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Domestic violence is a topic that is either ignored, or unrecognized. I’m 22 years old, and throughout my life I can't remember ever being spoken to about domestic violence. In fact, I've never been spoken to about domestic violence. Matter of fact, I think I’ve seen more acts of domestic violence then I have heard anyone say, “domestic violence.” Over the years, I’ve volunteered for different organizations on different issues, but this time around I wanted to work on something that would also help me to spread awareness. That's what led me to work with Becky’s Fund.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV): “One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. An estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year. 85% of domestic violence victims are women. Historically, females have been most often victimized by someone they know. Females who are 20-24 years of age are at the greatest risk of nonfatal intimate partner violence. Most cases of domestic violence are never reported to the police.”

While being in college at Hampton University from 2005-2009, I happened to be around several situations of domestic violence. A lot of the time I would be having a conversation with some female friends, and some would tell me that their boyfriends have hit them or verbally abused them, like it wasn’t a big deal. Funny thing is that some of these females are still with the same boyfriends today. A lot of people saw, and experienced, domestic violence in college, but few spoke about it. It would seem as though some people would rather deal with it on their own, rather than inform the police or go to someone for help. Most of the time this is due to the fear of a loved one being taken away; but domestic violence has nothing to do with love.

I think that people who are aware of a domestic abuse situation should speak up. If someone’s life is lost because of violence, know that it could have been prevented. Domestic violence is a serious matter in society, and a lot fewer divorces and break-ups would occur if younger generations became more aware of it, leading to a decrease in partner abuse in the years to come.

If domestic violence is introduced to younger generations as they grow up, I think the divorce rate and break-up of couples would decrease over the years with a lower number of domestic violence cases. Throughout my middle school, high-school, and college years, no one ever informed me on the issue of domestic violence. Knowledge is key; if you don’t have it when a situation arises you won’t know how to act accordingly. Since I am in the entertainment industry, my job could be a useful tool to speak up about domestic violence. Everyone listens to some form of music, so a musical artist and entertainer speaking up on domestic violence would make people stop and listen. I am a firm believer in addressing domestic violence publicly, and I will try my best to expose it to younger, as well as older, generations.

This posting is part of a series by passionate allies of the cause. This article was written by Kanja Muchoki, a 2010 Becky's Fund volunteer.