The American Bar Association will make Florida the first site for a new campaign that will provide domestic violence victims with a new safety guide designed to help them with legal questions and aid in the process of leaving abusive relationships. The new program, “Domestic Violence is Everyone’s Business,” will be launched at a press conference today and will focus on the centerpiece for the nationwide campaign, a brochure entitled “Steps to Safety: Be Safe. Be Sensible. Be Prepared.” One primary focus of the campaign is to help women and children deal with separating from an abuser. According to Florida Governor’s Task Force on Domestic and Sexual Violence, 65 percent of homicide victims killed by an intimate are attempting to separate from an abusive relationship during the time of their death.
The brochure, which will be distributed to Florida’s 240,000 employees statewide and at local Winn Dixie pharmacies, is designed to help businesses educate their employees about domestic abuse, and to provide information to those women who currently find themselves in abusive relationships.