Fresh Start Women's Foundation in Phoenix is reminding everyone that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime and 85 percent of all domestic violence victims are women.

Fresh Start Women's Foundation in Phoenix is reminding everyone that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime and 85 percent of all domestic violence victims are women.

In an effort to bring more of awareness to domestic violence and to educate victims of their rights against it, the City of Chandler’s Domestic Violence Commission is hosting its 4th Annual Domestic Violence Awareness Breakfast at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9 at the Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave.

A 5-foot-3 woman answered the door of her neat, stuccoed Mesa home near East Brown Road and Sterling. A small boy, about 3 or 4, hugged her leg.

Police agencies throughout the state cracked down on domestic violence Wednesday, and Gov. Janet Napolitano said that in Arizona the crime is among the highest in the nation.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Martin Rodriguez stood in only his pajama bottoms, his hands cuffed behind his back and his face glum while a happy Chihuahua ran circles around the yard.

September 30, 2004

The physical violence wasn’t the worst part about being in an abusive relationship, according to “Celeste,” a Chandler mother who suffered quietly for nine years. The insults and emotional torture hurt far longer.

In this column space, I often get a break from writing about the bad news, the crime and the dark side of a community. I get to write about human interests — people, their jobs, a unique project in a community or one’s hobby. You know, the lighter side of life.

Jennifer’s ex-boyfriend held a gun to her head when she was six months pregnant. The abuse had been going on for a while, but that was finally the moment she knew she had to get out. She waited until her son was born because she was completely on her own with no family to turn to. She fled Las Vegas with her baby, $50 and the cheapest bus ticket out of state – which was to Flagstaff. Some quick luck landed her at a shelter in Phoenix who referred her to Fresh Start Women’s Foundation for counseling and career support. Jennifer and her son are doing great now, thanks to her perseverance and strength – but there are so many like her that never make it that far.

A Mesa couple will take the stage Saturday at the Wonderama Theatre in Tempe in a performance that underscores this month as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

A Mesa couple will take the stage Saturday at the Wonderama Theatre in Tempe in a performance that underscores this month as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

A Mesa couple will take the stage Saturday at the Wonderama Theatre in Tempe in a performance that underscores this month as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

When the domestic violence started, Karla didn’t know where to turn for help.

A chair is a simple item, but for victims of domestic abuse a chair may be their second chance.

A chair is a simple item, but for victims of domestic abuse a chair may be their second chance.

As families across the nation struggle under the shadow of domestic violence, community leaders and residents of Pinal County are banding together to stamp out the problem and to provide respite for victims of the often-unreported crime.

Two Scottsdale organizations want to end what they call the national assault on innocence.

January 23, 2005

What does a bra have in common with an advocate for domestic violence victims? They’re both held close to the heart and offer support, say organizers of a Mesa event that hinges on brassieres. Bras are the central focus of a fundraiser and National Domestic Violence Awareness Month kickoff going on Saturday at Mesa Community College.

Inside the lobby of Gilbert’s Town Council Chambers, a promotional poster touts Gilbert, AZ as the place where you want to live and notes it was named as one of the Top 100 safest places to live in America by Money Magazine in 2010.