PI Community Observes National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

API Community Leaders and Organizations Join Campaign & Call Attention to the Effects of Domestic Violence on Youth

San Gabriel, CA – To mark National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Domestic Violence Task Force announces its fifth annual training event to call attention to the issues of domestic violence in the API community with special emphasis on the effects of domestic violence on youth. The training will be held on October 1st, at the Asian Youth Center, 100 W. Clary Avenue, San Gabriel, CA, beginning with a Press Conference at 9:30 am.

“There is no other crime that impacts society on so large a scale and so thoroughly devastates families as does domestic violence in all its forms. People hear ‘domestic violence’ and they think, ‘it’s between two adults,’ but it is not,” said Maria Foster, Chair of the API DV Task Force. “The courts are heavily burdened with aggressors who inflict pain and injury on their intimate partners. Thousands of homicides are committed every year leaving orphaned children in the care of family members or as wards of the State. Tens of thousands of teens run away every year to get away from the violence in their homes putting themselves at risk of being exploited, of criminal attack and even of death by exposure to the elements. Children are abusing alcohol and drugs in an effort to numb the pain of what they witness in what is supposed to be the safety of their home.”

The API DV Task Force, in conjunction with local government officials, community and social agencies, law enforcement and private citizens, are committed to eliminating domestic violence and reaching out to victims of domestic violence.

Maria Foster adds, “Domestic violence is a learned behavior. We see it cross from generation to generation. With education, support, and resources, we can increase awareness and safety for thousands of persons today, and at the same time and make better lives for families tomorrow.”

The API DV Task Force is supported by Assemblymember Mike Eng, San Gabriel City Mayor Juli Constanzo, Soroptimist International of Monterey Park/Rosemead, the Asian Youth Center, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, Asian Pacific Family Center of Pacific Clinics, the Asian Pacific Women’s Center, Chinatown Services Center Los Angeles, A Window Between Worlds, Center for Pacific Asian Families, Peace Over Violence, and the South Asian Network.

More information and registration
www.apidvtf.org