TOLEDO, Ohio — "It's a time to raise awareness and draw attention to an issue that's often a hidden behind closed door issue," said Bethany House Executive Director, Deidra Lashley.
Each year, 911 dispatchers in Lucas County receive around 18,000 domestic violence calls.
You've probably seen some of these life-size cut-outs before, they're part of Bethany House's Silent Witness Project to raise awareness for Domestic Violence in our area.
"It's made up of 56 life-size figures. Each one telling the story of a woman or girl from Northwest Ohio, our community, who has died from domestic violence," said Lashley.
The purpose of the project is to keep the victim's voices alive and to honor them because they were people in our community. They're on display at the Main Library, on parts of the University of Toledo's campus, and Mercy College of Nursing.
Since it's National Domestic Violence Awareness month, Diedra Lashley says it's about showing people that there is hope and life after abuse and there are many ways our community can help.
"When a domestic violence victim leaves an abuser, she is 70 times more likely to be murdered," said the executive director.
It's a staggering statistic that the Bethany House wants to highlight throughout the year, not just in October because the victims are dealing with these issues daily.
All year-round we're trying to raise awareness about this issue and the impact it's having in the community," said Lashley.
She said the exhibit is not the only thing going on to help raise awareness either-- donating supplies and attending presentations are other ways. You can find more events on their Facebook.