Domestic Violence Prevention ... All of us Deserve Time to Care

 By Sheila Conley

On October 1 – the start of this country’s observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month – I am reminded that Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was attacked by another man and had to stay in the hospital for two days.

As the mother of a domestic violence survivor, I know that many people suffer domestic abuse daily. But, unlike Mayor Barrett, many of these survivors have neither paid time off work nor the access to health care.

For many years, domestic viiolence survivors have been talking about this issue. That's why the incident with Mayor Barrett resonated with us. 

Everyone should have access to health care and have the job security to live a violence-free life. Certainly, no one should lose a job or lose pay because they need safe time to recover from a domestic violence situation.

In these tough times, it's more important than ever that we speak out in support of the Healthy Families Act (HFA), pending federal legislation that would guarantee all workers the opportunity to earn up to seven paid sick days a year to care for themselves and their loved ones in times of occasional illness. HFA would also guarantee time to deal with the aftermath of family violence and sexual assault.

You shouldn't have to be the mayor of a major city to have the time to care.

Take a stand during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Contact your members of Congress and urge them  to support the Healthy Families Act now!

The author is a member of the Milwaukee Chapter of 9to5