Daily Prompts & Raksha Posts

Day 1 | Saturday, October 1, 2022
Announce Your Support!

Share our calendar and campaign page on your social media posts or stories and say why domestic violence awareness is important to you! Sample post below.

Or simply, click here to edit this image on Canva, add your logo/ name and say why you support DVAM!

Help create a Thunderclap on social by sharing this post at 12PM EDT on 10/01/22!!

Sample post: October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). The recent deaths of Manpreet Kaur and Sania Khan are a tragic reminder of the continuing occurrence of domestic violence in the South Asian communities. This month, as part of our/my commitment to spreading awareness around domestic violence, we/I will be participating in @rakshainc ’s #31DaysofDVAM2022, a social media campaign aimed at creating awareness for domestic violence and sharing culturally-specific information and resources.

Suggested hashtags to use: 

 #RakshaDvam2022 #dvam2022 #DVAM #31DaysofDVAM @rakshainc #southasian 

Day 2 | Sunday, October 2, 2022
Self Care 

💟 Self-care is critical for individuals who have experienced abuse and trauma to help build resilience to cope with the effects of trauma and abuse. However, many can find it more challenging:

🥺to prioritize self-care when battling with feelings of shame, low self esteem or stigma and mental illness

😩figure out as a regimen/ routine. What works for one/ once, may not work for others/ always.

October 2-8, 2022 is National Mental Illness Awareness Week #MIAW #Together4MH

Check out 5 powerful Self Care Tips for Abuse and Trauma Survivors on hotline.org

Day 3| Monday, October 3, 2022:  Mythbusters

MYTH: “It is the stress” / “They have issues controlling anger”
FACT:
Abusers often identify stress and uncontrollable anger as reasons for violence. The truth is that abusive behavior is not a result of loss of control or stress but a result of the need to control and gain power in a relationship. Abusers abuse because they think/ feel they are entitled to do so. Stress and anger may be compounding factors but NEVER an excuse or cause for violence. Studies show that abusive behaviors may continue to resurface even after the stress levels experienced by abusers are lowered. And offenders are known to be able to control their anger in social situations or when they know there are serious consequences.
Stress or anger can be seen as acceptable reasons for abusive behaviors by providers or 'head of the family' families/cultures that uphold unequal power in relationships based on patriarchal beliefs.

MYTH: "Once you have children, everything will be fine".
FACT: Some cultures promote the belief that having children can reform abusers. Research shows that having children does not decrease abuse; in fact children are often used as a form of control in abusive relationships.
#dvam2022 #dvam #Raksha31daysofDVAM #RakshaDVAM2022 #domesticviolenceawareness

MYTH: “It only happened one time.”
FACT: If your partner has injured you once, they’ll likely continue to assault you. Abuse is a pattern of behaviors used to control the victim. It is still abuse if the physical violence happened only once, but other forms of abuse continue to occur over time. Many forms of abuse are covert and invisible. And more often than not, victims cannot recognize a pattern of abuse.

#DVAM is also a good time to talk about pet safety. Did you know:

 🐾Pets are often used as tools of abuse or control by abusers. 

🐾Only ~10% percent of domestic violence shelters nationwide accept pets

🐾Fear for the welfare of pets is very likely to keep/delay survivors from leaving abusive situations to find safety. 

Give a shoutout today to organizations that strive for pet safety and help survivors. Share a picture of your pets. 

Today we highlight the amazing @ahimsahouse, Georgia’s first and only organization dedicated to helping the human and animal victims of domestic violence reach safety together. Thankful for their help in providing safe shelter for pets of Raksha clients, while they got back on their feet. We appreciate you!

Swipe left to see more resources for survivors and pet safety planning.