Domestic Violence in Our Community: The Northwest Ohio Silent Witness Project

The Northwest Ohio Silent Witness Project contains 43 silhouettes that will be unveiled at Main Library on (Tu) Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. in a ceremony presented by Bethany House and the Toledo Lucas County Public Library, and the stories behind each silhouette will be read aloud by family, friends, and volunteers. Each silhouette bears the name and story of a girl or woman whose life ended due to domestic violence. The project’s purpose is to educate people about the prevalence of domestic violence and advocate for the end to it. The Silent Witness Project is a national initiative, founded in 1990 in Minnesota, in response to an epidemic of domestic violence homicides. There are local Silent Witness Project chapters in all 50 states.

Silhouettes will be on display at the following library branches from (W) Oct. 8 through (Th) Oct. 30: Holland, Kent, Lagrange, Main Fact & Fiction, Main Teen, Reynolds Corners, Sanger, South, and West Toledo. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Please join us in honoring these women and learning about the prevalence of domestic violence in our community.

If you or someone you know is impacted by domestic violence, please call one of the following resources: YWCA Domestic Violence Support 24/7: 419.241.7386 or Toll Free 888.341.7386; YWCA 24/7 Confidential Rape Crisis Hotline: 866.557.7273; National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1.800.799.7233; National Human Trafficking Hotline 1.888.373.7888 and the text line 233.733.