This week's Friday Five is more serious than playful and it's ok. I'm allowed, right? This week's FIVE...five organizations that you'd like to bring more awareness to...see it's deep.
1. Domestic Violence. I grew up in an abusive household. My step father was physically and emotionally abusive (never sexual abuse, thank God). It killed my esteem, skewed my outlook on men and relationships, had me terrified for my mother's life more than once. Some stats on domestic violence (taken from http://domesticviolencestatistics.org/):
- Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten.
- Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime. Most often, the abuser is a member of her own family.
- Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women—more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined.
- Studies suggest that up to 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually.
- Nearly 1 in 5 teenage girls who have been in a relationship said a boyfriend threatened violence or self-harm if presented with a breakup.
- Everyday in the US, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends.
- Ninety-two percent of women surveyed listed reducing domestic violence and sexual assault as their top concern.
2. Stalking. I have never been stalked but it is, hands down, the thing that terrifies me most. I recently came across
Morgan Ingram's story and found myself consumed with the details concerning her stalking and murder. I think that, while stories like this are hard to read, awareness is KEY. Some stats about stalking (taken from http://www.stalkingawarenessmonth.org/awareness)
- 3.4 million people over the age of 18 are stalked each year in
the United States.
- 3 in 4 stalking victims are stalked by someone they know.
- 30% of stalking victims are stalked by a current or former
intimate partner.
- 10% of stalking victims are stalked by a stranger.
- Persons aged 18-24 years experience the highest rate of
stalking.
- 11% of stalking victims have been stalked for 5 years or more.
- 46% of stalking victims experience at least one unwanted
contact per week
- 1 in 4 victims report being stalked through the use of some
form of technology (such as e-mail or instant messaging).
- 10% of victims report being monitored with global positioning
systems (GPS), and 8% report being monitored through video
or digital cameras, or listening devices.
3. Mito Disease: Mitochondria exist in nearly every cell of the human body, producing 90 percent of the energy the body needs to function. In a person with mitochondrial disease, the mitochondria are failing and cannot convert food and oxygen into life-sustaining energy. For many, mitochondrial disease is an inherited genetic condition, while for others the body's mitochondria can be affected by other environmental factors. One of my dearest friend's son has mito. It's a sad disease. Some Mito Stats (taken from
http://www.umdf.org/site/c.8qKOJ0MvF7LUG/b.7934639/k.C416/FAQ8217s.html)
- Every 30 minutes, a child is born who will develop a mitochondrial disease by age 10.
- Each year, 1,000 to 4,000 children in the United states are born with a mitochondrial disease.
- In adults, many diseases of aging have been found to have defects of mitochondrial function.
- These include, but are not limited to, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, atherosclerotic heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer. In addition, many medicines can injure the mitochondria.
4. Child Obesity. I am very anti-media for my kids. They don't sit around and watch tv (although they watch their fair share). My hubby and I don't have any games on our phones for the kids, we don't have an ipad and they don't play games on my computer. We also don't have any "kid" tablets or video games. We go outside and play; we learn about sports and they are just kids. I eat fairly healthy (especially when I am not pregnant) and my kids do too (as well as a 2 and 3 year old can, I suppose). Yes, they have had fast food but it's not something we do daily. I exercise and set healthy examples for my kids with the hopes that my example will lead them to a healthy lifestyle as they grow. Some stats on child obesity (taken from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm)
- Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years.
- The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 20% in 2008. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period.
- In 2008, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.1,2
- Overweight is defined as having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle, bone, water, or a combination of these factors.3 Obesity is defined as having excess body fat.4
- Overweight and obesity are the result of “caloric imbalance”—too few calories expended for the amount of calories consumed—and are affected by various genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors.5,6
5. Abductions: Again, never been abducted and haven't had to live that nightmare with my kids and pray I never do. I recently read an article about
"tricky people". Teach kids about tricky people instead of stranger danger. It really opened my eyes to a new way to explain the dangers to my kids and as they grow, this will be how I teach them about strangers. Some stats on child abductions (taken from http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2810)
- Nearly 800,000 children younger than 18 are missing each year, or an average of 2,185 children reported missing each day.
- More than 200,000 children were were abducted by family members.
- More than 58,000 children were abducted by nonfamily members.
- 115 children were the victims of “stereotypical” kidnapping. These crimes involve someone the child does not know or a slight acquaintance who holds the child overnight, transports the child 50 miles or more, kills the child, demands ransom, or intends to keep the child permanently.
These are serious topics and things that really make me think. Some of them have directly affected me and my family but some have not and they are just things that terrify me to my core. I try to be aware of my kids and where they are as well as what and who are around me. I don't think that I'm paranoid but just aware. I took several self defense classes in college and learned a lot about criminal psychology in those (they were taught my a cop and forensic scientists. What I learned really stuck with me.
So, link up if you'd like. I'd love to see where your passions lie.
