence, means the world is one step closer to freedom for many others! 

Feel moved to donate to our life-saving, hope-giving resources? 

#RiseWithTheDAWN #OneTeamOneMission #WSJ