Once I knew this kid who seemed like he had everything. He had the looks and the popularity; it seemed his life was perfect. But little did I know that this wasn’t the whole story. Something was hidden behind that strong masculine figure, something that no one could decipher. Domestic Violence was hidden inside and outside of him something that may not be visible to anyone. A mother with bruises up her arms covered by concealer. A community filled with secrets that outsiders can’t see. Domestic Violence affects children, adults, and the community.


Josh lay in his bed listening for the door to slam open. He feared the sounds of boots clunking on the hard floor and the sound of his doorknob turning. He couldn’t fall asleep his ears were to busy listening and his body was to busy shaking in fear of his drunken father coming home. Clash! The front door slams shut. His breathing stops, he counts the steeps of his fathers Timberland boots on the floor he gets to steep 12 and hears the doorknob turn. Josh ducks under the covers but it’s too late. All you can hear is the yelling and large cold hands thrashing Josh’s bony back. The next day he hides his face fear that his teacher will notice the bruises. Domestic Violence effects 3 million children a year. It may be hard to see but this scares children for the rest of their lives.


Mary cleans the kitchen and makes sure everything is in place listening in fear of her husband to walk down the stairs. Praying to god that she did everything right and he will be forgiving. For, she never does anything, but it seems that in his eyes she does. Her arm still aches from the last time she put his clothes away wrong and didn’t have dinner prepared on time. She doesn’t know how to get away from it, she fears if she runs away that he’ll find her. It doesn’t seem right to keep living like this she needs to get away, but how? Many women and men are faced with this problem every day, how can you get away from something that is so easy to run from? Domestic violence effects adults as much as it does children.


You may not think the community is affected by domestic violence but it is. If you find out your neighbor is suffering from domestic violence it would change your views on everything. You don’t think it’s happening but even people who seem perfect may be hiding bruises under his or her clean cut clothes. The community is suffering from domestic violence just as much as children and grown women and men are. There are places to get help in your community. If you saw how many people in your life are in these places crying for help and trying to get out, your life would change, and so would the community.


As Josh lays in his bed waiting to her the front door slam open and footsteps slam up the stairs, he realizes there is hope. Because in these places where Domestic Violence is killing, there is also help. Family members can support you in the struggle and the community has organizations for you to get help. If you are, or know a Josh or a Mary in your life, there is hope. We can put an end to this deadly trap and save children, adults, and communities from this jail cell, all we need is hope.