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October 2, 2019 ww.DesertMessenger.com 7 DUMP THE DRUGS IN QUARTZSITE! Do you have expired or unused medications? Dispose safely at Quartzsite Police Dept. Mon - Fri. 8 am-5 pm Sponsored by QPD Town of Quartzsite, AZ Corner of Moon Mt. & Cowell • Quartzsite • 928-927-5400 QUARTZSITE'S ONLY YEAR ROUND SALON - TUES - FRI Cheyanne & Debbi ARE HERE FOR YOUR SUMMER HOURS: TUESDAY - FRIDAY Hair, Nails, and Pedicure Services National Domestic Violence Awareness Month Town Hall returns to five-day work week As summer comes to an end Quartzsite Town Hall is switching back to a fi ve day work week begin- ning Monday, September 30th. The change to a four-day work week occurred when Town Council approved trying the new schedule for the summer months. Employ- ees worked ten hour shifts Monday through Thursday. Employees en- joyed the three day weekends from through the end of September. Camel Express Transit service will also begin winter schedule Monday September 30, 2019. Winter hours will be 8:00am-5:00pm Monday - Friday. All Town of Quartzsite De- partments will be transitioning to the winter schedule. Local Quartzsite Service Monday – Friday 8:00am–5:00pm pickups will start at 8:30 for every route. Lake Havasu 1st Tuesday of each month Parker 2nd, 3rd, 4th Tuesdays of each month Blythe 2nd, 4th Wednesdays of each month Yuma 1st, 3rd Thursdays of each month Reservations are required for more information please call Quartzsite Town Hall at 928-927-4333 ext. 3 National Domestic Violence Aware- ness Month is an annual designa- tion observed in October. For many, home is a place of love, warmth, and comfort. It's somewhere that you know you will be surrounded by care and support, and a nice little break from the busyness of the real world. But for millions of others, home is anything but a sanctuary. The U.S. Department of Justice es- timates that 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are victims of physi- cal violence by a partner every year. Every 9 seconds, a woman in the U.S. is beaten or assaulted by a cur- rent or ex-signifi cant other. 1 in 4 men are victims of some form of physical violence by an in- timate partner. Here's another shocking statistic: the number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2001 and 2012 is 6,488. The number of women who were murdered by cur- rent or ex-male partners during that same time frame is 11,766, accord- ing to the Huffi ngton Post. That's almost double the number of people who were killed fi ghting in the war. People who are in an abusive rela- tionship will stay with their partner for a number of reasons: • Their self-esteem is totally de- stroyed, and they are made to feel they will never be able to fi nd an- other person to be with. • The cycle of abuse, meaning the 'honeymoon phase' that follows physical and mental abuse, makes them believe their partner really is sorry and does love them. • It's dangerous to leave. Women are 70 times more likely to be killed in the weeks after leaving their abu- sive partner than at any other time in the relationship, according to the Domestic Violence Intervention program. • Statistics suggest that almost 5 percent of male homicide victims each year are killed by an intimate partner. • They feel personally responsible for their partner, or their own behavior. They are made to feel like everything that goes wrong is their fault. • They share a life. Marriages, chil- dren, homes, pets, and fi nances are a big reason victims of abuse feel they can't leave. HOW TO OBSERVE Use #DomesticViolenceAwareness to post on social media. Sometimes, people don't know if they are really in an abusive relationship because they're used to their partner call- ing them crazy or making them feel like all the problems are their own fault. Here are a few ways to know if you're in an abusive relationship that you need to get out of. 1. Your partner has hit you, beat you, or strangled you in the past. 2. Your partner is possessive. They check up on you constantly won- dering where you are; they get mad at you for hanging out with certain people if you don't do what they say. 3. Your partner is jealous. (A small amount of jealousy is normal and healthy) however, if they accuse you of being unfaithful or isolate you from family or friends, that means the jealousy has gone too far. 4. Your partner puts you down. They attack your intelligence, looks, mental health, or capabilities. They blame you for all of their violent outbursts and tell you nobody else will want you if you leave. 5. Your partner threatens you or your family. 6. Your partner physically and sexu- ally abuses you. If they EVER push, shove, or hit you, or make you have sex with them when you don't want to, they are abusing you (even if it doesn't happen all the time.) HISTORY Domestic Violence Awareness Month evolved from the "Day of Unity" held in October 1981 and conceived by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The "Day of Unity" soon evolved into a week, and in October of 1987, the fi rst National Domestic Violence Awareness Month was observed. In 1989 Congress passed Public Law 101-112, offi cially designating Oc- tober of that year as National Do- mestic Violence Awareness Month. Such legislation has been passed each year since. As this month comes to an end, the important discussion it brings to the forefront about domestic violence's horrifi c repercussions should not. If you are experiencing domestic abuse, pleasehttps://www.thehot- line.org/ for help. If you are in dan- ger, call 911.

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