Janay Rice, wife of NFL player Ray Rice, has spoken out today after video emerged yesterday showing Ray punching out Janay in an elevator, which led suddenly to the Baltimore Ravens cutting him from the team.
On Instagram, she wrote, "To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret everyday is a horrible thing. To take something away from the man I love that he has worked his [butt] off for all his life just to gain ratings is horrific."
On Twitter a different conversation has been spurred - stories of #WhyIStayed and #WhyILeft by victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) and experts in the field.
One woman, Beverly Gooden, wrote "I tried to leave the house once after an abusive episode, and he blocked me. He slept in front of the door that entire night. #WhyIStayed."
According to the Centers for Disease Control, IPV resulted in 2,340 deaths in 2007 - accounting for 14% of all homicides. The public health agency also calls IPV a preventable health problem.
How has societal understanding of IPV changed in recent history? Which populations are most vulnerable? What are your experiences with abusive relationships or episodes in an intimate relationship?
Powerful #whyistayed and #whyileft tweets:
because i thought if i loved him enough he would stop being abusive
. because i knew he would kill me eventually
— Allison O'Connor (@yurhuckleberry)
I was told marriage is forever. I didn’t want to be a failure
— Jessica Merrell (@jmillermerrell)
I was told marriage is forever. I didn’t want to be a failure #whyistayed
— Jess Miller-Merrell (@jmillermerrell) September 9, 2014
because he told me he'd kill me if I left.
is when I realized he was going kill me if I stayed.
— Kimberly (@luvsmytwoboys)
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
Guest:
Kathy Moore, MSW, Executive Director, California Partnership to End Domestic Violence