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INDIANAPOLIS — On Tuesday, Mayor Joe Hogsett and multiple other leaders joined together to highlight the month of October at Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

“The story of violence in Indianapolis is too often a story of domestic violence,” Hogsett said. “During this month, we in the City acknowledge the true scope of this issue while highlighting the resources available to victims of every age, background, and gender.”

In their State of Domestic Violence Report 2020, the Domestic Violence Network (DVN) stated that on a given day in Indiana, prior to 2020, there were at least 1,807 victims/survivors served by direct service providers.

“Domestic violence affects 1 in 5 Hoosiers, however, as our State of Domestic Violence Report 2020 makes clear, it is important to remember that the data are limited to reported information – reports to service providers, crisis lines, law enforcement agencies – and do not capture the thousands of incidents of domestic violence that are unreported nor the thousands of secondary victims of domestic violence, which include child witnesses, family members, and friends,” Executive Director of DVN, Kelly McBride said. “The pandemic exacerbated an already pervasive issue, dramatically increasing the level of violence and the need for law enforcement intervention.”

In January of this year, Danyette Smith was named Program Director of the Indy Champions for Domestic Violence Prevention, an initiative created by Mayor Hogsett and the City-County Council under the Office of Public Health and Safety and administered by the Indy Public Safety Foundation. Thanks to funding passed by the Council in July of 2021, this program has already been a key connector for victims and survivors.

Read more from WRTV here