Every minute 20 people experience intimate partner violence in the United States. 1 in every 3 women will be a victim of domestic violence in her lifetime. 1 in every 10 women have been raped by an intimate partner. 1 in 7 women have been stalked. 1 in 3 female murder victims are killed by their intimate partner.

These statistics are horrible. But since I’ve read them, I’ve realized how prevalent domestic violence really is. For example, I worked at an office where there were 9 women employees, which means there were 2 other women there who had experienced DV and we didn’t know who the others were. Also, there are 9 houses on my block, all of them have married or cohabitating couples in residence – there may be two women I see regularly who are being beaten behind closed doors.

These are the statistics of those who are directly affected. But there are way more who are indirectly affected. Maybe a family member who is gone because her abuser killed her. Maybe a family member you don’t talk to any more because she has been effectively isolated. Maybe a friend who is just inexplicably gone and you don’t know why and you suspect she’s abused.

Possibly, you’re indirectly affected because you’re a social worker, a clinic worker, a physician, a neighbor, a pastor, a lawyer, a judge, a police officer… Maybe you’re affected because you’re a human, you see, and you care.

This is a spot to give those millions of lives a memory that lives on. She was your person and now she’s gone, lost, isolated, in danger, hurting, or afraid. She’s scared and you’re scared. You love her or you are her. Leave a comment to remember her here. Offer a prayer for her or for the people who love her. Offer a prayer for those people you know or don’t know. Offer love and hope to someone who needs to know she’s not alone.

Leave a comment in the space below. Leave a memorial if you’ve lost your person. Leave a prayer for someone who is still with us. Pray for someone else’s person, their family, or the world.